Delaware Superior Court Judge Craig Karsnitz said the beach town of Fenwick Island was not diluting human votes by allowing companies and other legal entities that own property to cast votes in municipal elections.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware sued the town, arguing it violated the elections clause of the state constitution. The group sought a court order blocking Fenwick Island from counting votes by “non-human artificial entities” in future elections.
The group said entities make up about 12% of registered voters in the town.
A lawyer for the organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The town’s mayor, Natalie Magdeburger, did not immediately respond to a request for comment but told Reuters in March that the city believes “a property owner who pays taxes and is subject to our ordinances should have a say in who represents them on our Town Council.”
Individuals have to claim primary residence somewhere and that is where they are eligible to vote. Corporations are composed of individuals who can vote in their home towns/states. Nowhere is it written that corporations have to be democratic in any way, so a corporation very well may (probably will!) be just be a second vote for the highest ranking individual within. It’s obvious bullshit that should not be tolerated. Are we fucking blind?
No but that judge probably got a nice bonus for the ruling.
Edit: this is a logical consequence of Citizens United. Which makes it no less fucked in the head.
Sir, I am offended! There is no way this official received a bonus or bribe of any kind before the ruling. That would be unethical!
This officer received his payment after the ruling was made. That makes it a gratuity, which is acceptable, according to no less an authority than Brett Kavanaugh.
The federal government provides minimums for voting, but they’ve never tried providing a maximum requirement until Trump. A state, in theory, could allow various kinds of non-humans from voting.
It is part of the reason why national elections are based on state population, not number of voters.