Hawaii has become the first state in the country to enact a law prohibiting corporate spending in elections, using a legal strategy designed to work around the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.
Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 2471 into law last month after it cleared the Hawaii Legislature with near-unanimous bipartisan support. Only one lawmaker voted against it across the entire legislative process. The law takes effect in summer 2027.
Hawaii’s Law Targets Corporate “Artificial Persons” in Elections
The law uses language nearly identical to Montana’s proposed ballot initiative, both modeled on a strategy developed by the Center for American Progress. The core legal argument: because states grant corporations their powers, states can also restrict those powers, including the ability to spend money in elections.
Under SB 2471, “artificial persons” (a category covering corporations, nonprofits, trusts, partnerships, trade associations, and unincorporated associations) are prohibited from contributing to candidates, political parties, or elections.
“With this legislation, Democratic and Republican legislators in Hawaii have blazed a new trail to curb the undue influence of big money in politics and end secret spending in campaigns.”
Michael Beckel, Issue One, June 2026
Beckel told the Daily Montanan that the near-unanimous vote shows limiting corporate election spending has genuine cross-partisan appeal, not just Democratic support.
Why the Citizens United Ruling Still Shapes What States Can Do
The Citizens United ruling, handed down in January 2010, held that the First Amendment bars government from restricting political expenditures by corporations and associations. Hawaii’s law does not try to directly override that ruling. Instead, it works through state corporate law, arguing that states’ authority to define and limit corporate powers gives them a lane that Citizens United did not close.
GOP Rep. Garner Shimizu, who initially voted against SB 2471, reversed his position before the final vote. He described the decision as a choice “to take a braver step of faith and courage.”
Montana’s Parallel Push Is Still Heading to Voters
The “Montana Plan” was developed by former Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan. Montana’s version is a ballot initiative, not a legislative bill. In June 2026, organizers announced the Transparent Election Initiative had gathered enough signatures to appear on the Montana ballot. Hawaii reached the finish line first through its legislature, but dozens of similar bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact your state legislators and ask them to introduce a bill modeled on Hawaii’s SB 2471. Find your state rep at openstates.org. Tell them: “Hawaii passed SB 2471 to limit corporate election spending using state corporate law authority. I want our state to introduce the same.”
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Call your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to support federal campaign finance disclosure reform. Reference Hawaii’s vote as evidence of bipartisan support: SB 2471 drew only a single opposing vote across both chambers.
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If you live in Montana, check your voter registration at sos.mt.gov and confirm you are ready to vote on the Transparent Election Initiative when it appears on the ballot.
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Share Issue One’s dark money resources at issueone.org with your local civic groups or party chapter, specifically the data on outside spending since Citizens United. Use it to make the case to skeptical elected officials in your state.
Sources
Daily Montanan: Hawaii Enacts Law Modeled on Montana Plan to Limit Corporate Election Spending Issue One: About Dark Money Reform and the Push to Reduce Outside Spending Center for American Progress: State Corporate Law Strategy for Limiting Election Spending Hawaii Legislature: Senate Bill 2471 Full Text and Vote Record OpenStates: Find Your State Legislators by Address