HELENA, Mont. -- A bill in the Montana Legislature could build barriers to voting, opponents of the measure contended.

House Bill 176 would end same-day voter registration and close late, in-person registration by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day.

Ruthie Barbour, issue advocacy organizer at Forward Montana, said it creates a transportation challenge, especially for Indigenous communities who live far from their local elections office.

"That would be driving to that county elections office twice," Barbour observed. "And then, of course, many of us work full time, various jobs. So many full-time students, businesspeople, ranchers and parents; single-parents especially."

Same-day voter registration was approved in 2005 and about 60,000 Montanans utilized it between 2006 and 2018. Statistics on its usage in 2020 have not yet been released.

Supporters of the bill claimed it will cut down on voter fraud and long lines on election day.

Barbour pointed out there is no evidence of voter fraud in the state in the past two decades.

She recognized county election officials have stressful jobs, but doesn't believe this is the right fix.

"To limit somebody's right to vote because of an administration issue?" Barbour protested. "Maybe there's some other way we can be solving that besides just ending these services that so many people use."

A public hearing for HB 176 was held last week and many commenters noted a legislative referendum from 2014 nearly identical to this bill.

Barbour pointed out 57% of Montanans voted that measure down.

"It's frustrating for us to see this come up again in the Legislature as something that Montanans have already spoken about and have already decided," Barbour commented.

The House State Administration Committee will vote on the bill Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- When Iowans register to vote or cast their ballot, the forms are usually just in English.

A civil rights group argued the state needs to clarify whether counties can offer materials in other languages so that disenfranchised residents can take part in elections.

This week, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa filed a court petition, asking the Secretary of State to make it clear what is allowed when translating election materials.

Nick Salazar, Iowa state director for LULAC, said the process is already confusing enough.

"And when you can't read the forms, or you can't speak the language, it's going to create a lot of issues," Salazar asserted.

He pointed out not having the forms in other languages such as Spanish means thousands of people who are eligible cannot access voter information.

The petition centers around a 2002 state law which defined English as Iowa's official language. LULAC said a subsequent court ruling further narrowed the scope in seeking translations.

The Secretary of State's office said it will follow the process outlined in the law, while adding it does outreach to the Spanish-speaking community when it comes to elections.

Salazar contended the barriers are especially problematic during the Iowa caucuses. He also cited an example from last year when a voter needed to have an issue resolved through their local county auditor's office.

"In order for us to address the issue, we have to get on a conference call with the county auditor, with the voter and a translator," Salazar recounted.

Currently, only two Iowa counties are allowed to use non-English forms because they are exempt under federal law. LULAC hopes the order ultimately allows the state's other 97 counties to do the same.

The Secretary of State said it has received the filing. A formal response is required within 60 days, at which point further court action can be taken.

FARGO, N.D. -- The people behind efforts to recall four Fargo School Board members have until August 25th to collect signatures.

Ahead of that deadline, a statewide watchdog group sees the national movement to shake up local school boards as abusing the process.

Mask mandates and communication issues were among the concerns cited by recall supporters in Fargo when their petitions launched this year.

Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action ND, said from her group's viewpoint, nothing that has been mentioned warrants a special vote to remove a sitting board member.

"The recall process is meant to remove an elected official who has done something particularly egregious and should no longer be serving," Jacobson contended.

Jacobson urged those upset with board members to focus on the next election, which is next spring. She pointed out special votes also are a drain on resources.

But the parents involved say members they are targeting have terms that expire in 2024. Ballotpedia noted more than 150 recalls were launched nationwide in the first half of this year, with nearly 50% involving school boards.

A number of attempts to oust board members have been linked to rhetoric over a concept known as Critical Race Theory, with some of those talking pointed surfacing in Fargo.

But Jacobson argued it isn't even being taught in the local schools.

"There's definitely misinformation that's being spread from national, to states, to local that is causing folks to get in an uproar about things that are not actually happening in their schools," Jacobson asserted.

Jacobson added the turmoil hurts teachers and staff, who get caught in the middle of the backlash. Since special elections have lower turnout, candidates with extreme views could find an easier path to victory for a seat that's traditionally nonpartisan.

Outside the Fargo recall efforts, Prairie Action ND said there have been discussions in other North Dakota communities, such as Williston, but no other petitions have been filed with the state.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New congressional and legislative maps will soon start to take shape in Ohio.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission convenes for the first time this Friday, ahead of August 16, when the U.S. Census Bureau is set to release key demographic data used for redistricting.

Jeniece Brock, policy and advocacy director for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, which is a member of the Equal Districts Coalition, said they urged the commission to hold public hearings around the state to ensure transparency.

"We aim to lift up the voices of Black, brown and immigrant Ohioans who have long been left out of the conversation; unheard, under-represented during the official redistricting process," Brock explained. "We want to make sure people's voices are heard."

The commission will draw Ohio's House and Senate maps. State lawmakers are tasked with drawing the congressional map.

Advocates have called on Gov. Mike DeWine to convene the commission for several months, and launched the Ohio Citizen's Redistricting Commission to gather public input on the map-drawing process. Ohio will lose a congressional district, dropping from 16 to 15, as the result of new census data.

The Equal Districts Coalition is wrapping up a ten-city Fair Maps Town Hall tour this week, where the topic is how gerrymandering has impacted communities. Brock pointed out to ensure people could participate during the pandemic, the events have been held online.

"Also, some people really don't have the means to travel down to Columbus to share their story," Brock acknowledged. "So, we thought we would bring this to the people, make sure that we make this process accessible and transparent."

Brock contended all Ohioans deserve a chance to weigh in on how their voting districts should be drawn.

"When we let Ohioans draw the maps, we can choose what hospitals, schools and the resources [are] funded in our neighborhood," Brock emphasized. "These maps will shape our lives, laws and policies for at least the next decade."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.