Too many people take their right to vote for granted. Hope you aren't one of them today, and that you have voted.
You may not realize it, but your voting rights were under attack in Montana just months ago. The Montana Legislature even passed a bill during this year's session to do away with same-day voter registration -- a bill that the ACLU fought. Thankfully Governor Brian Schweitzer vetoed that bill. That means even if you aren't registered it's not too late for you to do so at your county election office where you can also cast a ballot today.
Voter suppression laws were introduced and passed in many states this year. It's a disturbing trend that only serves to disenfranchise people. The most common way is by requiring photo identification at the polls. The new laws were introduced to combact the non-existent problem of voter fraud, creating a very real problem -- today 21 million voting age Americans now lack the proper identification to cast a ballot. That's 21 million Americans who are being denied their right to vote.
Earlier this year, the Montana Legislature tried to pass this kind of law here, requiring a state-issued identification card to vote. Again, Gov. Schweitzer prevented it from becoming law by vetoing it.
In addition to excercising your right to vote today, you can take action to help protect others' right to vote. Tell Attorney General Holder that you believe in protecting every citizen's right to vote and ask the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate these laws and fully enforce the Voting Rights Act to stop their implementation where necessary.
