Delaware Court Rules Corporations Can Legally Vote in Local Elections
Wilmington, Wednesday, 27 May 2026.
A Delaware judge ruled that corporations can legally vote in municipal elections, cementing corporate enfranchisement in a state where business entities outnumber human residents two to one.
A Legal Precedent for Artificial Entities
On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Delaware Superior Court Judge Craig A. Karsnitz formally dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Delaware against the coastal municipality of Fenwick Island [1][2][4]. The ruling upheld a 2008 amendment to the town’s charter that explicitly grants voting rights to property-owning “artificial entities,” including corporations, trusts, limited liability companies (LLCs), and partnerships [2][4]. Rather than representing a future campaign proposal, this decision validates an active, currently implemented policy that legally recognizes non-human business entities as enfranchised participants in local elections [1][2]. While the lawsuit centered on local municipal governance, it highlights a profound shift in corporate rights within a state legally home to more corporations than human residents [1][2].