Election integrity has always topped my list of legislative priorities. During the 2025 legislative session, I passed two bills to bolster the security of Montana elections so all Montanans could trust the outcome of our democratic process.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen provided guidance throughout the process. However, a left-leaning lobbying group challenged the two bills in court, which could result in the 2026 elections being less secure than they ought to be.

Thankfully, the Montana Republican Party and the Republican National Committee filed a motion to join the lawsuit in defense of the bills, citing concerns about voter confidence in our upcoming elections. Voters want commonsense election security!

Senate Bill 276 enacted voter identification laws in Montana. Every reasonable person can agree that we need to confirm who is voting in our elections. I worked across the aisle to make sure that all sorts of photo IDs, including military, tribal, and large private college IDs, could be accepted.

The liberal objectors are also trying to block Senate Bill 490, which creates a smooth process for election workers. Election polls open at 8 a.m. Tuesday and are intended to close at 8 p.m. — a 12-hour period. However, current practice allows anyone standing in line by 8 p.m. to vote, including people who are not registered  to vote at the time of their arrival.

One voting station in Gallatin County was open until 4 a.m. because bus loads of voters came to register late. Election workers still had to process and count ballots without error, after a 20-hour shift running the polls. My bill expands registration to include the Saturday before Election Day and still allows registration up to noon on Election Day, but this commonsense compromise was not enough for those challenging the laws.

These bills were carefully crafted as logical solutions that could pass the scrutiny of any reasonable court. I urge Montanans to keep in mind who is fighting for safer elections and who is fighting to keep them unsecured when they cast their ballots next year.

Senator Mike Cuffe

Senate District 1

Published in Lee Enterprises newspapers, August 20, 2025
https://helenair.com/opinion/column/article_f59f17a7-b352-5646-b276-869883aaa34b.html