Dem
51
GOP
49
Normally, we try to order the items roughly in order of significance. But we also try to put things together that logically belong together. And when those things are in conflict, well, we use our judgment. So, this story isn't important, at least not yet. But it is definitely a clear companion to the item above. Thanks to reader J.S. in The Hague, Netherlands, for suggesting the subject.
As we have noted a couple of times recently, Delaware is deliberately designed to be a haven for corporations. Long ago—and by that, we mean over 100 years ago—the state's leadership decided that it would use tax breaks and other incentives in order to persuade business interests to incorporate in the Blue Hen State. Today, there are close to 2 million legal entities incorporated there.
Some towns in Delaware do not feel they are getting enough of that sweet, sweet corporate love, it would seem. And so, the town of Seaford, having observed that corporations are, legally speaking, people, is taking steps to allow corporations to vote in local elections. The good people of Seaford aren't even the first to reach that conclusion; the towns of Fenwick Island, Henlopen Acres and Dagsboro have already extended voting rights to corporations. Because if there's one thing everyone can agree on, it's that business interests don't have enough influence in American society.
Because nearly all corporations in Delaware are run by people from outside the state, the general notion is that these people are affected by local decisions, too, and deserve a voice in those decisions. Conveniently, since most Delaware municipalities do not take this view, this "thoughtful" assessment means there's extra motivation for corporations to take their business to Seaford, Fenwick Island, Henlopen Acres and Dagsboro. Essentially handing out voting privileges in exchange for financial benefits? How democratic!
There is the small problem of people voting more than once. Most of these localities have set it up so that if you live in, say, Dagsboro and your business is chartered in Dagsboro, you don't get to vote once as a person and once as a corporation. Rather harder to stop are out-of-state individuals who have chartered multiple corporations in the same locality. In one case, for example, the same person voted 31 times in the same election.
Under the terms of the state constitution, these voting rules have to be approved by the state legislature. Progressive groups are pushing legislators not only to reject the Seaford proposal, but also to amend the constitution to specify that only real humans (not legal-fiction humans) can vote in elections. Whatever happens, it's a reminder that red states don't have a monopoly on kookiness meant to give more power to those who already have more than their fair share. (Z)