Mark Noland (R-HD10) is sponsoring legislation that’s pivotally important to ensure the integrity of Montana’s election process and deserves the support of the state legislature
HB406, appropriately named (coincidentally) with Montana’s area code, is well-suited for the Big Sky State.
“AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING THE MONTANA BALLOT INTERFERENCE PROTECTION ACT,” or HB406, serves several important functions to shore up our election security with nine sections on a short four pages.
Section one of the HB406 specifies regulations for so-called “ballot harvesting,” a common tool used by the left to generate votes. The provisions under section one will require those collecting ballots to (1) be residents of the state (2) not be paid based upon the number of ballots obtained and (3) must be registered with the county election administrator.
In addition, those registering with the local county election administrator must state their (1) name (2) address (3) occupation (4) employer and (5) entity that has secured their ballot-harvesting services. To further secure this process, those harvesting ballots must issue a receipt to the elector whose ballot they have acquired, the election administrator must report them to the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State must publish a database of such individuals for the sake of public transparency.
Section 2 exempts postal carriers, election officials, care providers, family members, and even friendly acquaintances. These provisions limit the bill’s impact solely upon professional ballot harvesters, and not upon friends, family, or care-providers of the housebound, ill, or elderly.
Section 3 is largely technical periphery, but Section 4 provides fines of $500 for illegally harvesting ballots, with each wrongly collected ballot being a separate infraction.
Section 5 requires that this law be sent as a reminder to tribal governments that they also need to abide by this regulation (where voter fraud is often rampant).
With easily verifiable and evidentially demonstrable voter fraud playing a major role in the 2020 presidential elections, Montana owes it to our state residents to do everything possible to ensure that (A) every vote is counted and (B) every fraudulent vote is not counted.
Ballot harvesting, also known by the less ominous name, Ballot collecting, is limited in at least six states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina, and Texas.
In most of these states, only care-providers and close family members can collect ballots, like in Arizona and California. In other states, like North Carolina, Colorado and Montana, the number of ballots that can be collected are limited (Montana law currently limits it to 6 ballots). In Texas, the practice is forbidden altogether.
Overall, 26 states explicitly allow ballot harvesting. In an additional 13 states, there is no law either allowing nor forbidding the practice. Twelve states in total regulate it (as explained above).
In terms of conservatism, the policy is ideologically solid. Typically, as most are aware, the process of illegal or questionable ballot harvesting is done by the left. Take, for example, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Arizona Republican Party v. Democratic National Committee. In this instance, Democrats opposed measures passed by Arizona’s Republican-led legislature and claimed it violated Section 2 of the Voter’s Rights Act.
The case is currently before the United States Supreme Court that will rule on the case soon. Meanwhile, there is a dire need in Montana and the rest of the United States to take necessary measures to ensure that every legitimate vote is counted.
Gideon Knox Group 