Why Greg Gianforte and the Republican Legislature are so afraid of your vote

Let’s just admit it: nothing terrifies Gov. Greg Gianforte and the Republican-controlled Montana Legislature more than you—yes, you—showing up and voting. It seems your simple, all-American act of civic participation poses an existential threat to their grip on power. 

That’s why they’ve been so busy churning out voter suppression laws like they’re manufacturing bear spray.

Apparently, in their warped view of democracy, the fewer people who vote, the better. Because if everyone actually did vote—especially young people, people of color, working-class Montanans, students, elders, and others not part of their country-club base—they might lose. And we can’t have that now, can we?

Take Senate Bill 490, for example, which slashes most of Montana’s Election Day registration. Why? Because it was too popular. More than 70,000 Montanans have used Election Day registration since 2005. And we can't have that many citizens engaging in democracy, right? Next thing you know, they'll be wanting better schools, accessible healthcare, or—heaven forbid—affordable housing.

Or look at Senate Bill 276, which takes a fine-toothed comb to student IDs to determine which are pure enough to use at the polls. University system IDs? Okay. Tribal college IDs? Not okay. High school IDs? Absolutely not. It’s a bizarre ID caste system dressed up in the phony robes of “election integrity.” But it’s not about security—it’s about exclusion.

And while they’re busy making it harder to vote, guess what’s missing? Any actual evidence of widespread voter fraud. Nada. Zilch. But why let facts get in the way of a good fear-based policy? Fear, after all, is the Republican Party’s favorite currency. Fear of immigrants. Fear of young people. Fear of drag queens. And now, fear of voters.

Let’s be clear: these laws are not just petty or mean-spirited. They are constitutionally suspect and morally obscene. They are a direct attack on the idea that we the people—all of us—should have a say in our government. And to add insult to injury, when these laws inevitably get challenged in court (as they should), it’s your tax dollars footing the bill for the Republicans’ legal misadventures. That’s right—while they blather on about “fiscal responsibility,” they’re happily burning through public funds to defend laws that never should have been passed in the first place.

Voting isn’t just a right. It’s a duty. It’s the bedrock of our democracy, the thing that generations have marched, fought, and died to secure. When Greg Gianforte signs bills making it harder to vote, he’s not protecting democracy—he’s hacking away at its foundation with a partisan sledgehammer.

Let’s not pretend otherwise: this is the Republican strategy. Nationally and here at home. Republicans don’t even hide it anymore. They say the quiet part out loud: if more people vote, Republicans lose. So instead of adjusting their policies to appeal to a broader electorate—maybe something wild like helping working families or protecting reproductive rights—they just make it harder for people to vote. Problem solved! Unless, of course, you care about democracy.

And don’t let them dress this up in patriotic language. Suppressing the vote is not patriotic—it’s cowardly. It’s not about protecting elections—it’s about protecting incumbents. It’s not about fairness—it’s about fear. These laws are not just legislative malpractice—they’re a betrayal of the very principles Gianforte and his enablers swore to uphold.

The Montana Supreme Court has already smacked down similar laws for being unconstitutional. But the Legislature keeps at it like a toddler throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get a second juice box. Because, in the end, it’s not about right or wrong—it’s about rigging the game.

So here’s the challenge: prove them wrong. Vote. Register early. Help others register. Talk to your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends. Support organizations challenging these new laws. And let’s send a message so loud that not even the Legislature’s tin ears can ignore it: We will not be silenced.

In a democracy, we do not fear the voter. We embrace the voter. We empower the voter. If Gianforte and his allies can’t handle that, maybe it’s time they try something truly radical—like earning your vote, rather than trying to stop you from casting it.

Because a country that restricts voting isn’t protecting freedom—it’s running scared from it. And in Montana, we don’t run scared. We vote.

Doug James is a lifelong Montanan and an advocate for constitutional rights and democratic participation.