New Requirements for Voters in June Primary

With the start of primary election voting this week, county election administrators told Montana Free Press, there are new requirements that voters will need to adjust to. People voting in person will need to provide an officially recognized form of ID — Montana driver’s license, Montana ID card, military ID, tribal ID, passport, concealed carry permit, or a student ID issued by a Montana University System school or a member school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association — to receive a ballot. A voter can also use a current utility bill, or bank statement or government document showing a name and current address, combined with a photo ID that includes the voter’s name.  

In prior elections, any photo ID was sufficient.

Multiple voting rights groups have sued Montana’s secretary of state to overturn new voter ID and registration laws. A court order issued May 11 blocked any change to Montana voter registration deadlines, meaning voters can still register until noon the Monday before Election Day and on Election Day as long as they are in line to register before polls close at 8 p.m.

The birth-year requirement was the first new law to roll out because municipal and school elections are conducted exclusively by mail, meaning no accommodation was necessary for late in-person registration.