It’s no secret that when more people vote, Republicans lose. This is the reason the GOP works so hard to suppress voting rights under the guise of “protecting our elections from voter fraud.” However, even though we all know this is true, right-wing lawmakers never openly admit it–until now. In December, President Donald Trump announced that he has chosen Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke to head the Interior Department in his administration. As a result, Zinke’s congressional seat–the only one in the state– will be left vacant and have to be filled with a special election in the Spring. There’s a problem though: the counties in the state are having a hard time finding the money for a special election. Because of this budget issue, State Senator Steve Fitzpatrick introduced SB 305, a bipartisan bill that would allow counties to use mail-in ballots for the election.
It’s a great idea right? The bill would not only save the state hundreds of thousands of dollars, it would also make voting incredibly easy. But that’s a problem for State Republican Party Chairman Jeff Essman.
On the eve of the presentation of SB 305, Essman issued a frantic “Emergency Chairman’s Report” urging his party to vote against the bill they brought in the first place. His reason? It makes voting too easy and Democrats will benefit from it.
… In response to Essman’s report, some Republicans are now speaking out against the bill. In fact, Secretary of State Corey Stapleton went even further and invoked “reefer madness” to try to scare his fellow GOPers into voting against it. “If you look at the three states that have done it, you can see that populism and direct democracy at its best, all three states — Oregon, Washington and Colorado — they do all-mail-in ballots and they’re all marijuana-all-the-time states too,” Stapleton said. “Is that what you want? Because that’s what you’re going to get.”
Full Article: Montana Republicans Attack Their Own Bill Because It Makes Voting Too Easy – The Daily Banter.