1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

End Citizens United in Iowa I am a constituent writing to ask for your support of Senate Joint Resolution 2004 (and companion measure SJR 2009), which would amend the Iowa Constitution to make clear that corporations were never intended to have the power to spend on elections, ballot measures, or political donations. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, corporate and dark money spending in our elections has grown dramatically, often flowing through groups that are not required to disclose their donors. Iowans deserve to know who is trying to influence our elections, and our democracy should be shaped by voters — not by anonymous corporate spending. SJR 2004 takes a smart, legally grounded approach to this problem. Rather than trying to challenge Citizens United head-on, it relies on the state’s own authority to define what powers corporations are granted under Iowa law. Because states charter corporations, Iowa has the right to decide that election spending simply isn’t one of the privileges that comes with incorporating here. This is the same strategy Hawaii used when it became the first state in the nation to sign similar legislation into law in May 2026, and it mirrors an effort currently underway in Montana as well. I also want to note that this is not a partisan issue. SJR 2004 was introduced with bipartisan sponsorship, because getting secret corporate money out of politics is something Iowans across the political spectrum can agree on. Polling consistently shows broad, cross-partisan support for greater transparency and limits on corporate election spending. I understand that amending the Iowa Constitution is a multi-year process requiring approval by two consecutive General Assemblies before it can go to voters. That is exactly why it’s important to move this forward now rather than later. I urge you to support SJR 2004 and SJR 2009, and to help ensure that Iowa’s elections are shaped by Iowans, not by corporate dark money. Thank you for your time and consideration on this important issue.