The Montana Plan
Author: Shauna Thomas
Article Published: 05/15/2026 Volume: 4 Edition: 45The Montana Plan
Montana has a long memory. We know what happens when big money tries to run our politics. A century ago, we pushed back against the Copper Kings with the Corrupt Practices Act Initiative. Then Citizens United came along and opened the floodgates again. The Montana Plan is how we take back control—using Montana’s own authority.
Here is the idea in one sentence—Montana will no longer grant corporations the power to spend money in our politics. That’s it. Not new rights, no new agencies, not a maze of loopholes. We Montanans decide which powers the state gives to the entities our state creates.
Why can we do that? Because corporations and other artificial entities are creatures of state law. The state issues them special legal privileges so they can do business—limited liability, perpetual life, and the ability to hold property. But the Constitution does not force Montana to hand out every power under the sun. Campaign finance cases like Citizens United assume a fully empowered corporation. The Montana Plan changes the starting point. We shorten the list of powers we grant. Companies get the power necessary for lawful business. Political spending is not on that list.
What does this mean in practice? If a company—or any state-created entity—wants to be active in politics, there is a proper channel: form a real political committee powered by people and follow the rules the same as everyone else. No more dipping straight into corporate treasuries or dark-money piles and swamping our races and ballot measures. This is about politics broadly—not just candidate elections—because Montanans deserve to debate our laws without a corporate megaphone drowning us out.
Just as important is what the Montana Plan does not do. It does not restrict the speech of human beings. Your right to speak, to contribute, to knock on doors, to support a cause—untouched. This is about the powers we grant artificial persons, not the rights we all have as Montanans.
The initiative is carefully built. Political committees—whose whole purpose is to spend in politics—still can. The press can still do its job covering political issues. If a corporation ignores the law and spends in politics anyway, the state can enforce against that corporation using the same corporate-law remedies that have always applied. Shareholders can hold officers and directors personally responsible for the misdeeds, and the Montana Attorney General can shut the corporation down altogether if it gets bad enough. And it treats all state-created entities the same.
Why now? Because we all see what is happening. Outside money floods our mailboxes and screens. Local voices get pushed to the margins. The Montana Plan is a Montana-sized power move to restore self-government—designed here, for here, and built on long-settled state authority.
What do we need from you? Three things. First, add your name and get plugged in—sign the petition and volunteer to gather signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot. Second, spread the word: explain the simple core to five friends this week—Montana will no longer grant corporations the power to spend in our politics. Third, if you are able, chip in so we can print materials and answer every question with the facts.
Montana can lead the country again. Let us choose the powers we grant, protect our politics, and hand our kids a democracy that still belongs to neighbors, not to corporate checkbooks.
Thanks for standing up. Let’s get to work.
Shauna Thomas
Helena
