Dark Money

TEI: Hawaii Lawsuit Shows Why Voters - Not Corporations - Must Decide The Montana Plan

“The Hawaii lawsuit is no surprise,” said Jeff Mangan, president of the Transparent Election Initiative and lead petitioner for I-194. “Corporations and billionaires have had a vice grip on the machinery of democracy for generations, and they are not going to let go politely. That is exactly why voters need the chance to decide this question for themselves.

KTVQ Q2 | Former Montana leaders speak at Billings forum on limiting corporate election spending

Nearly 800 filled the Lincoln Auditorium on Saturday to hear about The Montana Plan

The Cryptonomist | How crypto donations are reshaping US midterm election funding

The debate has already inspired questions about transparency, coordination, and how closely super PAC messaging aligns with the priorities of major digital asset backers

NYT | Nearly $900 Million in Secret Flowed into 2024 Presidential Campaigns

Despite the gargantuan sums, the donors to these nonprofit groups will almost certainly never be revealed

NYT | Silicon Valley Pledges $200 Million to New Pro-A.I. Super PACs

The group, which will technically be a collection of several political dark-money nonprofits and super PACs

Issue One | A Bold New Approach to Undoing Citizens United

An innovative proposal designed to stop corporate and dark money spending in elections has arisen in Montana

Undoing Citizens United in Montana

Through Montana’s constitutional initiative process, The Montana Plan would limit corporate and dark money spending by granting corporations only those powers the people of Montana have agreed, in existing state law, are necessary or convenient to carry out their lawful business or charitable purposes.

MTFP | Former public officeholders propose constitutional initiative to take corporate money out of politics

The Transparent Election Initiative…aims to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling that enabled unlimited corporate campaign contributions.

Open Secrets | What is Dark Money

CLC | What is Dark Money

Dark money enters our elections primarily via secret donations routed through 501(c)(4) social welfare groups or 501(c)(6) trade associations, which are named after the sections of the Internal Revenue Code that grant tax exempt status to these organizations