Both sides should consider Kentucky
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Editor,
Both state Legislatures and Congress are introducing bills that either restrict ballot access for security reasons or improve access to allow greater participation.
In Montana, HB176 eliminates same-day voter registration (important to tribal members), while HB169 restricts the types of IDs permissible for voter identification. Bills improving access, at the congressional level, HR1 (For the People Act) seeks to expand voting rights, diminish the role of money in politics, reduce partisan gerrymandering and enhance ethics laws. In Montana, HB613 (Native American Voting Rights Act) works to reduce voting barriers in indigenous communities.
Both sides of the debate should look to red Kentucky. In light of the pandemic, a Democratic governor and Republican Secretary-of-State created a bipartisan emergency plan allowing for early voting, county-wide voting centers, online portals for absentee ballot requests and other access measures, while also adding security measures (no third-party ballot collection).
The Kentucky legislature may make these changes permanent. The trick was to couple voter expansion with enhanced security measures, a compromise that recognizes both sides of the ballot access debate. Montana should take note.
Caryl Cox
Polson
