Missoula Voters stand up to Citizens United

Missoula voters have approved a local ballot referendum urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment that clearly states that corporations are not human beings and do not have the same rights as citizens by a three-to-one margin.  I had urged passage of this amendment in a Missoulan op-ed along with Common Cause Montana treasurer and Missoula resident C. B Pearson.

These results are remarkably similar to those a week ago in Boulder, Colorado where 74% of voters supported a similar measure.  This spring, 84% of voters in Madison, Wisconsin did the same thing.

The Missoula measure was placed on the ballot after city councilor Cynthia Wolken convinced her fellow councilors to give voters a chance to weigh in on the topic by an 8 to 1 vote.   She said “the only way to have a free press is by letting corporations have unlimited power to speak in it is to me a little bit ridiculous. Because that’s what they’re asking us to believe: The only way we can have a free press is to let corporations have unlimited control of the mouthpiece. To me, that doesn’t seem free at all.”

City Council candidate Paul Bohan challenged whether Missoula should weigh in on constitutional amendment, but city attorney Jim Nugent noted that the “legislative acts” that are authorized under Montana’s initiative and referendum process include not only passing laws but in the “declaration of public policy.”

Common Cause has been working with the Move to Amend coalition on this tactic of winning local resolutions to promote a constitutional amendment that would end the false doctrine of corporate citizenship and reverse misguided court rulings that unlimited spending in political campaigns deserves protection under the First Amendment.  So far, it sure looks like most voters agree.