(The Center Square) – Trying to combat instances like that of a Swiss billionaire influencing American policy on ballots, a digital ad campaign was launched Tuesday seeking to unite Georgia senators on a bill overwhelmingly approved in the House of Representatives.
House Bill 963, passed 140-24 on March 4, would “prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to or participating in any campaign to bring about the approval or rejection by the voters of any proposed question which appears on the ballot.” Honest Elections Project Action, led by Executive Director Jason Snead, says the measure closes a loophole in the state statutes.
“Ballot issue campaigns across the country have received millions of foreign-tied dollars, leaving local elections vulnerable,” Snead said. “Georgians deserve to have elections free of foreign influence. Honest Elections Project Action urges the Georgia Senate to pass HB963, ensuring elections remain in the hands of the people of Georgia and free of foreign involvement.”
Snead and his organization, supporters in January of the Make Elections Great Again Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, note the influence of Hansjörg Wyss. His $300 million given to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a noted liberal cause, led to $130 million distributed into ballot issue campaigns nationwide, Snead said.
Foreigners cannot contribute to candidates or political action committees. Ballot issues are different. Honest Elections Project Action says nine states have enacted legislation to ban such direct and indirect funding.
In October, Alabama law will be enacted to prohibit direct or indirect contributions for state or local candidates, noncandidate elections, and ballot measure campaigns. In 2025, legislation was enacted to prohibit foreign entities from supporting or opposing ballot measures in Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee and Wyoming.
In 2024, Ohio put such a law in place for candidates of elective office or statewide certified or potential ballot measures.
On social media Tuesday, Snead wrote, “It’s time for Georgia lawmakers to close a critical loophole that allows foreign nationals to launder millions into state elections. I urge the Georgia Senate to pass HB963, to ensure that their ballot measures remain in the hands of Georgians and free of foreign interference.”
Honest Elections Project Action bills itself as nonpartisan “devoted to supporting the right of every lawful voter to participate in free and honest elections.”