Government-Politics
Bring your friends and neighbors to watch the award-winning documentary Dark Money at the Empire-Twin Theatre in Livingston on February 12th at 6 pm. The event is free to the public.
The documentary, Dark Money, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. Dark Money takes you to the Montana frontline in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide. It follows an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the United States Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. This gripping story uncovers the shocking, vital truth about how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary was also nominated for an Academy Award.
The free viewing will be followed by a Q&A featuring Jeff Mangan, Montana’s former Commissioner of Political Practices and current leader of the Transparent Election Initiative, along with Jamie Isaly, Montana State Representative for District 58. The pair will answer audience questions about the initiative and explain how Montana voters can help.
The Transparent Election Initiative aims to end the influence of corporate money in our political system through a groundbreaking effort called the The Montana Plan. The organizers believe that elections should be decided by voters, not the size of corporate checkbooks. “Montana has a history of ensuring that citizens lead its elections, not corporations. With The Montana Plan, we continue that tradition,” Mangan says.
The Transparent Election Initiative is a non-partisan effort. About the Transparent Election Initiative, Marc Racicot, former Republican governor of Montana, says, “Washington's paralysis has left Americans cynical, but federal gridlock need not bind the states. By declining to hand out corporate political-spending powers from the outset, Montana can chart a constitutional course others may follow—showing that bold, effective, and principled reform is still possible across party lines.”
Steve Bullock, former Democratic governor of Montana says, “For over a century, Montana's Corrupt Practices Act ensured elections were about people, not unlimited corporate spending and control. When the Supreme Court discarded Montana's history after Citizens United, the Court tied our hands. The Montana Plan unties them by letting Montanans decide what corporations have the power to do in our state. This honors our history of fair play and returns the power back to the voters, where it belongs.”
Questions about the Livingston event: mtplanparkcounty@gmail.com
Questions about The Montana Plan: jmangan@transparentelection.org