LaRose takes new legal action to defend Ohio’s ban on foreign funding of campaigns
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Tuesday he and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost have filed a motion to stay a federal court ruling on Ohio’s law banning foreign funding of statewide ballot campaigns.
“The judge indicated that most of the law is constitutionally enforceable, but he disagreed with applying the restriction to lawful permanent residents,” said LaRose. “We’re asking for the court to either stay the entire decision while the case is appealed or for the authority to at least enforce what the court considers to be the constitutional portions of the law.”
LaRose added that Ohio has had longstanding prohibitions on foreign nationals contributing to candidates and candidate committees. Two years ago, Ohio voters overwhelmingly expanded the state’s citizenship requirement by limiting voter registration and voting only to citizens of the United States who are lawfully eligible residents of Ohio.
In May, the Ohio General Assembly passed a new law at the request of Governor Mike DeWine that bans foreign contributions to statewide ballot issue campaigns, such as proposed constitutional amendments or initiated statutes. A federal court enjoined that law on Saturday evening, prompting LaRose and Yost to pursue this latest legal action.
“The people of Ohio have made it clear that our elections are only for citizens,” LaRose said. “We’re especially not going to let foreign billionaires try to buy our constitution. It happened in two constitutional amendments on the ballot last year, and we’re seeing clear evidence that it’s happening again with another amendment on this November’s ballot.”
In addition to asking the district court to stay its decision, Secretary LaRose and Attorney General Yost filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which covers Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
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