A rabbi, a priest and a minister walk into a shareholders meeting. They are not shareholders. They vote anyway and no one intervenes. What a bad joke!

Random non-shareholder voters would have no incentive to vote in the company’s best interest or with concern for investors risking hard-earned capital. They might just vote to shut company down the company for the same reason someone burns buildings during a protest – just to indulge the sense of power and control that comes with destruction.

Even devoid of malice, non-vested voters might cast ignorant votes without the benefit of knowing the company’s business. Either way, they suffer no loss if they hurt the businesses because they own no part of it.

Apply this to any human entity. Visualize hundreds of Registered Republicans voting at a Democratic pollical convention. Contemplate trophy hunters crashing the local vegan club and electing its next president.

Though it sounds absurd, society seems conflicted as to whether citizens of other countries – who have no citizenship in the United States – should vote in elections that determine public policy and who serves as mayor, governor, legislator, president and more.

No matter how beloved by communities and how potentially valuable they are to society, immigrants here legally or illegally have no ownership in this republic. They have no more business voting in an election than a house guest should hold sway in the host family’s budgeting decisions. The latter might sound like this:

Husband: “Darlin’, we need to fix the leaking roof.”

Visitor: “I say we put that money toward new furniture in the guest room.”

Passage of Amendment 76 would clear things up in Colorado. It asks a simple question and voters should vote “yes.” The question:

“Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution requiring that to be qualified to vote at any election an individual must be a United States citizen?”

If passed, the measure would change a portion of the state constitution that says “Every citizen of the United States” who meets age and state residency requirements gets to vote in Colorado elections. Instead of “Every citizen” the amended passage would limit voting to “Only a citizen…”

State constitutions in 47 other states also leave ambiguity regarding citizenship as a voting requirement. Only Arizona and North Dakota have amended their constitutions to reserve voting rights for citizens.

It is amazing this question exists. Voting should be a privilege belonging only to those born to this country or naturalized by proving loyalty to the uniting values and principles that make it a nation. Citizenship is membership. Only members, fully vested in the country and beholden to no others, should vote in elections. Vote “yes” on Amendment 76.