Free Speech For People has been at the forefront in the fight to end foreign-influenced corporate campaign spending, researching, drafting, and advocating for legislation on all levels of government. We helped to successfully pass laws in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017, and in Seattle, Washington in 2020. Seven states (Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon) are considering similar bans, and Free Speech For People is working in partnership with the Center for American Progress to pass these vital bills and to advance this model legislation at the federal level.

Across the country, companies with partial foreign ownership, like Amazon, have used their money to influence the outcome of elections and political agendas in their favor. Citizens United created a loophole for foreign interests to acquire stakes in U.S. corporations and then use that leverage to influence or control the corporation’s political activity, including campaign contributions, contributions to super PACs, and independent expenditures.

“Corporations that are ultimately deriving their money [from] and being run in the interests of foreign investors relegate the views of ordinary citizens to pawns in the larger battle between corporate interests,” says Free Speech For People Legal Director Ron Fein.

Free Speech For People President John Bonifaz adds, “[Curbing foreign-influenced corporate spending in our elections] is a critical way for the American people to fight back and reclaim our democracy.”

Learn more about our efforts to challenge foreign influence in elections here.