Heartland Institute Podcast Questions Universal Suffrage

During an early April episode of the Heartland Institute's 'In the Tank' podcast, communications director Jim Lakely questioned whether all adults over 18 should have the right to vote, suggesting that only property owners and taxpayers should have the franchise. Lakely referenced the original U.S. Constitution, which limited voting to white male property owners, and argued that there is 'something to be said' for that approach. Senior fellow S.T. Karnick backed these comments, proposing a repeal of the 17th Amendment to reduce popular vote influence. The podcast occurred just days before Heartland hosted a conference in Washington, D.C., keynoted by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who praised the institute's decades of climate disinformation. Zeldin, a Trump ally, has been floated to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general. Climate scientist Michael Mann condemned the group's 'authoritarian, anti-democratic agenda.' The Heartland Institute, a contributor to Project 2025, has long denied climate change and received funding from ExxonMobil and Koch-linked foundations.