Two other big corporations—including Amazon—and several state lawmakers are the latest to sever their ties with American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), as the group’s influence and radical agenda—one that includes voter suppression, union-busting and immigrant bashing—is further exposed. 

ALEC had flown under the public’s radar until its ties to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law that is at the center of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. ALEC has been instrumental in backing similar laws around the country. The recent attack on Arizona public employees' rights was patterned on ALEC's model legislation. The group has been instrumental in providing blueprints to state lawmakers pushing voter suppression and voter ID laws around the country.

Online retail giant Amazon announced this morning at its annual stockholders meeting that it is leaving ALEC. More than 500,000 people signed a petition urging Amazon to drop its membership. In response to a shareholder's question, The Seattle Times reports that Amazon general counsel Michelle Wilson told stockholders:

This year, we've decided not to renew with ALEC, and it's because of positions they've taken not related to our business.

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) reports that Scantron Corp., a $200 million for-profit educational testing and online tutoring company, is the 15th corporation to cut ties with ALEC. The non-profit Lumina Foundation for Education, a private foundation with assets of more than $1 billion, announced it was no long an ALEC member.

Also, the 10 Democratic Pennsylvania state legislators who were ALEC members have dropped their membership, along with eight Republicans, though most Republicans have not. Overall, 54 legislators also have publicly cut ties with ALEC in recent weeks.

Last week, CMD and Common Cause released a report that reveals the “extraordinary influence” ALEC has had in the Wisconsin legislature, including its role in Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) attack on workers’ rights. Find out more at ALEC Exposed.