老澳门开奖结果

BILLINGS, Mont. 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果, 老澳门开奖结果 of Montana, and Native American Rights Fund (NARF) today challenged two new Montana laws that hinder Native American participation in the state鈥檚 electoral process.

The first, HB 176, ends same-day registration, which reservation voters have relied upon to cast votes in Montana since 2005. The second, HB 530, blocks organized ballot collection on rural reservations. Just last year, a Montana court struck down a similar measure after listening to 鈥渃old, hard data鈥� on its detrimental impact on the Native vote.

Today鈥檚 lawsuit against HB 176 and HB 530 was brought on behalf of Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote, Native American-led organizations focused on getting out the vote and increasing civic participation in the Native American community; and the Blackfeet Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Fort Belknap Indian Community, and Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

鈥淢ontana politicians are once again targeting the voting rights of Native Americans. They tried and failed last time, and we urge the court to swiftly reject this latest attempt to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters in rural tribal communities,鈥� said Alora Thomas-Lundborg, senior staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果鈥�s Voting Rights Project.

Rural reservations are the most isolated voter locations in Montana. The distance to travel to register and vote, limited mail routes, disproportionately high levels of poverty on reservations, and digital divide issues isolate Native Americans from participating in the political process.

To overcome these barriers, many rely on same-day voter registration so they can make just one trip to the polling center to register and vote on the same day. Native Americans living on reservations disproportionately rely on same-day registration, especially voters on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in northwest Montana.

鈥淭hese laws are an unconstitutional attack on the right of Native Americans to vote,鈥� said NARF staff attorney Jacqueline De Le贸n. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e part of a pattern of carefully designed laws that make voting more difficult for some voters than others, which the court has already recognized does not serve the state.鈥�

Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote work to protect Native American voting rights. As part of that effort, they engage in get-out-the-vote work in tribal communities and in urban areas. A critical part of this work is voter education and voter registration. Both organizations regularly provide rides to county election offices on Election Day so that voters can register and vote.

鈥淣ative people have been fighting for the right to vote and fair and equal access to the polls for the last 75 years. We are now in 2021, and instead of dismantling barriers to the polls for citizens we serve, some Montana legislators have quickly built them back up even though a Montana court previously ruled the obstacles created for Indigenous voters 鈥榓re simply too high and too burdensome to remain the law,鈥欌�� said Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of Western Native Voice. 鈥淲estern Native Voice will continue to organize, grow, and gain support from other concerned Montanans for equal access to the polls. We will continue to work together to tear down the barriers that our disenfranchised communities face before they cast their ballot in the next election.鈥�

鈥淭hese measures are not only blatant attacks on Native American communities but also pose a clear and present danger to the foundations of our democracy. HB 176 and HB 530 violate arguably our most important right 鈥� the right to vote. These harmful bills will prevent many Montanans from exercising that fundamental right to participate in the democratic process,鈥� said Alex Rate, legal director of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Montana.

The lawsuit, Western Native Voice v. Jacobsen, was filed in the Montana 13th Judicial District Court of Yellowstone County.

Complaint: