Free Speech For People has demonstrated critical leadership in the fight against foreign influence in our democracy. Here’s a roadmap to some of our key work. I Watch: Videos on Challenging Foreign Influence in Elections II Legislation III Enforcing Federal Campaign Finance Law Against Foreign Political Spending IV Other Advocacy V Resources Watch: Videos on Challenging Foreign Influence in Elections Free Speech For People has researched, drafted, and fought for state and local legislation to fight political spending by foreign-influenced corporations. The Ongoing Campaign to End Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending in U.S. Elections. Constitutionality of Banning Corporate Political Spending by Foreign-Influenced Corporations New York’s Democracy Preservation Act: Explained Corporate Political Spending and Foreign Influence Democracy By The People – A Symposium Legislation Enacted Minnesota (enacted May 2023) Seattle, Washington (enacted January 2020) Currently Pending California (currently pending) Hawaii (currently pending) Massachusetts (currently pending) New York State (currently pending) San Jose, California (passed on first vote, currently pending) Washington State (currently pending) St. Petersburg, Florida (enacted November 2017, preempted by Florida state May 2021) U.S. Congress (seeking reintroduction) Enforcing Federal Campaign Finance Law Against Foreign Political Spending FSFP V. GOVERNMENT OF RUSSIA AND TRUMP CAMPAIGN In December 2016, Free Speech For People, with our partner the Campaign for Accountability, filed the first complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Russian activity in the 2016 presidential election, and potential Trump campaign coordination, violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. By December 2021, five years after the 2016 complaint, the Federal Election Commission had not responded. In response, Free Speech For People and Campaign for Accountability filed a federal lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. READ MORE FSFP V. CITGO AND TRUMP INAUGURAL COMMITEE In April 2017, Free Speech For People filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the oil company Citgo, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company that owns and controls Citgo, and President Trump’s inaugural committee. The complaint alleges that the companies and the inaugural committee violated a federal ban on donations to inaugural committees by foreign nationals. Read More Other Advocacy ADVOCATING FOR DISCLOSURE OF FUNDERS OF INTERNET POLITICAL ADS Free Speech For People joined with Public Citizen to call on the Federal Election Commission to adopt rules requiring political advertisements on Internet media, such as Facebook, to include disclaimers listing their funders, as are already required for ads in other media, following revelations that Internet political advertisements were in some cases paid for by foreign entities in the 2016 presidential election. Comment letter to FEC with Public Citizen (Nov. 1, 2017) Statement after favorable FEC vote to begin rulemaking (Nov. 17, 2017) CONGRESSIONAL ACTION TO PREVENT FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS Free Speech For People joined allied partners to issue a joint letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging congressional action to help prevent foreign interests from intervening in future elections (Feb. 8, 2018) Resources In the News States and localities take on foreign-influenced political spending Reuters, May 30, 2023 Politics Bay Area lawmaker proposes ban on foreign money in state elections CBS, January 12, 2023 Democrats introduce bill to end political spending by foreign-owned corporations The Hill, December 14, 2021 FEC is 'dangerously wrong' to let foreign companies spend in U.S. elections MSNBC, November 11, 2021 Seattle City Council bans ‘foreign-influenced’ companies from most political spending Seattle Times (Jan. 13, 2020) Clean Campaigns Act Unanimously Approved by Seattle City Council The Stranger (Jan. 13, 2020) Public Education The Real Election Fraud Is Foreign Money Influencing U.S. Elections Through Corporations Newsweek Opinion, Robert Reich (May 31, 2022) New York Has a Historic Opportunity to Prohibit Political Spending by Foreign-Influenced U.S. CAP Action, Latrice Walker and Michael Sozan (June 9, 2021) Get foreign corporate cash out of New York politics New York Daily News Opinion, Michael Gianaris and Ron Fein (June 3, 2021) What Seattle Can Teach the Country About Fixing Our Democracy Common Dreams Opinion, Ron Fein and Cindy Black (Oct. 29, 2021) Stop political spending by foreign-influenced U.S. firm The Mercury News Opinion, Michael Sozan (Dec. 15, 2020) Reports Corporations, Foreign Investments, and U.S. Elections Courtney Hostetler, Free Speech For People (February 2023) Full Report: Ending Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending in U.S. Elections Center for American Progress (Nov. 21, 2019) Fact Sheet: Ending Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending in U.S. Elections (Updated May 3, 2022) Quantifying Foreign Institutional Block Ownership at Publicly Traded U.S. Corporations (Free Speech For People Issue Report 2016-01; Harvard Law School John M. Olin Center Discussion Paper No. 888) (Oct. 2016) (also available on SSRN) Legal Support Letter from Commissioner Ellen Weintraub Chair, Federal Election Commission (March 9, 2023) Letter from Free Speech For People Legal Team (March 8, 2023) Letter from Michael Sozan Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress (February 22, 2023)) Letter from Professor John Coates Harvard Law School (April 21, 2022) Letter from Professor Laurence Tribe Harvard Law School (April 21, 2022) Photo by: kropic1 / Shutterstock.com