Montana Judge Halts Ballot Gathering Restrictions Weeks Before June Primary

(CN) — A Montana judge agreed Wednesday to put a temporary restraining order on a state law that tribal groups say harshly disenfranchises Native American voters.

Judge Jessica Fehr of Montana’s Thirteenth Judicial District Court in Yellowstone County granted a request from five tribal governments and two Native American voting rights organizations to put a temporary hold on the Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act. The groups claim the law, passed in 2018, wrongfully imposed negative and extreme restrictions on efforts to collect ballots throughout the state.

Judge Fehr found that there was merit to the group’s claims and ordered to the state to halt enforcement of the law pending further hearings on the matter.

Alora Thomas-Lundborg, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said this decision is a strong win for voting rights.

“This ruling puts the brakes on a law that made it virtually impossible for many Native Americans to vote in Montana,” Thomas-Lundborg said in a statement. “It is a victory for voters.”