Montana Election Law Blocked By Judge In New Ruling

Montana Judge Upholds Same Day Voter Registration Rights

A Montana judge has issued a ruling that allows voters to continue registering and casting their ballots on Election Day, blocking part of a 2025 law that would have ended same-day registration for federal elections at noon.

That system has actually been in place in Montana since 2006, so this ruling keeps a long-standing practice intact.

Judge Blocks Portions Of 2025 Election Law

District Judge Adam Larsen made the decision Friday afternoon, saying the law passed last year by the Republican-controlled Legislature would likely hurt Native American voters and younger voters the hardest.

He also pushed back on the state’s argument that the change would make elections easier to manage, saying election officials are fully capable of handling the differences between federal, state, and local ballots.

This isn’t the first time Montana has seen an attempt to roll back same-day registration either. A similar law passed in 2021 was later struck down in 2024 by the Montana Supreme Court.

Same Day Voter Registration Popular With Montana Voters

Judge Larsen also pointed out that same-day registration has been “wildly popular” in Montana, noting that back in 2014, 57% of voters rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated it.

It was also noted that some polling places with fewer than 400 voters are not required to open until noon on Election Day, meaning voters in those locations would not have been able to register at all.

Since its inception, more than 70,000 Montanans have utilized Election Day registration.

Source: ICT