1. United States
2. N.D.
3. Letter

Our state should follow Hawaii's lead and pass legislation stripping corporations of the power to spend money influencing our elections. Hawaii's SB 2471, signed into law on May 14, takes a brilliant approach: rather than challenging Citizens United head-on, it simply removes electoral spending from the powers granted in a corporate charter. Corporations are creatures of state law — states created them, and states can limit what they're allowed to do. The legal theory, developed by former FEC counsel Tom Moore, rests on an 1819 Supreme Court precedent holding that a corporation possesses only the powers its charter grants. Hawaii's House passed the bill 50-1, with both Democrats and Republicans voting yes. Reform group Issue One has called it a model for the rest of the country, and similar bills have already been introduced in 14 other states. We should be one of them. Please introduce or co-sponsor legislation modeled on Hawaii's SB 2471 before this session ends or immediately when the next session allows.