The free-spending role of corporations in California’s electoral system has come under fire as the state prepares to vote on two referenda which opponents have condemned as a “hijacking” of democracy.
Whether its a bid to legalise marijuana or ban same-sex marriage, single-issue referenda, known in California as ballot initiatives, are part of the fabric of the state’s political scene.
But two ballot measures being presented to voters at Tuesday’s June 8 primaries have raised questions about an electoral system which allows corporations to bankroll campaigns with millions of dollars.
The highest profile initiative — Proposition 16 — is backed and financed by Pacific Gas and Electric, the private, for-profit electric company which supplies energy to nearly two thirds of northern California.
Proposition 16 would require any city or county in the state seeking to start its own municipal utility to get approval from two thirds of its voters.
Opponents of the initiative say that if approved it will give PG&E and other existing companies a virtual monopoly, locking out potential public sector rivals in perpetuity.
“I think it’s outrageous that a regulated company could decide to write its own business advantage into the state Constitution,” John Geesman, a former member of the California Energy Commission, told the Los Angeles Times.
So far PG&E has spent an estimated $46 million on its campaign, blitzing local television, radio and newspapers with hard-hitting ads touting the measure as the “Taxpayers Right to Vote.”
The opponents however are hamstrung because the law forbids municipal power providers from spending any money on electioneering.
The “No on 16” campaign is staffed exclusively by volunteers and has so far raised only $80,000. —AFP