wafflesdidit
21572
1020
3
Apr 10, 2026 3:09 PM
wafflesdidit
21572
1020
3
SecondSince
Here's hoping this goes anywhere and works, but i'm not holding my breath...
5kergi0
Sixteen years ago America lost her way and we've been dealing with Nazi plans for our collective slave futures ever since. FTFY
NKato
I'm honestly amazed none of the blue states tried to push this bill. It shows that there is a deep rot nationally.
Dyamonde
Interesting idea. But how much reach does it have? I assume it only affects montana corps. But does it affect already existing ones or only newly incorporated?
cytherians
When the bill passed that allowed for Citizens United I knew right there that the SCOTUS was definitely against Democracy. "Free speech?" No. Corporations aren't people. They are business entities. They have money to manipulate elections. And the SCOTUS enabled that.
I really hope this is the beginning of the end for dark money influencers in US politics.
Keitterman
It would be amazing to see Montana's voter base cause a chain reaction through the other 49 states.
sleepinggreenidea
This gives me hope, but that hope is tempered by the knowledge that SCOTUS under Roberts opposes this, so they'd be likely to find or make grounds to overturn it. The most likely frameworks I can see are based on corporate personhood, and either finding that MT can't take away rights granted to them by other states (through Full Faith & Credit and/or Privileges & Immunity clauses (Art IV S1-2)) or that it abridges their federal right to free speech.
sleepinggreenidea
(To be clear, these are spurious arguments even if we accept corporate personhood... which we shouldn't. However, they have the cadence of logic, which is all SCOTUS needs to deploy them to advance their policy agenda.)
Blunderwriter
Montana?!?! Really? Wow...would've never seen that coming...
martineb72
It's interesting, but how many corporations are actual incorporated in Montana? Plus all they have to do is re-incorporate in a different state.
HisBubbliness
Even if Citizens United got overturned, the establishment candidates still get a fuck ton of free advertising from all the cable news bootlickers and corporate media, on top of doing all they can to attach a negative stigma to any candidates trying to buck the system.
roughingupthesuspect
Congress could fix this…
rubypilgrim
GO MONTANA! Is it too late to start referendums elsewhere?
Salticido
Looks like this is coming soon to Colorado as well, and then Pennsylvania and Hawaii may follow via legislation rather than ballot iniative: https://transparentelection.org/states
Salticido
Also just realized that on the above link, if the state has the paper icon on it, that means they have introduced similar legislation in that state. Please check to see if this applies to your state, because you may be able to contact your state (not federal) legislative representatives to let them know that you want them to support this bill. It is NOT just Montana working on this! It looks like 15 other states have introduced legislation.
beerkrump
Go, Montana! Go!
khaoselement
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Montanans are so brainwashed all that has to happen is trump says no and these fucking moronic sheep will all bleed out an no. I hate this fucking state so much. Just so many braindead morons.
Hovencl00f
I agree. MONEY IS NOT SPEECH!
fknbastard
We need to end corporate personhood. Way back when the 14th amendment was passed, railroads used it to equate constitutional rights to corporations which is the bullshit foundation this is all built on.
Yellowchopsticks
And here I thought killing Citizens United would involve Luigi. Especially if we want to kill "dark money at the source."
thewiggins
A comment so dark it disappeared into an ICE holding cell to never again emerge
LastTigerEyes
Source?
makesense
You can go pass a law like this... but they'll sue over it and it will end up at SCOTUS. And don't expect this SCOTUS to accept it.
Bojovnik84
Wow. Never hear anything out of Montana, so good to hear. Being in Florida, DeDumbass is probably going to executive order that all donations from corporations, are no longer capped and 100% hidden, to offset what other states do. Damn i hope we can replace him with a dem next time around.
NightOwlRally
DeDumbass is great, I've been using Rhonda Sandtits.
IslandGirl27
I'm rather a fan of saying Ron DeSatan
andwings2go
That’s coming up in 7 months and I haven’t heard anything about anyone running.
Bojovnik84
I looked at Wikipedia and there were 4 names so far for dems and 6 Republicans so far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Florida_gubernatorial_election
phoenix0path
Wish MN would get on board with that!
southoffrance
I might be moving to Montana soon...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=220xlHky1SY
Salticido
You might not have to. See if your state is already working on this too. Several are. You can check here: https://transparentelection.org/states
southoffrance
Nah, I'm in Ireland. I was just riffing on Zappa's lyric to "Montana". But Americans have my sympathies. If anything good comes out of the Trump era, it has to be that you improve your democratic system which has shown itself unfit for purpose. There are so many problems to fix if you are to avoid a repeat of what you're going through now.
mksu
This doesn't really do anything except make companies incorporate elsewhere though, right? Not against it at all, but "killing Citizens United" seems overly optimistic.
gablestout
Especially since smart companies incorporate in Delaware, regardless of location
VitaminJay
A step at a time in the right direction is what's needed. This is a marathon, not a spring.
mksu
Again, I'm not against it at all.
tallquasi
The way it’s supposed to be set up, it doesn’t matter where the company is based
RomanValkre
Interstate commerce clause. If they do business in Montana then they can be bound by it for all state and local elections at least. Other States should take note... unless the politicians want to be owned like pets... Time for a little self interest on their part, or it's just a race to the bottom for them to sell out. Sad that we are hopeful that they are driven by higher order greed to keep the elections sorta fair...
mksu
Ok, that's good then.
