Wyoming has joined nine other states in prohibiting foreign nationals from contributing to ballot measure campaigns, Ballotpedia News reports.
On March 6, Gov. Mark Gordon signed House Bill 337 (HB 337) into law, banning both direct and indirect foreign contributions to committees supporting or opposing ballot measures.
The bill passed with broad bipartisan support in the Wyoming State Legislature. However, two lawmakers—Rep. Bob Nicholas (R-7) and Rep. Liz Storer (D-23)—voted against it.
HB 337 defines foreign nationals using the criteria established in federal law (52 U.S.C. § 30121(b)). This includes foreign governments, political parties, corporations, associations, and individuals but does not apply to non-citizen US nationals, such as those born in American Samoa. Most states with similar bans follow this definition, though some, like Maine and South Dakota, restrict only foreign governments while allowing individual contributions.
In addition to direct contributions, the law prohibits foreign nationals from indirectly funding ballot measure campaigns by routing money through other organizations or individuals.
Before Wyoming’s HB 337, Ohio was the most recent state to enact such a ban. In 2024, Ohio lawmakers passed House Bill 1, which restricted both direct and indirect foreign contributions to ballot measure committees. Supporters of Ohio’s legislation cited examples like Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss citizen and legal permanent resident of Wyoming, who donated to organizations that later contributed millions to ballot measure campaigns on issues such as abortion, minimum wage, ranked-choice voting, and redistricting.
Wyoming is now the 10th state with such restrictions, joining California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Washington.
At the federal level, foreign nationals are already banned from contributing to candidate campaigns under the Federal Elections Campaign Act (FECA). However, the US Supreme Court has ruled that ballot measure campaigns are considered issue advocacy, not candidate elections, and are therefore not subject to the same federal restrictions. In First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (1978), the court affirmed that spending on ballot measure campaigns is comparable to lobbying and falls under free speech protections.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has followed these rulings, allowing foreign individuals, corporations, and governments to contribute to ballot measure campaigns. However, states have increasingly enacted their own restrictions to close this gap.
As of March 7, Ballotpedia’s Election Administration Legislation Tracker is monitoring 52 bills related to foreign contributions and campaign finance across the country.
