Pennsylvanians Rally Against Foreign Influence In Their State Elections

Pro-democracy groups are calling on state Senate leaders to advance a bill that would ban foreign-influenced corporations from spending in politics.

By David Moore, Sludge

Activists from the nonpartisan pro-democracy group MarchOnHarrisburg said that Pennsylvania Senate President Kim Ward was refusing to meet with them to discuss one of their legislative priorities, a bill to ban spending by foreign-influenced corporations in politics, so last week they marched to the state capitol to demand a meeting with her.

The activists walked from Lancaster to Harrisburg, a 35-mile trek, and held a rally at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, where they were joined by allies like the Pennsylvania Poor People’s Campaign. After the rally, the activists walked to the office of Sen. Ward, a Republican, and were allowed in, for what they called a productive meeting with the senator’s staffers.

The bill they were there to promote, HB 2433, would ban spending by foreign-influenced corporations in state politics. Supporters of the measure say it would close a loophole that can be used by foreign interests to influence Pennsylvania’s elections. The bill was passed by the Pennsylvania House on July 1 in a bipartisan 126-76 vote, with the support of 24 Republicans, but it has not been called up for a vote in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a 28-22 seat majority over Democrats.

HB 2433 would ban foreign-influenced corporations from making expenditures to defeat or support candidates, ballot measures, or nominations, as well as from donating to political parties. It also prohibits them from making a donation to any person “with the express or implied condition” that the money would be used for any of the purposes prohibited by the bill. The bill defines foreign-influenced corporations as those where a single foreign investor owns or controls 1% or more of equity, multiple foreign investors collectively own or control 5% or more of equity, or where any foreign investor participates directly or indirectly in the corporations’ decision-making over U.S. political activities.

Rabbi Michael Pollack, executive director of MarchOnHarrisburg (MoH), told Sludge before setting out on the march, “We expect Senate President Kim Ward to do the right thing and combat foreign interference in our elections through unlimited multinational corporate spending and pass House Bill 2433. The bill already passed through the House in a bipartisan vote, and it’s the Senate’s turn to act.