State uses Jan. 6 insurrection to argue for tougher voter registration requirements

A Montana assistant attorney general told a federal judge Wednesday afternoon that Montana needs the additional voter registration requirements signed into law by the governor last year in part because so many people, including Montanans, participated in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol because they believed in false election conspiracy theories.

“Right or wrong, January 6 was such an important date because ordinary citizens of the United States feared for the integrity of our voting system of a national election,” Assistant Attorney General Thane Johnson said. “…And ordinary citizens did stupid things; I’m not going to give them any passage on that. It’s stupid things, including a couple of folks from Dillon who I think are still sitting in jail – all out of fear of the integrity of that election.”

Johnson was making his case to U.S. District Court of Montana Judge Brian Morris as to why Morris should not grant a preliminary injunction against House Bill 892, which reiterated existing statute saying it is illegal to vote twice in the same election but also added new registration requirements that a person must provide their registration information from the place or places where they were last registered to vote, lest they be subject to a felony charge and fines.