HELENA—The Senate debated and advanced a bill Thursday that would tighten residency requirements for voters. Proponents say this would ensure that each county’s voters are a permanent part of the community. Opponents say the measure would unfairly restrict student voters.

House Bill 413, sponsored by Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks and carried by Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, would mean that a person could not be considered a resident in an election if they live in a community for “temporary work, training, or an educational program,” unless it is their intent to remain in the county permanently.

The Senate approved the bill on a 31-19 vote and it now faces one more vote before heading to the governor’s desk.

Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, spoke in opposition to the bill, saying it will suppress the votes of students and workers in temporary positions, unless they are positive that they will remain in the county indefinitely.

“What if you’ve never thought about that issue or you’re unsure, you just don’t know? We allow individuals to get a Montana driver’s license if they’ve lived in the state 60 days. That's pretty clear cut,” Ellis said.

But Vance said especially in local elections, votes from people without knowledge of the community can have large impacts.

“I think certain things may possibly be being passed by uneducated people who really don’t care about our communities,” Vance said. “And this bill is just trying to, it’s not, it’s not closing down anyone’s right to vote. It truly isn’t. It is simply just having people vote where their community is going to be.”

House Bill 413 passed the House in February on a 56-42 vote before moving to the Senate.

Emma White is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation. White can be reached at [email protected]