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The Montana Plan Is Good For Montanans
Author: Representative Alanah Griffith-HD60 Representative, Bob Carter-HD96

The Montana Plan is Good for Montanans

To the Editor,

We are writing to correct the inaccuracies in Tom Millett’s recent op-ed claiming I-194 could cost Montana taxpayers millions without fixing campaign finance. In his piece, Millett mischaracterizes the mechanism, legal grounding, and scope of Initiative 194, also known as The Montana Plan. A reading of the actual initiative text reveals a robust, tightly drafted measure designed to fix the fundamental structure of our broken campaign finance system and wrestle campaign spending away from companies.

Millett claims that I-194 contains a "loophole" because it targets organizations rather than wealthy individuals. This is not a loophole - it is the core mechanism of the law. By redefining the corporate charters and legal powers which are granted by the State of Montana, I-194 explicitly revokes the authority of corporations, LLCs, nonprofits, and trade associations to spend corporate funds to influence our elections. It forces billionaires and corporate executives to use their own personal, post-tax money and sign their own names to political checks, putting them on the same playing field as everyday Montanans instead of hiding behind a company. As a result, individual speech is protected while corporate political spending is limited. That is thoughtful reform, not a loophole.

Next, the op-ed asserts that out-of-state groups and PACS could easily bypass the law with "pass-through funding" or by avoiding "doing business" in Montana. This completely ignores the explicit language of the initiative, which applies equally to all domestic corporations and any foreign corporation or artificial entity utilizing the legal privileges granted by the state to operate or impact commerce within Montana. These dark-money pass-throughs rely entirely on corporate and non-profit structures. By restricting the foundational legal capacity of these entities to spend on political theater, these "tributaries" of dark money are effectively dried up at their source.

Finally, Millett resorts to fearmongering regarding potential litigation costs, claiming it flies in the face of Citizens United. In reality, The Montana Plan is an innovative legal strategy that avoids conflict with federal First Amendment and Citizens United by concentrating on corporate governance and state charter authority. Furthermore, the Montana Supreme Court already rejected a lawsuit brought by corporate opponents

attempting to block this initiative, signaling that it is legally sound and can proceed to the voters. Therefore, claims that defending I-194 would cost taxpayers "millions" are merely scare tactics.

Montanans have a proud, bipartisan history of fighting corporate corruption, from the Copper Kings to the 1912 Corrupt Practices Act. I-194 is a necessary, constitutional evolution of that legacy. This is a carefully drafted, constitutionally grounded step toward ensuring that Montana elections reflect the will of people. Please ignore the corporate spin and read the actual text at MontanaPlan.org, then sign the petition to put power back in the hands of human voters.

Sincerely,

Representative Alanah Griffith, HD60

Representative Bob Carter, HD96

Editor Note: The Editorial written by Tom Millett can be read at: https://montanasentinel.press/opinion/2026/05/19/i-194-could-cost-montana-millions-without-fixing-campaign-finance/