MT legislative records: on Government Reform


Matt Rosendale: No campaign donor disclosure; yes Citizens United

Q: Campaign Finance: Require political ads to disclose their largest funders? Positon on Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations from corporations & unions?

Matt Rosendale (R): No. Voted against state bill requiring independent groups to reveal how money they contribute to election campaigns is being used & where it's coming from. Supports Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling as protecting freedom of speech.

Jon Tester (D): Yes. Introduced Spotlight Act, requiring political nonprofits to disclose donors. "Dark money is a threat to our democracy. I will do everything I can to defend Montanans from this shadowy behavior." Opposed Citizens United ruling.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org: Montana legislative voting records Oct 9, 2018

Matt Rosendale: Voted to repeal same-day voter registration

Q: Voting Rights: Support stricter voting rules even if they prevent some people from voting?

Matt Rosendale (R): Yes. Voted to repeal same-day voter registration. Require government-issued photo identification to vote.

Jon Tester (D): Unclear on photo ID. Introduced bill to ensure Native American voting access.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org: Montana legislative voting records Oct 9, 2018

Greg Gianforte: Add county-level race to post-election audits

HB172: Revise laws related to post-election audits:

Montana Free Press summaries: House Bill 172 would enable counties to add a county-level race to their post-election audits. Bedey has argued that adding a local race to the mix would offer another level of verification and help instill more trust in county-level results. (3/9/23)

Despite bipartisan support and favorable testimony from county and state election officials, HB 172 failed to win a yes vote [from some legislators. One State Rep. noted, "the question at the heart of Montana's 2023 election policy debate centers on trust--namely, "whether trust has been broken or not." Following his loss in 2020, Pres. Trump's legal challenges and false assertions about widespread voter fraud "metastasized" into a social movement.(1/30/23)

Legislative Summary: Passed House 81-19-0 on Jan/25/23; State Rep. Tanner Smith voted YES; passed Senate 49-1-0 on Mar/23/23; signed by Governor Greg Gianforte on Apr/19/23

Source: Montana State Legislature voting records HB172 Apr 19, 2023

Tanner Smith: Add county-level race to post-election audits

HB172: Revise laws related to post-election audits:

Montana Free Press summaries: House Bill 172 would enable counties to add a county-level race to their post-election audits. Bedey has argued that adding a local race to the mix would offer another level of verification and help instill more trust in county-level results. (3/9/23)

Despite bipartisan support and favorable testimony from county and state election officials, HB 172 failed to win a yes vote [from some legislators. One State Rep. noted, "the question at the heart of Montana's 2023 election policy debate centers on trust--namely, "whether trust has been broken or not." Following his loss in 2020, Pres. Trump's legal challenges and false assertions about widespread voter fraud "metastasized" into a social movement.(1/30/23)

Legislative Summary: Passed House 81-19-0 on Jan/25/23; State Rep. Tanner Smith voted YES; passed Senate 49-1-0 on Mar/23/23; signed by Governor Greg Gianforte on Apr/19/23

Source: Montana State Legislature voting records HB172 Jan 25, 2023

  • The above quotations are from Legislative voting records for Montana House and Senate.
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Candidates and political leaders on Government Reform:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Nov 26, 2023