If money talks for a favorable business climate then wealthy liberals across the ocean will donate or contribute. Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss is one. He spent $243 million toward “remaking the American Constitution in the light of progressive politics.” Several states are working to keep foreign money from affecting ballot issues. The Sixteen Thirty Fund has funneled over $1 billion to liberal causes.
States can be nimble enough
To catch this. As of October, that non profit Sixteen Thirty Fund has also put over $37 million into state ballot initiatives. Wyss has been a large part of that funding.
Curiously, he has “never felt the need to become an American” but he wants to influence how the United States works. Keeping that money away might be easier said than done.
First of the states
To do something on this was Ohio. In June it banned both direct and indirect foreign funding going toward state ballot items. At least eight other states have joined this fight since then.
The Mississippi Senate and Kentucky and Wyoming Houses have just passed legislation to keep this money out. The Indiana and Kansas Houses joined forces with similar legislation. Utah has voted to advance this legislation and similar bills have been introduced in both Tennessee and Missouri.
Federal lawmakers are watching
In December the House committee that works on federal elections held a hearing on loopholes that allow these contributions. Americans for Public Trust found the Sixteen Thirty Fund contributed to ballot initiatives in several swing states this past election.
It gave Arizona $1.25 million to enshrine abortion into their state constitution. Nevada approved a similar abortion initiative in which the Fund contributed a half million to. Democrats thought boosting the abortion initiatives would help Democrat turnout in those states. The Fund helped ballot initiatives in Ohio, Florida, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, and Alaska, spending nearly $130 million in 25 states since 2014.
