In democracies, it is the voters who determine who holds power. At the same time, however, companies and other organizations spend billions every year on lobbyists and other advocates who 'help' them to influence the same politicians and governments voted into office by the people. By nature, lobbying takes place outside the general public's view and seeks beneficial results for those employing them. In this article, I argue that in a democracy such as ours, this discrepancy between open elections and hidden influence is a reason for great concern. I also make suggestions for introducing better safeguards to prevent perverse incentives in political advocacy from undermining the structure and organization of our democratic system.