US Code clearly prohibits foreign money in US elections. Citizens United v FEC opened our elections to foreign money and influence through foreign investors who now hold over 40% of all shares in US corporations. The result has been precisely what our founders feared.
We need your help to pass AB 83: The Get Foreign Money Out of California Elections Act
This bill became law in Minnesota on May 5th, 2023, when Governor Tim Walz signed the Democracy for the People Act.
The Minnesota Legislature voted to #CloseTheLoophole Citizens United created for giant U.S. multinational corporations with billions in investments from foreign governments and foreign businesses from spending any money in Minnesota elections!!
It is estimated that under the provisions of this model legislation 98% of the S&P 500 US corporations will qualify as "foreign influenced" and will be unable to spend a penny in Minnesota.
California should be more like Minnesota!!!
CALL YOUR CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMEMBER AND SENATOR TO ASK THEM TO SIGN ON AS A CO-AUTHOR OF AB83 - THE GET FOREIGN MONEY OUT OF CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS ACT
- Sign the Petition
- Read the Author's Fact Sheet about AB 83
- Read the MOVI Fact Sheet about AB 83
- Read the MOVI Talking Points about AB 83
- See the Sample Organizational Support Letter
- Read the Free Speech For People memo
- Read US Election Law
- Written Testimony from Federal Election Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub for AB 1819 (previous bill)
- Written Testimony from Laurence H. Tribe (Harvard Law School) for AB 1819 (previous bill)
- Written Testimony from John C. Coates IV (Harvard Law School) for AB 1819 (previous bill)
- Rep. Raskin's Letter to the SEC about his federal version of this bill HR 6283
If you are a small business owner, sign our petition page or fill out this form and get it back to us.
Want to know more about AB 83? Click here to request a speaker from MOVI at your organization's next online meeting.
Robert Reich explains the problem of foreign influence in our elections
Endorsers
- Free Speech For People (co-sponsor)
- Center for American Progress (co-sponsor)
- American Promise
- DailyKos
- Democratic Policy Network
- End Citizens United//Let America Vote Action Fund
- Forward Blue
- Friends of the Earth
- Future Coalition
- March On
- Our Revolution
- People For The American Way (PFAW)
- Public Citizen
- RepresentUS
- The SIX PAC
- Stamp Stampede
- Voices For Progress
STATE
- Money Out Voters In (MOVI) (co-sponsor)
- California Democratic Party
- Indivisible CA: StateStrong (priority bill)
- American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- California Alliance For Retired Americans
- California Climate Voters
- California Environmental Voters (Formerly CLCV)
- California Federation of Teachers - AFL-CIO
- Council On American-Islamic Relations, California
- Courage California
- Election Integrity Project® California
- Fix Democracy First
- Indivisible CA Green Team
- League Of Women Voters Of California
- Move To Amend - California Affiliate
- Peace and Freedom Party
- Progressive Democrats of America - CA (PDA-CA)
- Working Partnerships USA
LOCAL
- 350 Bay Area Action
- 350 Conejo / San Fernando Valley
- 350 South Bay LA
- 350 Southland Legislative Alliance
- 350 Ventura County Climate Hub
- Active SGV
- All Rise Alameda
- Ballona Wetlands Institute
- Ban SUP (Single Use Plastic)
- Building The Base Face To Face
- Change Begins With Me (Indivisible)
- Chino Valley Democratic Club
- Climate Alliance of Santa Cruz County
- Cloverdale Indivisible
- Coastal Lands Action Network (CLAN)
- Contra Costa MoveOn
- Culver City Democratic Club
- Defend Ballona Wetlands
- Defending Our Future: Indivisible In CA
- East Valley Indivisibles
- El Cerrito Progressives
- Feminists In Action (Formerly Indivisible CA 34 Womens)
- Feminists in Action, Los Angeles
- Hillcrest Indivisible
