Republican governor Greg Gianforte on Monday signed two bills that eliminate voter-registration on Election Day in Montana and tighten ID requirements for voting and voter-registration.
Gianforte, accompanied by bill sponsors and Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, who supported the measures, signed them into law at the Capitol.
“These new laws will help ensure the continued integrity of Montana’s elections for years to come,” he said in a statement.
Jacobsen said, “Montana sets the standards for elections across the country. However, there is always room for improvement, and voter ID and voter-registration deadlines are best practices in protecting the integrity of elections.”
Opponents of the two bills said they’re nothing more than voter-suppression, making it harder for Montanans to vote or register to vote. They’ve noted that supporters of the laws produced no evidence of any voter-fraud or problems with Montana’s prior system.