The State That May Let Corporations Vote In Elections

[Afro]

The State That May Let Corporations Vote In Elections

Delaware Democrats could pass GOP legislation letting businesses cast ballots in a municipal election.

www.levernews.com

Democratic President Biden has called his home “the corporate state of Delaware,” and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has insisted that “corporations are people, my friend.” Embodying that bipartisan spirit in post-Citizens United America, Delaware Democrats are now advancing a Republican bill that would allow corporations to directly vote in a municipal election.

As GOP states across the country aim to limit voter participation, Delaware’s Democratic-controlled legislature has been considering a bill to allow the expansion of the franchise to businesses. The Republican legislation would explicitly permit the city of Seaford, Delaware “to authorize artificial entities, limited liability corporations’ partnerships and trusts to vote in municipal elections.”

The legislature has until June 30 to vote on the bill, when the legislative session ends.

The charter change must be approved by the Delaware state legislature. The Democratic-controlled legislature appears to be poised to do so with the potential passage of HB 121. The party has not expressed plans to oppose the legislation, despite the fact that the bill’s sponsors are Seaford’s Republican state representative and senator.

State House Speaker Peter Schwartzkopf (D) said in a committee hearing in May that he is “kind of caught in a pickle here.” He said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea. But I don’t think I want to vote to stop it.”

Schwartzkopf did not respond to a request for comment from The Lever.

Delaware has long been a testing ground for corporate control of democracy. The state is one of just a few that do not charge corporations income tax, and allow corporation officers to hide themselves behind a vast web of secrecy.

 

[Afro]

Oh, it's crickets when politicians drop their flags and show you their true colors huh

 

[voltronblack]

Oh, it's crickets when politicians drop their flags and show you their true colors huh

Unless it a thread about black men dealing with passport brehs/pawger it not going to get much traffic in the TLR

 

[ORDER_66]

Ohh the democrats is behind this huh??? we must be republicans for pointing that out huh???

 

[voltronblack]

Ohh the democrats is behind this huh??? we must be republicans for pointing that out huh???

I can see it being spin that way

 

[WIA20XX]

Cast votes? These people have zero vision.

Corporations need to be able to run for office.

Imagine a Burger King vs Ronald McDonald primary?

 

[ORDER_66]

Cast votes? These people have zero vision.

Corporations need to be able to run for office.

Imagine a Burger King vs Ronald McDonald primary?

Remember that corporations count as people too but they have the loudest voices....

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

They already essentially do it behind the scenes and influence politics anyways

 

[WIA20XX]

Remember that corporations count as people too but they have the loudest voices....

Citizens United was a god send!

 

[Tres Leches]

Ohh the democrats is behind this huh??? we must be republicans for pointing that out huh???

You must be a both sider

 

[360dagod]

Lobbyists are essentially corporations voting in elections

 

[WIA20XX]

Lobbyists are essentially corporations voting in elections

IMO, they're worse.

Lobbyists write legislation.

If you think Ilhan or AOC is reading, drafting, editing, revising 800 pages on cardboard regulations..... It's a team of lawyers from the packaging and shipping industry that are crafting that, and giving it to the underpaid overworked staff to "look over".

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

IMO, they're worse.

Lobbyists write legislation.

If you think Ilhan or AOC is reading, drafting, editing, revising 800 pages on cardboard regulations..... It's a team of lawyers from the packaging and shipping industry that are crafting that, and giving it to the underpaid overworked staff to "look over".

Yup and they all took to Twitter to expose it a few years ago during one of those stimulus packages, but people have forgotten all about it.

 

[BaldingSoHard]

I'm all for it.

Give corporations 1/4 of a vote for every part-time employee, 1/2 of a vote for every full-time employee and then eliminate lobbyists.

Corporate interests are taken into account (which are important, no matter how much we hate how much influence they have in our lives), corporations would also have an incentive to keep job numbers high, but the lobbyist money is removed from politics.

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

I'm all for it.

Give corporations 1/4 of a vote for every part-time employee, 1/2 of a vote for every full-time employee and then eliminate lobbyists.

Corporate interests are taken into account (which are important, no matter how much we hate how much influence they have in our lives), corporations would also have an incentive to keep job numbers high, but the lobbyist money is removed from politics.

That’s never going to happen.