Late voter registration, allowing Montanans to sign up to vote so long as they’re in line before polls officially close, will continue at least through the June 2 primary election under a court order issued Monday. In Lewis and Clark District Court, Judge Adam Larsen blocked a law passed by t he 2025 Legislature that would restrict voter registration hours on Election Day. In issuing a preliminary injunction, Larsen called Senate Bill 490 likely unconstitutional under the Montana Constitution. The law, proposed by Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, had the backing of county-level election officials, who told lawmakers in 2025 that Election Day registration has resulted in long Election Day voting lines, and in some areas led to ballots not being cast until the early hours of the day after Election Day. “Any administrative inconvenience to the State does not outweigh the deprivation of constitutional rights,” Larsen’s ruling said. The ruling comes on the same day as a mailer from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen arrived in some Montana mailboxes to remind voters of the state’s new election rules and requirements, some of which have now been blocked by court order, as follows.  County Election Offices are no longer required to be open the Saturday before Election Day.  Voter registration in federal elections will continue until 8 p.m. on Election Day, instead of ending at noon. Voter registration on the Monday before Election Day will end at noon, as it has in previous elections.  The ruling is a partial win for Indigenous and youth voters who said SB 490 would disenfranchise voters who hadn’t registered before Election Day. The lawsuit was brought against Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, the state’s top election official. Suing to block the changes are seven Indian tribes in Montana, Western Native Voice, American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, Forward Montana, Montana Public Interest Research Group and the Montana Federation of Public Employees. The Republican National Committee and Montana Republican State Central Committee intervened to defend the voting laws backed by GOP lawmakers in the 2025 Legislature. “The State of Montana could not provide a compelling government interest justifying this voter suppression law because there simply isn’t one,” said Alex Rate, the ACLU of Montana’s legal director, in a press release. “Election Day voter registration is secure, it’s fair, and — with this ruling — it continues to be protected in Montana.” Forward Montana, which represents youth plaintiffs, noted that while voter registration in federal elections would end at noon on Election Day under SB 490, the law wouldn’t change registration rules in state elections, creating a scenario in which separate ballots and registration periods would apply. More than 60% of voters registering on Election Day are younger than 34, according to Forward Montana. The court didn’t block new voter ID requirements created by Senate Bill 276, another Cuffe bill, which was challenged in the same lawsuit. Senate Bill 276 requires in-person voters to provide photo ID, plus some additional proof of address if their photo ID isn’t on an approved list. In prior elections, any photo ID was sufficient, but SB 276 requires additional proof if, for example, a voter had a student ID from a university that isn’t affiliated with a collegiate athletic association. That might mean the voter has to also produce vehicle registration papers or a utility bill containing the voter’s current address. Cuffe’s SB 490 also canceled registration on the Monday before an election and required elections offices to be open on the Saturday before the election to register voters. The preliminary injunction issued by Larson voids all SB 490 changes until a decision is issued in the lawsuit challenging the new laws. The post Judge blocks Election Day voter registration changes appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less