Summary#
This bill adds ballot initiatives, referenda, and recall elections to the places where foreign nationals are banned from giving money or donations. It changes one sentence in the Federal Election Campaign Act so the ban clearly covers state and local ballot measures as well as regular elections. The stated goal is to stop foreign money from influencing ballot campaigns.
- Main change: The law that bars foreign nationals from giving money "in connection with" elections is extended to explicitly include state and local ballot initiatives, referenda, and recall elections.
- Who enforces it: The change is made to the federal campaign law enforced under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
- When it starts: The rule applies to contributions and donations made on or after the bill’s enactment date.
- Scope: The bill targets contributions and donations; it does not add other new rules in the text.
What it means for you#
- Ballot measure campaigns / committees: They must not accept money or donations from foreign nationals for ballot initiative, referendum, or recall campaigns. Campaigns may need to check donor eligibility more carefully.
- State and local governments: Election officials will see no change in how ballot measures appear on ballots, but groups that run ballot campaigns must follow this federal ban.
- Donors and advocacy groups: People who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (foreign nationals) cannot give money or make donations to support or oppose ballot measures or recalls.
- Political committees and PACs: Those who fund or collect money for ballot campaigns must ensure donors are eligible under the federal ban when giving for ballot measures.
- Federal Election Commission (FEC) and law enforcement: The FEC would be the federal body with responsibility for enforcing the federal ban as amended.
- Voters: The law does not change what appears on the ballot or how votes are counted. It mainly affects who may fund campaigns about what is on the ballot.
Expenses#
No publicly available information.
- The bill text and accompanying material do not include a fiscal note or cost estimate.
- This could mean increased enforcement work for the FEC and extra compliance steps for campaigns and local groups, but the bill does not state any funding, staffing, or penalty changes.
- It is unclear who would pay for additional verification or legal compliance if costs rise for campaigns or election offices.
Proponents' View#
- The bill appears intended to close a gap so that the existing ban on foreign-funded contributions covers ballot initiatives, referenda, and recalls as well as elections.
- Supporters may argue this helps prevent foreign influence over public policy decided by ballot measures.
- It could create a single, clear federal rule for money given to influence both candidate elections and ballot questions.
Opponents' View#
- One concern is that the bill only mentions contributions and donations; it does not clearly say how it applies to independent spending, in-kind support, or issue advertising by foreign nationals.
- It is unclear how the law will be enforced on out-of-state or online donors, and verifying a donor’s nationality can be difficult.
- The bill gives no funding or resources to the FEC, so enforcing the expanded ban could add workload without a clear plan to pay for it.
- The impact on state rules is not spelled out; it is unclear how this federal change will interact with varying state campaign laws and enforcement practices.