Free Speech For Individuals applauds The Montana Plan, and the work of the Middle for American Progress and Montana voters to rein in companies which have abused the facility of company charters to undermine Montana elections and drown out the voices of the folks.
For over a century, Montana, like each state in the US, has chosen to provide companies extraordinary powers and privileges. Firms have used these powers and privileges to build up huge quantities of wealth, which for the final fifteen years—because the Supreme Courtroom’s Residents United ruling—they’ve spent by the tens of thousands and thousands to affect our elections, together with by means of darkish cash contributions hidden from the general public.
No state is required to provide companies such broad powers and privileges. Traditionally, states granted companies solely restricted powers for slim enterprise functions. The states have the authority to outline and revise the powers they grant to their companies—and that’s exactly what The Montana Plan does. Quite than revoke or reissue company charters, the initiative revises Montana’s structure to grant solely these powers the folks of Montana consider are essential or handy for companies to hold out their lawful enterprise or charitable functions—an inventory of powers that doesn’t embrace the facility to spend in politics.
Montana has compelling causes to wish to defend its elections from company spending. Voters have seen the implications of Residents United and SpeechNow, the decrease courtroom ruling that created tremendous PACs. They’ve seen tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} from companies pour into our elections, creating harmful alternatives for corruption, compromising our candidates and officers, undermining our democracy, and squeezing voters out of areas the place they is perhaps heard. The Montana Plan demonstrates that voters are not standing for the continued abuse of the powers that the state has granted to companies and different synthetic entities.
Free Speech For Individuals applauds The Montana Plan, and appears ahead to the method that hopefully will carry it from the Secretary of State’s workplace to the 2026 Montana poll.
