FEC rules foreigners can donate to US ballot initiatives, report says

The Federal Election Commission has ruled that foreigners – whether people, governments, or corporations – can make donations to ballot initiatives in states that don’t otherwise outlaw the practice, according to a Tuesday report.

The 4-2 decision was made in July but has not yet been made public, according to Axios, which was the first outlet to report on the decision.

After its publication, FEC Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub said Tuesday she had voted against the agency’s decision to allow foreign influence on ballots.

"I voted to protect our nation’s ballot initiatives from foreign influence, but my view did not prevail," Weintraub wrote on Twitter. "Ballot initiatives can reach deeply into the laws of a state or locality and directly rewrite both statutes and constitutions.

"They are vulnerable to manipulation and are deserving of no less protection from foreign influence than are our candidate elections."

She said she would issue a... (Read more)

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