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Election, disability experts testify as trial over election laws enters week Two – Daily Montanan [1]

['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- August']

Date: 2022-08-22  

The Clerk and Recorder for Ravalli County agreed during testimony Monday that three election laws passed during the most recent legislative session were a “solution in search of a problem.”

Regina Plettenberg’s testimony came on the sixth day of hearings in Yellowstone County District Court, where the Montana Democratic Party and a handful of other plaintiffs, including Blackfeet Nation, the American Civil Liberties Union and Western Native Voice, are challenging three recently passed election laws on the grounds that they would create unconstitutional barriers on access to voting in the state.

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The GOP-backed laws were passed with the idea that they would strengthen election integrity in Montana, but so far, testimony in the hearing has debunked the theory of any widespread voter fraud in the state and has asserted that the laws would only create more confusion and unfair barriers for native and younger populations.

Since the 2020 election in Montana and across the country, a growing number of people have cast doubt on America’s elections, alleging that the 2020 election was fraudulent, and some are going as far as contending Donald Trump won the election.

Laws on trial The fate of three laws will be decided in this two-week trial that began on Aug. 15 in Yellowstone County District Judge Michael G. Moses. The three laws are: Senate Bill 169: This bill changes the acceptable forms of identification used for voting. It now requires an additional form of identification to be used in addition to student identification from in-state colleges and universities. House Bill 176: This bill eliminates Election Day voter registration in Montana. Montana has had same-day, or Election Day Registration, since 2005, but the original provision was not included in the Montana Constitution. In 2014, voters rejected an effort to dismantle same-day registration. The 2021 Legislature moved the last-chance for election registration to noon the day before election. House Bill 530: This measure is very similar to a law ruled unconstitutional in 2020. It concerns anyone collecting a ballot. Instead of banning the practice of “ballot collection” altogether, it prohibits ballot collectors from being paid.

On Monday, Plettenberg testified that increased scrutiny has created more burden for herself and fellow election workers in Ravalli County. She said she has received increased public information requests from legislators and election integrity groups about things like tabulators.

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/08/22/election-disability-experts-testify-as-trial-over-election-laws-enters-week-two/

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