A proposed charter amendment to allow artificial entities — including corporations — to vote in Seaford’s municipal elections remains in limbo.
State Rep. Daniel Short pulled the measure from the House agenda for a second time this session Tuesday.
The charter amendment – narrowly approved by Seaford City Council in April – seeks to give businesses that own property a voice in city affairs, including infrastructure upgrades.
It makes use of a quirk in Delaware law permitting municipalities to give nonresident property owners voting rights; state code enables municipalities to extend that right to artificial entities that own real property within their boundaries. Dewey Beach and Henlopen Acres extend voting rights to artificial entities and other nonresident property owners, though their ordinances largely apply to vacation homeowners.
Though Seaford is significantly larger than Dewey Beach or Henlopen Acres, the roughly 250 corporations that own property in the city are enough to sway the results of Seaford’s typically low-turnout elections.
Seaford’s proposed amendment drew substantial pushback, including some Seaford city council members who worry the voices of local property owners could overwhelm the wishes of city residents.
The House Administration Committee reluctantly agreed to release the bill in the name of local control, but Short pulled it from the House agenda in May to add language clarifying that a corporation could only cast one vote. The revised bill appeared on Tuesday’s agenda, but Short pulled it again without explanation.
If the bill does reach a floor vote, it will require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to pass, meaning it would need votes from at least ten Democrats if all of Short's Republican colleagues support the bill.
