Tag: foreign contributions
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U.S. House passes bill banning foreign contributions to state and local ballot measure campaigns
On July 13, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation banning foreign nationals from contributing to state or local ballot measure campaigns. Federal law prohibits federal, state, and local candidates from soliciting, directing, or receiving contributions from individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. The law also bans contributions from…
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Iowa becomes the 25th state to ban foreign contributions to ballot measure committees
On June 2, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed legislation, HF 2601, which prohibits foreign contributions in ballot measure elections. Iowa previously had a ban on foreign funding for candidate elections, but no such prohibition on foreign contributions to ballot measure committees. Iowa is now the 25th state to ban foreign nationals or governments from…
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Federal appeals court blocks enforcement of Maine’s Question 2, which barred election spending by corporations that are at least 5% foreign‑owned
In Maine, a federal appellate court upheld a district court’s injunction blocking enforcement of Question 2, which prohibited foreign governments and certain entities from contributing to ballot measure elections. Voters passed Question 2 in 2023 by a margin of 86% to 14%. The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Question 2 would be unconstitutional…
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Missouri becomes ninth state to ban foreign funding in ballot measure campaigns in 2025 as federal court upholds Kansas ban
Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed legislation that would prohibit foreign funding of ballot measure campaigns on July 9, 2025. This makes Missouri the 19th state to prohibit foreign nationals or governments from contributing to ballot measure committees. Senate Bill 152 (SB 152) takes effect on Aug. 28, 2025. The legislation prohibits ballot measure committees from…
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Montana is sixth state this year to adopt a ban on foreign spending on ballot measures
Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed House Bill 818 on May 13, making Montana the sixth state in 2025 to adopt a ban on foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns. Montana joins five other states that adopted bans this year—Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, and Wyoming—and ten states that passed similar laws in prior years, bringing the…
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Arkansas is fifth state in 2025 to ban foreign spending on ballot measures
Arkansas is the 14th state to pass a law prohibiting foreign spending in ballot measure campaigns and the fifth state to do so in 2025—a record for the most states enacting such laws in a single year. In previous years, no more than one state passed a similar law per year. Arkansas House Bill 1837…
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2025 marks record year as Kansas, Kentucky, and Wyoming join states with laws restricting foreign contributions to ballot measure campaigns
So far, during the 2025 legislative sessions, three states—Kansas, Kentucky, and Wyoming—have enacted new laws restricting foreign contributions to ballot measure campaigns. With these additions, 12 now have laws prohibiting foreign nationals, governments, or other entities from contributing to ballot measure committees. The 12 states with such laws are California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,…