SCOTUS Denies Montana GOP Petition to Close 2016 Primaries

image
Gabriel Saint CyrGabriel Saint Cyr
Published: 25 Mar, 2016
1 min read

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied the Montana Republican Party's request to close the 2016 primaries to registered members of the party.

Montana has been an open primary state since 1912, meaning that voters do not have to be a registered member of a party to vote in statewide primary elections. In their appeal to the Supreme Court, attorneys for the Republican Party argued that the system hurts the party by allowing nonmembers to vote in "their" taxpayer-funded primaries, thus violating their constitutionally protected right of association.

The Montana GOP filed the petition with the Supreme Court after a district judge refused to close the 2016 primary in December, ruling that there were too many unproven claims about the constitutional burden placed on the party. Though the judge did not place an injunction on this year's primary election, the GOP's case will go to trial.

The Supreme Court's decision means that the Republican primary taking place on June 7 will remain open to all registered voters. However, Montana Republicans vow to continue the fight in hopes of closing the state's 2018 primaries.

Photo Source: AP

You Might Also Like

Woman walking away with a I voted sticker on.
Hey New York Times, Your Party Voter Registration Story is Pretty Bad
The press has a problem with independent voters. Specifically, the historic growth seen in independe...
20 Aug, 2025
-
6 min read
Hand in ballot that says independent on it.
Why 1.2 Million California Independents Are The Biggest Wild Card in American Politics Today
The fate of Proposition 50, California’s proposed redistricting measure, may come down to voters who have declined to join one of the two major political parties....
22 Aug, 2025
-
5 min read
Redistricting fight.
The 10 Worst Gerrymandered States in the Country
Monday marked another escalation in the mid-cycle redistricting fight between Republicans in Texas and Democrats in California – with one in another special session to add 5 more GOP seats, and the other maneuvering to counter this with 5 new Democratic seats....
18 Aug, 2025
-
7 min read