ALEC Support Falling Apart

The shadowy American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which provides marching orders to GOP-dominated state legislatures, has been shedding backers ever since it was revealed that ALEC is largely behind the current rash of voter suppression legislation. Spurring the exodus is news that it was ALEC that framed Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.

Yesterday it was the Gates Foundation that bailed.

A foundation spokesman told Roll Call that it does not plan to make future grants to the conservative nonprofit, which has come under fire from progressive activists for its support of voter identification laws and other contentious measures. The foundation, run by the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. and his wife, contributed more than $375,000 to ALEC in the past two years and was the target of an online petition launched today by the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee that garnered more than 23,000 signatures in a matter of hours. t’s the latest in a string of victories for groups bent on persuading corporations and foundations to cut ties with ALEC, which helps corporations advance their public-policy agenda in state legislatures. Last week, Kraft Foods Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Intuit Inc. each said they would withdraw support. The announcements came after months of behind-the-scenes pressure from another liberal group, Color of Change, an African-American advocacy group.