Ohio Senate OKs ban on non-US citizens giving to ballot issues. Dems call it sore loser bill

Ohio Senate Republicans want to ban foreign citizens from donating to ballot campaigns after a progressive dark money group dumped millions into recent statewide issues.

Senate Bill 215, which passed the Ohio Senate in a 25-7 vote along party lines Wednesday, would ban non-U.S. citizens from contributing to ballot campaigns. Federal and state law already prohibits them from giving to candidates.

"We want to shut that door and stop foreign interference in all our elections," said Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, contending that countries like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran could influence Ohio campaigns if the bill isn't passed.

Ballot campaigns that accept money from foreign citizens could face a fine of three times the donation or $10,000, whichever is greater. Committees would have to certify that they were following these rules.

The bill is aimed at the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a progressive dark money group that donated to three recent Ohio campaigns: the August 2023 issue to block an effort to make it harder to amend the state constitution, the November 2023 issue to protect abortion access and a change to how the state draws congressional and statehouse districts. The redistricting issue could be on the ballot this fall.

“This is just politicians being politicians: They deflect and distract because they can’t defend their indefensible habit of rigging district maps that keep them in cozy districts,” said Chris Davey, spokesman for Citizens Not Politicians, which seeks to create a citizen redistricting commission. “We'll stay focused on building our bipartisan coalition to outlaw gerrymandering in Ohio."

Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has donated $208 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund since 2016, according to the Associated Press.

"This really seems like a sore loser bill," said Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, adding that it would have a chilling effect on future ballot initiatives.

The bill would also require those working on a ballot campaign to register as a political action committee. That is standard practice for statewide campaigns but could be cumbersome for hyper-local efforts like liquor options, said Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus.

DeMora proposed eliminating that requirement and adding $500,000 for the Ohio Elections Commission to enforce the new foreign contributions ban. But Republicans rejected those ideas and the bill passed committee along party lines.

"It actually hurts unions and other grassroots citizens groups,” said DeMora, calling the bill "overreaching" and harmful to the democratic process.

Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, called DeMora's concerns hyperbolic. "Are we against foreign money in elections or not?" he asked.

The bill comes after ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a pay-to-play scheme involving dark money groups fueled by Akron-based FirstEnergy and other energy companies. Because these donors were American companies, Senate Bill 215's reforms wouldn't apply. No campaign finance ethics reforms have passed since Householder's arrest in mid-2020.

The Ohio House of Representatives must review Senate Bill 215 before it could go to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.

On Wednesday, the Ohio Senate also passed:

• House Bill 27, which includes $600 million for school building projects, $575 million for public works projects, $196 million for the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair and $38 million for an adoption grant program over two years. The underlying bill, passed 30-2, would require universities and colleges to provide newly admitted students with a list of expected expenses and what they might expect to earn. The House would need to approve the changes. The House would need to approve the changes. But Speaker Jason Stephens said Wednesday that the Senate should take up the House-passed spending bill instead.

• Senate Bill 148, which would prevent credit card companies from tracking legal gun purchases. The Ohio Senate passed the bill, 25-7. The House would need to approve the proposed legislation.

• Senate Bill 17, which would require high school students to learn the principles of capitalism in their financial literacy classes. The bill, which passed unanimously, heads to DeWine for his signature.

• A resolution urging Congress to pass legislation requiring all rail cars carrying solid waste to be secured to prevent littering.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Senate votes to ban noncitizens from donating to ballot issues