In Seattle, the City Council has voted to ban most political spending by foreign-influenced corporations in an attempt to obstruct multinational tech companies from influencing local elections. The legislation’s author, City Council President Lorena González, said the ban could potentially apply to Amazon, despite the company being based in Seattle, because the legislation will also cover businesses that are substantively owned by foreign investors. In a statement, González said, “We have an epidemic of big money in our elections, and this step helps to address the appearance and risk of corruption.”