In recent years, voters have become increasingly concerned about the integrity of our elections. State legislatures have taken significant steps to safeguard the integrity of elections, but there is more work to be done. Left-wing groups, bankrolled by foreign donors, are threatening the integrity of U.S. elections by weaponizing the ballot measure process to push their radical agendas. They do this by exploiting a loophole in state laws that allows foreign entities and nationals to funnel money to influence state ballot measures.
When foreign billionaires bankroll state ballot initiatives, they are not just influencing policy but essentially buying the constitutions of states across the country. In George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address, he cautioned that “foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.” With growing geopolitical threats such as the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, states are wise to ensure the integrity of their elections and guard against the influence of foreign actors that seek to undermine American values and state interests.
The scope of the problem is staggering. According to Americans for Public Trust, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has given nearly $250 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund. As of October 2024, the Sixteen Thirty Fund had poured nearly $37 million into ballot initiatives to change state laws on everything from abortion to elections during the 2023-2024 cycle. Wyss has also funneled millions of dollars into the New Venture Fund, a major financial backer of the left’s new private election funding scheme, the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence.
A recent poll by the Honest Elections Project found that 78% of the public agrees that foreign nationals should not be influencing our elections. While foreign nationals are already prohibited from donating to U.S. political candidates, committees, and super PACs, this prohibition does not apply to ballot measures, creating a gaping loophole that liberal dark money efforts are quick to exploit with foreign funds.
Heritage Action, alongside other groups such as the Honest Elections Project and Americans for Public Trust, has been at the forefront of this battle. In 2024, Heritage Action lobbied to pass HB 1 in Ohio, safeguarding the Buckeye State from direct and indirect foreign funding. Last week, Wyoming became the first state to enact a foreign funding ban this year. Over the past several weeks, we worked to advance similar legislation in Kentucky, Indiana, and Kansas, all of which have gained overwhelming support. Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona, Montana, and Florida also have pending legislation. Recently, we testified in support of House Bill 2106 in Kansas, a state where the Sixteen Thirty Fund spent $1.6 million to defeat a pro-life constitutional amendment in 2022.
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Allowing foreign nationals to influence U.S. elections undermines the voices of voters. Now is the time for states across the country to enact strong protections against foreign funding in their elections.
As we continue to work alongside the millions of grassroots Americans behind Heritage Action, we remain committed to ensuring that our elections are free from foreign manipulation. It’s time to close the loophole and save our constitutional republic from foreign influence.
Catherine Gunsalus is the Director of State Advocacy for Heritage Action for America and is the former Kansas Assistant Secretary of State.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
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