Backers of same-day registration speak up

HELENA - College students joined the governor's office and American Indian lawmakers Tuesday in opposing a GOP-backed bill to repeal same-day voter registration in Montana.

Requiring voters to register by the Friday before Election Day will cut into high voter turnout reported in 2006 and take away people's right to cast a ballot, supporters of same-day registration told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Many Montanans don't engage in the election process until the week before (the election). ... Please don't deny any citizen of Montana the right to vote," said Anna Whiting Sorrell, the governor's family policy adviser.

Committee members took no immediate action on the bill, which narrowly passed the House in February. Secretary of State Brad Johnson and other Republicans have blamed same-day voter registration for long lines and other problems in the 2006 election, the first year the option was allowed in Montana.

A high-profile Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Conrad Burns and Democratic challenger Jon Tester sparked a huge last-minute turnout. Lines stretched out the doors at some polling places, forcing election officials to keep polls open hours longer than expected as they simultaneously registered voters and ran the elections.

The bill by Rep. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, would stop late registration and absentee voting four days before the election to stave off confusion and potential voter fraud.

"Under current law, someone could actually come in on a Monday, change their precinct and registration, vote and then on Tuesday vote in their old precinct and it would be very difficult to catch," he said. "It just opens up the election process to shenanigans."

The measure was supported by most county election administrators, who said same-day voting in 2006 made it hard to maintain accurate lists at the precincts of who had already voted.

"We're not against this because it creates a lot of work. ... We want people to vote, but we need to make sure people can vote in an atmosphere that's controlled and that (maintains) the integrity and quality of the process," said Duane Winslow, election administrator in Yellowstone County.

State Democratic Party officials argued that voter fraud is rare, and other opponents said problems that cropped up last year could be fixed as election administrators become familiar with the system.

"We can make this work in Montana," said Jeanne-Marie Souvigney with the Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund. "This was the first year. Mistakes were made. Counties may not have been well-prepared and ... this was a popular alternative that should not be eliminated for the almost 4,000 people who took advantage of it last year."

Changing the rules again, opponents said, will only make things more confusing in 2008.

Several Indian lawmakers also argued that the bill would put their populations at a disadvantage. More than 840 Indians registered and voted on Election Day last year, they said.

"American Indian people have only been allowed to vote for 82 years. ... We will not disenfranchise people who have been disenfranchised for so long," said Rep. Joey Jayne, D-Arlee.

A bill by Rep. Rick Jore, C-Ronan, that would have cut off early voting and registration 14 days before the election was tabled in February by a House committee.

Published on Wednesday, April 04, 2007.

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