(The Center Square) – Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to keep foreign money out of statewide constitutional amendments and other referendum topics.
Both legislative Democrats and Republicans have similar bills that, in response to a Federal Election Commission enforcement decision that candidates cannot accept contributions from foreign nationals but referendum committees can, would outlaw the process in the state.
But the Republican version, Assembly Bill 906, goes further and requires a referendum to get written affirmation that the donor is not a foreign national and that the donating committee has not “intentionally accepted funds aggregating in excess of $100,000 from one or more foreign nationals during the four-year period immediately preceding the date of the contribution.”
The Republican version also requires that the referendum committee confirms that its preliminary activity was not funded directly or indirectly by a foreign national.
“That decision sent a clear message nationwide: unless a state acts, foreign nationals may be able to legally spend money to influence ballot measures, even when those measures directly shape state policy,” Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, wrote in testimony on the bill. “That gap creates a real vulnerability for Wisconsin, especially as we approach the 2026 election cycle, when voters are expected to consider multiple constitutional amendment proposals.”
Both bills received a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections this week.
“This is not about changing policy outcomes or favoring one side of an issue,” wrote Rep. Clinton Anderson, D-Beloit. “It is about ensuring that decisions made directly by Wisconsin voters are influenced only by the people who live here and are affected by those outcomes. Closing this loophole helps protect the integrity of our elections and reinforces public confidence in the referendum process.”
Wisconsin legislators have pushed constitutional amendments related to partial vetoes from the governor, rulemaking, preferential treatment and closing gatherings of worship during declared emergencies.