- Hollywood NOW
- Indi Squared
- Indian Valley Indivisible
- Indivisible East Bay
- Indivisible 30/Keep Sherman Accountable
- Indivisible 36
- Indivisible 41
- Indivisible Auburn CA
- Indivisible Beach Cities
- Indivisible CA-3
- Indivisible CA-7
- Indivisible CA-25 Simi Valley Porter Ranch
- Indivisible CA 29
- Indivisible CA 37
- Indivisible CA-39
- Indivisible CA-43
- Indivisible California Green Team
- Indivisible Claremont / Inland Valley
- Indivisible Colusa County
- Indivisible El Dorado Hills
- Indivisible Elmwood
- Indivisible Euclid
- Indivisible Lorin
- Indivisible Los Angeles
- Indivisible Los Gatos
- Indivisible Manteca
- Indivisible Marin
- Indivisible Media City Burbank
- Indivisible Mendocino
- Indivisible Normal Heights
- Indivisible North Oakland Resistance
- Indivisible North San Diego County
- Indivisible OC 46
- Indivisible OC 48
- Indivisible Peninsula and CA-14
- Indivisible Petaluma
- Indivisible Ross Valley
- Indivisible Sacramento
- Indivisible San Bernardino
- Indivisible San Diego Central
- Indivisible San José
- Indivisible San Pedro
- Indivisible Santa Barbara
- Indivisible Santa Cruz County
- Indivisible Sausalito
- Indivisible Sebastopol
- Indivisible SF
- Indivisible Sherman Oaks
- Indivisible Sonoma County
- Indivisible South Bay LA
- Indivisible Stanislaus
- Indivisible Suffragists
- Indivisible Ventura
- Indivisible West LA
- Indivisible West Side LA
- Indivisible Windsor
- LA Democracy Vouchers
- LAX-Area Democratic Club
- Livermore Indivisible
- Long Beach Environmental Alliance
- Long Beach Grey Panthers
- Los Angeles County Democratic Party
- Mill Valley Community Action Network
- Mountain Progressives
- NorCal Solar
- Northern California Recycling Association
- Nothing Rhymes With Orange
- Orchard City Indivisible
- Orinda Progressive Action Alliance
- Our Revolution Long Beach
- Pink Panthers
- Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Resistance Northridge-Indivisible
- Riseup
- Rooted in Resistance
- San Diego Indivisible Downtown
- San Joaquin Valley Democratic Club
- Santa Monica Democratic Club
- SFV Indivisible
- Socal 350
- Tehama Indivisible
- Together We Will Contra Costa
- Urban Ecology Project
- Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible
- Valley Women's Club Of San Lorenzo Valley
- Venice Resistance
- West LA Democratic Club
- Westchester-Playa Democratic Club
- Women's Alliance Los Angeles
- Yalla Indivisible
- Yolo Indivisible
52 U.S. Code § 30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals
(a) Prohibition It shall be unlawful for—
(1) a foreign national directly or indirectly, to make—
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election:
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title): or
(2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.
"The notion that Congress might lack the authority to distinguish foreigners from citizens in the regulation of electioneering would certainly have surprised the Framers, whose obsession with foreign influence derived from a fear that foreign powers and individuals had no basic investment in the well-being of the country." - Justice John Paul Stevens in dissent, Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (2010).
Here is a great article from the Center for American Progress on why it is important to end foreign influence corporate spending in U.S. elections.
For more information about other states and municipalities working to get foreign money out of our elections visit the Free Speech For People page "Challenging Foreign Influence In Elections."
WATCH LAST YEAR'S VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Featuring:
- California Assembly Member Alex Lee (author of AB 83)
- Congressman Jamie Raskin (author of HR 6283)
- Free Speech For People's President John Bonifaz
- Former Seattle City Council President Lorena Gonzalez
- San Jose City Council Member David Cohen (San Jose Motion Author)
- MOVI's Michele Sutter
