Editing Suffrage (section)

===Business vote===
{{anchor|Business vote}}<!-- [[Business vote]] redirects here -->
{{see also|Plural voting|Functional constituency (Hong Kong)|Indirectly elected member}}
In [[local government in England]] and some of its ex-colonies, businesses formerly had, and in some places still have, a vote in the urban area in which they paid [[rates (tax)|rates]]. This is an extension of the historical property-based franchise from [[natural person]]s to other [[legal person]]s.

In the United Kingdom, the [[Corporation of the City of London]] has retained and even expanded business vote, following the passing of the [[City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002]]. This has given business interests within the [[City of London]], which is a major [[financial centre]] with few residents, the opportunity to apply the accumulated wealth of the corporation to the development of an effective [[lobbying|lobby]] for UK policies.<ref name="Johal 2012">{{cite journal |last1=Johal |first1=Sukhdev |first2=Michael |last2=Moran |first3=Karel |last3=Williams |year=2012 |title=The future has been postponed: The Great Financial Crisis and British politics |journal=British Politics |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=69–81 |issn=1746-918X |doi=10.1057/bp.2011.30 |s2cid=153648412}}</ref><ref name="Leaver 2017">{{cite web |last1=Leaver |first1=Adam |title=Banking's groundhog day |url=https://www.redpepper.org.uk/bankings-groundhog-day/ |website=redpepper.org.uk |publisher=Red Pepper |access-date=21 December 2017}}</ref> This includes having the [[City Remembrancer]], financed by the [[City's Cash]], as a [[parliamentary agent]], provided with a special seat in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] located in the under-gallery facing the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]]'s chair.<ref name="Hansard 2014">{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140303/text/140303w0001.htm#140303w0001.htm_sbhd0 |title=Written Answers to Questions – City of London Remembrancer |work=Hansard |publisher=UK Parliament |date=3 March 2014 |id=3 March 2014 : Column 593W |access-date=28 October 2014}}</ref> In a leaked document from 2012, an official report concerning the City's Cash revealed that the aim of major occasions such as set-piece sumptuous banquets featuring national politicians was "to increase the emphasis on complementing hospitality with business meetings consistent with the City corporation's role in supporting the City as a financial centre".<ref name="Mathiason 2012">{{cite news |last1=Mathiason |first1=Nick |last2=Newman |first2=Melanie |title=City of London Corporation: a lesson in lobbying |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jul/09/city-london-corporation-lesson-lobbying |work=The Guardian |date=9 July 2012}}</ref>

The first issue taken up by the [[Northern Ireland civil rights movement]] was the business vote, abolished in 1968 (a year before it was abolished in Great Britain outside the City of London).<ref name="Arthur 2014">{{cite book |editor-last1=Aughey |editor-first1=Arthur |editor-last2=Morrow |editor-first2=Duncan |last=Arthur |first=Paul |title=Northern Ireland Politics |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s27XAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |access-date=27 November 2015 |date=17 June 2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317890836 |page=24 |chapter=Northern Ireland 1968–72}}</ref>

In the [[Republic of Ireland]], commercial ratepayers{{#tag:ref|Strictly speaking, all ratepayers; however, domestic rates were abolished after the [[1977 Irish general election|1977 election]].<ref name="Callanan 2003">{{cite book |last1=Callanan |first1=Mark |last2=Keogan |first2=Justin F. |title=Local Government in Ireland: Inside Out |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P6OdT7MIflgC&pg=PA332 |access-date=8 January 2018 |year=2003 |publisher=Institute of Public Administration |isbn=9781902448930 |page=332}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1978/act/35/enacted/en/index.html |title=Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act, 1978 |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/1977/36/?tab=debates |title=Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act, 1978 – Debates |work=Bills index |date=14 December 1977 |publisher=Oireachtas |access-date=8 January 2018}};</ref>|group="nb"}} can vote in local [[plebiscite]]s, for changing the [[Place names in Ireland|name of the locality or street]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1956/si/31/made/en/print |title=S.I. No. 31/1956 – Local Government (Changing of Place Names) Regulations, 1956. |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|For example [[South Dublin County Council]] produced lists of addresses of residences<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdcc.ie/plebiscite-palmerston-addresses |title=Plebiscite Palmerston Addresses |year=2014 |publisher=South Dublin County Council |access-date=8 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063801/http://www.sdcc.ie/plebiscite-palmerston-addresses |archive-date=9 January 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ratepayers<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdcc.ie/plebiscite-palmerston-rated-occupiers |title=Plebiscite Palmerston Rated Occupiers |year=2014 |publisher=South Dublin County Council |access-date=8 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063640/http://www.sdcc.ie/plebiscite-palmerston-rated-occupiers |archive-date=9 January 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> within [[Palmerstown]] for the 2014 plebiscite on changing the district's spelling.|group="nb"}} or delimiting a [[business improvement district]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2007/si/166/made/en/print |title=S.I. No. 166/2007 – Local Government (Business Improvement Districts Ratepayer Plebiscite) Regulations 2007 |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |access-date=8 January 2018}}; {{cite web |url=https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s12708/04a%20Appendix%20A.pdf#page=11 |title=Q.50 – Councillor Mannix Flynn |work=Questions Lodged Pursuant to Standing Order No.16 for Reply at the Monthly Meeting of Dublin City Council to be Held on Monday, 4th September 2017 |pages=11–13 |access-date=8 January 2018 |archive-date=11 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211214143/https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s12708/04a%20Appendix%20A.pdf#page=11 |url-status=dead}}</ref> From 1930 to 1935, 5 of 35 members of [[Dublin City Council]] were "commercial members".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1930/act/27/enacted/en/print#sec31 |title=Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930 §§31(1), 32(2)–(3), 34, 35 |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |access-date=2 February 2017}}; {{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1935/act/10/section/2/enacted/en/html#sec2 |title=Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1935, Section 2 |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |access-date=2 February 2017}}</ref>

In cities in most Australian states, voting is optional for businesses but compulsory for individuals.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/city-of-sydney-business-vote-plan-may-falter-backers-concede-20140815-104hs1.html |title=City of Sydney business vote plan may falter, backers concede |last1=Hasham |first1=Nicole |first2=Leesha |last2=McKenny |date=16 August 2014 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2014/08/australia_businesses_get_to_vote_sydney_conservatives_want_it_to_be_required.html |title=Australia businesses get to vote: Sydney conservatives want it to be required by law. |last=Weissmann |first=Jordan |date=August 2014 |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref>

Some [[List of municipalities in Delaware|municipalities in Delaware]] allow corporations to vote on local matters.<ref name="Ivanova 2023">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seaford-delaware-corporate-voting-llc-trust-elections/ |title=A Delaware city is set to give corporations the right to vote in elections |last=Ivanova |first=Irina |date=21 June 2023 |work=Moneywatch |publisher=CBS News}}</ref>