Our View: Make it easier to vote

A group representing Native American rights have filed suit in federal court asking that satellite same-day-voter-registration offices be set up on three Montana Indian reservations, including Fort Belknap.

The plaintiffs contend that Montana's law allowing people to register to vote on Election Day is pretty meaningless if folks have to drive in from Fort Belknap Agency to the county seat in Chinook, more than 22 miles one way. That's even more meaningless if people have to travel from Hays at the far end of Fort Belknap to Chinook.

It's kind of late in the game. Election Day is in three weeks, and even if the judge ruled for the Native American group today, election officials would have to scurry to get the work done in time.

However, the group has a legitimate point. People living in remote parts of any county have a more difficult task in registering than those who live in the county seat.

We'd like to see satellite offices set up in different parts of every county, making it easier to vote on Election Day. This won't be easy to accomplish.

First, the whole idea of allowing people to register on Election Day is a hot topic. The Montana Legislature voted to drop the practice in the 2011 session. It was only saved when Gov. Brian Schweitzer took his branding iron veto to the Legislature's action.

There is no doubt that establishing such satellite offices will be expensive, and it will require training of personnel that is also expensive.

But as much as we favor keeping government costs down, we should not scrimp in making voting accessible to everyone.

Politics, of course, enters into the discussion. Republicans have mounted a nationwide effort to make it more difficult to vote, alleging that it is hard to control fraud when people can vote at will. Democrats contend that the outward concern about fraud is more because the GOP fears that when more people vote, Democrats win.

We think when it's easier to vote — be it in Democratic areas like Hays or Republican communities like Turner — people will vote in larger numbers, and everyone will win.

Regardless of what happens in this lawsuit, we hope the Legislature will put partisanship aside next year and provide resources to counties so they can make it easier for people to register and vote.

A group representing Native American rights have filed suit in federal court asking that satellite same-day-voter-registration offices be set up on three Montana Indian reservations, including Fort Belknap.

The plaintiffs contend that Montana's law allowing people to register to vote on Election Day is pretty meaningless if folks have to drive in from Fort Belknap Agency to the county seat in Chinook, more than 22 miles one way. That's even more meaningless if people have to travel from Hays at the far end of Fort Belknap to Chinook.

It's kind of late in the game. Election Day is in three weeks, and even if the judge ruled for the Native American group today, election officials would have to scurry to get the work done in time.

However, the group has a legitimate point. People living in remote parts of any county have a more difficult task in registering than those who live in the county seat.

We'd like to see satellite offices set up in different parts of every county, making it easier to vote on Election Day. This won't be easy to accomplish.

First, the whole idea of allowing people to register on Election Day is a hot topic. The Montana Legislature voted to drop the practice in the 2011 session. It was only saved when Gov. Brian Schweitzer took his branding iron veto to the Legislature's action.

There is no doubt that establishing such satellite offices will be expensive, and it will require training of personnel that is also expensive.

But as much as we favor keeping government costs down, we should not scrimp in making voting accessible to everyone.

Politics, of course, enters into the discussion. Republicans have mounted a nationwide effort to make it more difficult to vote, alleging that it is hard to control fraud when people can vote at will. Democrats contend that the outward concern about fraud is more because the GOP fears that when more people vote, Democrats win.

We think when it's easier to vote — be it in Democratic areas like Hays or Republican communities like Turner — people will vote in larger numbers, and everyone will win.

Regardless of what happens in this lawsuit, we hope the Legislature will put partisanship aside next year and provide resources to counties so they can make it easier for people to register and vote.