Washington state Initiative 735 leads in early results
Nov 8, 2016, 8:35 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
The United States Supreme Court decided in 2010 that corporations are legal people and that spending money equates to free speech. (AP)
(AP)
Washington’s Initiative 735 is leading in early election results with 64 percent approval.
View election results for Washington’s key races and issues
The passage of would order Washington state’s congressional representatives to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment would clarify that the rights described in the constitution are for human beings, not corporations. It would also state that spending money is not free speech, which would affect political contributions to candidates. Governments would also be allowed to regulate such contributions to limit undue influence on the government. And contributions and expenditures would also be made public.
Initiative 735 is in response to a 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court. It ruled in Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission that corporations are considered legal people, and that money equates to free speech. In other words, corporations can have a role in the political system. The amendment aims to remove influence — financial and corporate — from the political system.
