Montana Plan, Backed by ECU, Bans Corporate Contributions with Overwhelming Voter Approval

End Citizens United (ECU) today celebrated the passage of Initiative 194 in Montana, known as the Montana Plan. ECU was an early supporter of the Montana Plan.

“Montana has a long and proud history of standing up for good government and taking on powerful special interests. More than a century ago, Montanans stood up to the Copper Kings and the corruption that came with corporate control of their politics. Last night, they did it again,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “By passing the Montana Plan, voters have reaffirmed they do not want corporate special interests dictating their elections and their government. This will have reverberating effects on the rest of the country and is an important win in the fight against Citizens United. We congratulate the organizers and leaders who made this possible, and we look forward to helping ensure this voter-approved measure is properly implemented.”

ECU worked to build support for the Montana Plan throughout the cycle by endorsing the initiative, generating earned media, publishing about it on Substack, and making the fight against money in politics central to a series of events hosted in Montana earlier this year. ECU President Tiffany Muller also joined More Perfect Union for a video interview promoting the ballot measure.

The Montana Plan is a monumental step in the fight against money in politics. It will prevent the pay-to-play corruption enabled by political spending from corporations, nonprofits, trusts, partnerships, trade associations, and unincorporated associations in the state. It is a state-level answer to the special interest money that has poured into Montana elections since the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United.

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For 11 years, End Citizens United (ECU) has been dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money in politics and attempts to block access to the ballot box. Since its founding in 2015, ECU has had over 1.4 million donors with an average donation of just $14. The group has more than four million members nationwide and is one of the nation’s leading anti-corruption organizations.