RomanValkre
Source plz. Want to make sure before I start to hope...
gablestout
Don't start to hope. Anybody who's anybody knows you incorporate in Delaware. Amazon, Apple, Walmart, Berkshire Hathaway, J&J, Alphabet (Google), and Meta (Facebook) are all incorporated in Delaware.
(Oddly enough, Microsoft is incorporated in Washington State still...so +1 for that)
jankyupeblik
Was covered on Last Week Tonight also as I recall.
graft
Harvard Law wrote this blog about it a few days ago https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/07/transparent-election-initiative/
You can find a link to the campaign in the blog above
RatsLiveOnNoEvilStar
Robert Reich had a good video about this: https://youtu.be/p1fPbGHe3xE?si=i6QX4By_25ynLm-m
1stDrunkJoe
Thanks, I'm going to be passing this around.
Jamesstin
I want to know why Republicans are voting for it
Salticido
I wondered too, so I looked up the poll. They say (almost as often as Democrats do) that rich people/corporations spending money on elections looks like corruption. https://issueone.org/press/new-polling-citizens-united-money-in-politics-reforms/
jankyupeblik
Supposedly Montana elections were so completely owned by mining interests back around 1910 that Montana is still upset about it in a way other states haven't been able to muster. Supposedly they actually are taught about it in grade school, about bribery and corruption.
Jamesstin
Yeah, I can see that. I know a few people that are from montana and they're absolutely racist as fuck conservatives but they're evidently plenty cool with gays and transgender people? One of them bought me a wig lmao. Not really friends with them or anything but it's definitely a weird state. I wonder if it has to do with being near canada? The people I know are from Billings. Not too far from the border I think
bortlp
Delaware needs to do it. Practically every national company is incorporated in Delaware for legal benefits and tax reasons.
NotThatPrivate
Specifically, they don't have caps on interest rates, which is why every Credit Card Company is headquartered there, even if they only have a handful of employees in the state.
iamthemurray
Delaware kind of had to just entice business to operate. Good in the beginning but it just ended up an abused corporate loophole
backrideup9
That 2nd sentence is why it'll never pass. That's a lot of bribe money in one place.
AverySomething
Which Delaware loves which is why Delaware will never do it.
gablestout
I was gonna say...this means nothing because everyone incorporates in Delaware...
sleepinggreenidea
Companies have shown little reluctance to flee Deleware when its courts have made even modest moves to rein in corporate abuses in recent years. Texas is the top alternative since it's proven its dedication in racing to bottom.
thewiggins
corruption is bigger in Texas
graft
This will have to be a state-by-state approach. Each state that succeeds with this initiative will be be able to keep corporate money out of their state's elections, which is a huge win
Retiredat53
I understand it applies to any company doing business in the state regardless of where they are incorporated. So if California and New York passed this legislation then it would affect every major corporation.
For Montana it could result in companies pulling out of Montana to avoid losing the power to spend on elections.
barbarian818
I don't think you're getting it. If EvilCorp LLC is incorporated in Delaware, it can still fuck with elections in Montana. And WILL fuck with them if they have a business case for it.
graft
I hear you, but that isn't actually the case. Read this Harvard Law blog for more insight https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/07/transparent-election-initiative/
barbarian818
That Paul v. Virginia is interesting. I hadn't known that.
TomBrokaw
Montana is, in some cases, a really interesting example of "we actually support progressive policies, we just think we don't because the Republicans have successfully branded them as commie bullshit". It's really too bad the voters don't take that one step further and kick Daines the fuck out.
datphone777365
The ole, " we arent that fucking stupid but rush said i wouldn't do it so fuck that guy" grade stupid.
VitaminJay
Alaska as well. They have huge social safety nets, but don't call it 'Communism', they hate that...
LuminoZero
I remember seeing maps of "Political Beliefs of States by Color" and constantly seeing Montana the same shade as the North East. Was wild to me, but it's been pretty consistent.
Casually
It is funny talking with conservatives and realizing that they simply fell for branding. Especially people that still consider themselves both anti-authoritarian and conservative.
choppedliveraldente
Thanks short wave radio. We should have public broadcast from coast to coast like radio free America but noooooo. no propaganda here
ChesterBangs
Have "Republicans" take political affilation tests so many of my friends fall on libertarian left. Im always like your a socialist congrats. They get mad and doubt the tests validity but I know they've just been sold bs for years.
Prototypo
Wyoming as well. For "deeply conservative" states they are actually home to a lot of progressive policies. Montana used to be pretty balanced politically.
That being said predominantly white states that are conservative have no problem progressively supporting white people. It's the racism that is the problem, their empathy doesn't extend past the color of their hand.
nothingunused
So what if we pulled a Blazing Saddles? "Oh look, you forgot to wash your hands! Here, look, it's coming right off!"
Th3Oddfather
I would disagree, its not the states that are predominantly white that get racist, its the states with large minorities. Southern states especially. Somewhere Utah is way less likely to have a "fuck the poor" law in place.
MrNardtastic
No they are almost all racist, its just the states with little to no minorities dont care about being progressive cause its just helping out poor white ppl. If they were helping out poor white and brown/black ppl then they would have a problem with it, is what i believe they were saying