A few days ago, while writing about a local proposal to allow non-resident taxpayers to vote in local referenda, I engaged in a bit of slippery slope argumentation, wondering among other things, if corporate taxpayers would also get to vote and wondering if perhaps votes should be weighted: the greater the property, the greater the vote. Proving that this country is really both satire and parody proof, it turns out that the idea has some support out there.
A bill introduced by Montana state Rep. Steve Lavin would give corporations the right to vote in municipal elections:
Provision for vote by corporate property owner. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a firm, partnership, company, or corporation owns real property within the municipality, the president, vice president, secretary, or other designee of the entity is eligible to vote in a municipal election as provided in [section 1].
(2) The individual who is designated to vote by the entity is subject to the provisions of [section 1] and shall also provide to the election administrator documentation of the entity’s registration with the secretary of state under 35-1-217 and proof of the individual’s designation to vote on behalf of the entity.
(via Reader Supported News)
Lavin is an ALEC flunky, and his bill has gone nowhere so far, but from tiny acorns…
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