While Ohioans did not head to the polls for state-wide elections in 2025, there has been a massive electoral development thanks to a court victory from Secretary of State Frank LaRose over a state law banning foreign contributions for ballot-measure campaigns.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on an injunction, with LaRose’s office claiming the lawsuit was “brought by liberal activists and their dark-money funded national legal team,” on Oct. 8, 2024. Over a year later, on Nov. 13, that lawsuit was finally dropped. The litigation stems from a legal challenge to a law signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in June 2024 that prevented foreign donations to ballot initiative campaigns.
“The litigation is over, and Ohioans can now be certain that foreign money won’t be used to hijack our state constitution again. With at least six potential ballot issues on the horizon for 2026, this clarity and protection couldn’t come at a better time,” LaRose shared in a statement.
The Ohio secretary of state also spoke out against dark money influence in the state’s elections.
“For nearly two years, I’ve sounded the alarm about a loophole that allowed foreign money to bankroll statewide ballot campaigns,” LaRose continued. “The General Assembly acted quickly to stop it, and, almost immediately, activist groups sued to keep their foreign dollars flowing. They failed, and Ohio’s ban on foreign dark money has been rightfully upheld. I want to thank my legal team and the attorney general’s office for their work in successfully defending this important law.”
LaRose’s effort to make sure foreign money stays out of campaigns for Ohio ballot initiatives started in January 2024, when the secretary of state called on the state Legislature to “close a ‘foreign influence’ loophole in state campaign finance law.” Top of mind for LaRose were concerns about the previous year’s ballot measures and the foreign influence involved. Ohio voters in 2023 approved initiatives dealing with abortion access and recreational marijuana legalization.
DeWine, the Republican governor, called a special session in May 2024 to address both the ballot fix and the issue of foreign influence, also later emphasizing that to get such financial contributions out was “the right thing to do.” He signed that bill, House Bill 1, into law on June 2, 2024.
The law was quickly challenged in court and resulted in U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson, a President George W. Bush appointee, ordering a stay on the law over concerns that the law violated the First Amendment rights of non-U.S. citizens living in the country legally, even though Ohio had already banned foreign donations to candidates or candidate committees. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals stepped in and, at Ohio’s request, issued a stay on the injunction in October 2024 while litigation continued, allowing the ban to remain in effect.
If 2023 seemed like a busy year for ballot initiatives, 2026 is expected to be even busier, calling to mind LaRose’s statement about how “this clarity and protection couldn’t come at a better time.”
LaRose had similarly spoken about the amount of ballot initiatives as well as warned about the influence of “[d]ark-money special-interest groups” when speaking about his vote to approve new congressional maps for 2026 as part of Ohio’s redistricting effort. Had such an agreement not come to be on new maps, Democrats and those “special-interest groups” could have challenged the maps via a referendum.
This is not the only election issue to watch for in the Buckeye State. Ohio lawmakers are once more looking to get through a bill to make permanent a specialized election crime investigation unit. Although it passed the Legislature, it faced a veto from DeWine. In 2022, LaRose created a temporary election crime investigation unit, with other states such as Florida, Arkansas, and Texas looking to secure their elections.
Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal by Rebecca Downs.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
I am from NC I totally agree with your leaders no one should be able to vote in election if they are not a American citizen .
A good victory for Ohio conservatives, but the liberals are diabolical. They’ll find a new way to resume their dark-money campaign funding.
Hooray if all Red States can enact
Never should have been legal for a state official nominee to have a foreign country donate to their campaign. Another one of the many ways the radical liberals are affecting our elections on all levels. Good for Ohio!!!
Now, if they could stop China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, et alia from giving money to colleges to BUY favorable coverage and spying!
Here again you see the democrats at work. To allow foreign millionaires and billionaires to rule our country by supporting ballot measures and candidates. Biden let in anyone and the billionaires are supporting some of them. Like the Iranians, Syrians and Hamas, Houthis and Venezuelans gang members funneling that money to ballot proposals and communist, progressive candidates the democrats put up. All these illegals are here with support of these billionaires in the Arab countries. Including China.
We know the democrats lie and when they are tripped up about the lie they deny it by saying, well they didn’t actually say that I just alluded. Yes Jasmine we know what you do and or did. All your evil colleagues do the same. So happy to see the voters in Texas are seeing through the brainwashing of the left. Wake up everyone it is happening everywhere. More and more taxes and for what. Putting up a park? For whom? The poor that work 3 jobs? Have no time to go there but are forced to pay for it.
I Actually seriously laughed out loud when he said that Ohioans won’t have to worry about international money coming into our campaigns again. Come on now, we all know Democrats cheat in every single way they can. They’ll just funnel the money into an offshore account. Have it picked up by some local Ohio one and then send it to Blue whatever it is and cheat that way. You cannot stop there cheating unless you throw their ugly communist butts in jail.
We almost have an argument for national election standards. There are too many bad actors to think each state will do the right thing. Mail-in ballots, voter ID, outside influence, requisites for holding office, and so on. At least with national standard there is basically one fight!
bravo Ohio!
Thank you for stepping up and doing your job. People of Ohio thank you.
Make no mistake about it, Governor dewine is a rino
You think the Democrats will stop pushing foreign money into Ohio? Not a chance. They’ll filter it thru a series of NGOs and charitable organizations and in the end it will all appear as if it’s coming from well meaning Ohio residents.
I had read a report years ago the obummer campaign was not requiring the three digit security code on their credit card donations which would have shown the donation was OK and not foreign, according to my friend who worked for TD Bank in computer fraud.
Islamic dollars are the greatest threat to our elections now
GOOD MAN! GOD BLESS OHIO!