The Blog at MSPC

The best way to defend the constitution is not to dig in one’s heels to protect an inaccurate and distorted version. The best way is to call a convention to, first, clean up drafting mistakes that tend to discredit the document, and, second, to correct judicial distortions of it.

We were honored to have Montana Governor Greg Gianforte attend and address the crowd at our policy event in Helena on February 24. Governor Gianforte discussed his plans for the upcoming 2027 Legislative Session, noting that moving the Treasure State to a flat income tax and providing families with more education choice opportunities were among his top priorities.

The only way the people of Montana can systematically update their constitution is to commission a state convention to propose a new one.

While workers in Wyoming have the ability to opt out of union membership, requiring them to proactively send dues instead of having them automatically deducted from paychecks ensures that they want to belong without doubt.

Civic education doesn’t belong to one type of school or region. It belongs to everyone. Our hope is that teams will come from across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington, so students can meet peers from different communities, compete respectfully, and go home with a deeper appreciation for how our system works.

Lawmakers willfully defying a ruling they don’t like in hopes that different judges will change a century of legal precedents, against the backdrop of voters consistently rejecting income tax constitutional amendments, is a recipe for constitutional chaos.

Government belongs to the people. The people don’t need permission to watch it work.

Because water is so precious, the law governing it should be fair and certain. People are entitled to know what they can and can’t do. They need assurance that the rules will not change suddenly. Unfortunately, the Montana state constitution’s water provisions are confused and contradictory.

Our Founders gave us a precious constitutional right to correct the federal government when it has gone off the rails. It is our privilege, and obligation, to use it, and Idaho has the opportunity to join the majority of other states that have voted to do so.

Wyoming legislators are right to address the necessity of upholding the principles of federalism in the 2026 Legislative Session in the form of SJ 2.

The Founders of the Constitution would not have provided the Article V option to the states if they were concerned that a “runaway convention” would undo all their hard work.

A plethora of research has found that economic prosperity depends on secure property rights. The insecurity of property rights was one reason Montana lagged economically for so long. Moreover, property owners serve as a necessary counterbalance to government power. And protecting the benefits people earn is simple justice.

The study evaluates four potential models—county-based, regional, proportional statewide, and legislative-district-based approaches—and assesses their legal viability, administrative complexity, and potential impact on campaign incentives.

One of the perennial questions that gets asked each legislative session is “How many bills are enough?” Too often, monitoring legislative bill introductions can feel like that scene in the original Harry Potter movie, where thousands of pieces of mail are floating around the house.

Authoritarian mandates do not belong in a constitution for a free people. And a constitution should leave no doubt that the people, not the government, are the source of all political power.

The bill would require governing bodies to provide an opportunity for public comment at all open public meetings, either in person or through remote means like telephone or video conferencing.

One reason property taxes are a blazing issue in Montana is that the state constitution affords insufficient protection against tax hikes.

We have dozens of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider. These reforms can be acted on even with the challenging budget situations across the states. Here are a couple of our top recommendations for Idaho, Washington and Wyoming lawmakers

In 2030, Montanans will decide whether to hold a new state constitutional convention. This column is the fourth in a series designed to provoke discussion in advance of this important decision. Previous columns examined the poor drafting of the constitution’s university and environmental provisions. Poorly drafted constitutional language encourages lawyers and judges to “interpret” it in ways that take power away from the people and their elected representatives.

One reason Montanans should opt for a new state constitutional convention in 2030 is that the 1972 constitution is plagued by poorly written