(The Center Square) – A new poll by Honest Elections Project Action found that 82% of Florida voters want foreign contributions toward ballot initiatives to stop.
The nonprofit surveyed 800 likely voters in the Sunshine State on March 9-11, with half of those on phone and the other online and a margin of error of 3.46%.
While state law bans campaign contributions for candidates running for office, there is no prohibition on them providing money for ballot initiatives.
Honest Elections Project Action cited an example of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a progressive group funded by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss that it says has spent $130 million in offshore funds in 26 states, with more than $18.4 million spent on Amendment 3.
“The threat of foreign funding in ballot issue campaigns is real, particularly in Florida,” Jason Snead, the executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, told The Center Square. “States across the country are taking action to close the foreign influence loophole, and it’s clear Florida voters believe they should as well.”
A ban on foreign participation in ballot initiatives crosses party lines. Agreement on a moratorium includes 85% of Republicans, 83% of independents, and 78% of Democrats.
Not surprisingly, the poll says 76% of Floridians would be less likely to vote for a ballot initiative if it was supported by overseas cash.
More than half (51%) of respondents said they were concerned that foreign adversaries such as China and Russia could exploit the loophole and amend Florida’s constitution.
“Just like everywhere across the country, the idea of closing the foreign influence loophole is incredibly popular in Florida,” Americans for Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told The Center Square. “This isn’t hypothetical: Foreign-backed money flowed to a major ballot measure campaign in Florida just last year. Sunshine State legislators should move quickly to close this foreign influence loophole, as have many other states across the country.”
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on lawmakers to reform the state’s ballot initiative process after two political organizations raised hundreds of millions for their causes.
There are several bills in the process aiming to reform the state’s ballot initiative process.
Two of those measures, House Bill 1381 and Senate Bill 1414 sponsored respectively by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, would close the foreign contribution loophole for ballot initiatives among other changes.
Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent to support two unsuccessful ballot measures that would have enshrined recreational marijuana and abortion rights into the state’s constitution.
As previously reported, Safe & Smart Florida raised $153 million for Amendment 3, most of it (nearly $145 million) coming from cannabis retailer Trulieve, according to data from the secretary of state’s office.
Floridians Protecting Freedom put Amendment 4 on the ballot and the group received $108 million in contributions, according to state data, with most of those funds coming from the Service Employees International Union and the American Civil Liberties Union.
