Federal Bill Bans Foreign Money from Local Ballot Measures, Protecting State and City Votes

The Protecting Ballot Measures From Foreign Influence Act of 2025 is short, but it hits a crucial part of our political system: local votes. Essentially, this bill takes the existing ban on foreign nationals donating to federal elections and explicitly extends it to state and local ballot initiatives and referendums. Starting the day this becomes law, foreign money is officially shut out of funding campaigns for everything from local school bonds to state constitutional amendments.

Keeping Local Votes Local

For years, federal law (specifically the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971) has said that foreign nationals can’t contribute money to influence federal races—think presidential, Senate, or House campaigns. This new bill, found in Section 2, clarifies that this ban also applies when citizens vote directly on policy, like when your state votes on legalizing cannabis or funding a new transit line.

Why does this matter? Ballot initiatives are often where the rubber meets the road on issues that directly affect your wallet and daily life. If a foreign entity wanted to influence a state’s energy policy—say, by funding a massive campaign to push a specific measure—this bill slams the door shut. It’s about ensuring that the debates and outcomes on local issues are decided by domestic interests, not external ones.

The Real-World Impact: Who Pays for the Ads?

Imagine you live in a state where a measure is proposed to raise the minimum wage or change property tax rules. These campaigns cost millions, mostly spent on TV ads, mailers, and digital outreach. Under current law, there was a gray area regarding whether foreign nationals could fund the groups pushing these measures. This bill removes the ambiguity, making it illegal for foreign money to be injected into these local campaigns.

For the average person, this means that when you see an ad for or against a local proposition, the funding behind it is legally required to be domestic. The goal is to safeguard the integrity of these direct democracy tools. While the bill is clear and straightforward—it bans contributions and donations—the practical challenge remains tracing the money. Domestic groups might still try to act as conduits for foreign funds, which regulators will need to be vigilant about. However, by explicitly making this illegal, the bill gives enforcement agencies a much stronger legal tool to prosecute such attempts, protecting local policy from being bought by interests outside the country.