If you are tired of all the money thrown into our elections in Montana, then this episode is for you.

If you were exhausted by the millions of Tester-Sheehy commercials by April of 2024, then Jeff Mangan is your guy. Jeff is a 1982 Helena High graduate who has deep family roots in Butte and Anaconda. He is one of the driving forces behind the Montana Plan.

The Montana Plan would use the state’s authority to define what powers corporations get, effectively bypassing the dreadful 2010 Citizens United ruling by the United States Supreme Court.

Also known as the Transparent Elections Initiative, the Montana Plan would take the anonymous power out of the hands of the corporations and give it back to the people of the state.

This David vs. Goliath venture is already being copied in other states, and Jeff and his enormous band of volunteers have been working on this for more than a year.

Jeff, who served eight years in the Montana Legislature before serving a term as Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices, will be in Butte May 7 for a free screening of the 2018 documentary “Dark Money” at the Covellite Theatre. He will have some of the players in the movie on hand for a discussion after the film.

That will also be a great place for you to sign the petition to make sure the non-partisan Montana Plan goes before voters in November.

Last Summer, Erik Nylund and I met Jeff in Helena for an episode of the Mad About Montana Podcast. Earlier today, I caught up with Jeff over Zoom for a great conversation.

Listen in to hear Jeff explain how the Montana Plan will work. Listen in to hear why you might want to sign the petition to get the initiative on the ballot. Listen in to hear some rare optimism about the future of our political system.

This episode is also available on YouTube.