COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 31,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Americans for
Public Trust (APT) and Honest Elections
Project (HEP) filed a joint amicus brief supporting the state
of Ohio in its defense of H.B. 1 –
legislation banning direct and indirect foreign contributions to
state ballot issue campaigns, which was passed and signed into law
in June. The bill was almost immediately hit with a lawsuit by
left-wing election attorney Marc
Elias.
Click here to read the full amicus brief, which was filed today
in the United State District Court for the Southern District of
Ohio Eastern Division.
Americans for Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland and Honest Elections Project
Executive Director Jason Snead
released the following statement:
"American elections should be decided by Americans, not
foreign billionaires like Hansjörg Wyss. Foreign nationals are
prohibited from giving to candidates and Super PACs. Why should
ballot issue campaigns be any different?
"The majority of Ohioans, and most Americans, do not want
foreign meddling in their elections and believe common sense
guardrails must be put in place to prevent it. Eight other states,
including several that are currently governed by Democrats, have
similar bans on foreign donations.
"At the end of the day, Marc
Elias wants to overturn this law because he doesn't want
state legislatures to turn off his endless spigot of foreign cash.
Unfortunately for him, H.B. 1 is a common sense, popular measure
that has sound basis in law. It's our hope that the court will deny
an injunction so H.B. 1 remains in effect for the November
election."
Background:
- Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss
has given the progressive dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund
$243 million since its
inception.
- In turn, Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent nearly $100 million on ballot issues across the country
in the past 10 years, including nearly $15
million in Ohio, the second
most of any state.
- Click here to read APT's report on foreign influence on state
ballot issue campaigns.
- HEP polling shows that 85% of Ohioans believe foreign nationals
shouldn't be allowed to influence elections, and 68% said they
would support a ban on indirect foreign influence on
elections.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/watchdog-and-election-integrity-groups-file-amicus-brief-supporting-ohio-ban-on-foreign-contributions-to-state-ballot-issue-campaigns-302210999.html
SOURCE Americans for Public Trust