Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer has been an outspoken critic of the conservative push in his state to overturn campaign finance laws. (AP Photo/Matt Gouras)
Campaign Finance
Montana and Colorado both have measures seeking to minimize the impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Montana ballot initiative I-166 “establishes a state policy that corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights because they are not human beings, and charges Montana elected and appointed officials, state and federal, to implement that policy.” Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, Montana — known for over a century of strong campaign finance laws — has become a battleground in the fight over campaign finance.
The Colorado Campaign Contributions amendment asks Colorado voters whether their legislators should work towards a federal amendment that would counter Citizens United by setting limits on political donations. While state limits on campaign spending are being decided in courts, both the Montana and the Colorado amendment charge those states’ legislators to work on the federal level to counter Citizens United.
