FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 21, 2025
ETI Strongly Opposes House Bill 958 In Current Form
Arlington, VA – Legislation to strengthen the integrity of North Carolina’s elections is currently being considered by the General Assembly. Sponsored by representatives Hugh Blackwell and Sarah Stevens, H958 awaits further consideration in House committee.
While the bill makes a number of positive improvements, such as banning the Ranked-Choice Voting scheme and establishing secure requirements for overseas ballots (UOCAVA), it inexplicably fails to adequately prohibit funds from being directed to state ballot issue campaigns by foreign nationals.
Under current state and federal law, it is illegal for foreign nationals to donate to political candidates. But state ballot issues have not been addressed, allowing foreign cash to flood North Carolina’s elections.
Since 2014, a liberal special interest organization known as the Sixteen Thirty Fund has exploited this loophole allowing them to funnel at least $130 million into states around the country—including $3.5 million in North Carolina—to buy our elections. Sixteen Thirty Fund credits Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss as a top donor.
Instead of completely closing this loophole, H958 would codify it into law by permitting foreign dollars to be funneled into the state’s ballot issue campaigns under certain circumstances.
National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued the following statement:
“The reality is that while H958 contains some commendable provisions, its section on foreign funding makes it a non-starter. Foreign billionaires and corporations should never be given the ability, under any circumstance, to buy North Carolina’s elections and undermine voters so they can affect changes to the state’s constitution. The legislature shouldn’t be enshrining this loophole into law—but eliminating it once and for all. We urge lawmakers to amend this bill, currently a foreign interference non-ban, and replace it with a legitimate ban voters deserve.”
A growing movement of states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wyoming, have adequately banned foreign funding from state ballot measures since 2024.
The foreign funding section contained within H958 currently lacks at least 4 critical priorities to be effective:
- Must ban direct and indirect contributions from foreign nationals
- Must ban the spending, including independent expenditures, of funds tied to foreign nationals
- Must ensure independent investigatory power by the State Board of Elections
- Must at minimum impose a Class 1 misdemeanor offense and civil liability for a person who violates the bill’s requirements
Importantly, foreign interests have bankrolled state ballot issue campaigns not only to effectuate policy outcomes, but also to increase voter turnout for liberal special interest candidates appearing on the same ballot.
“State ballot issue campaigns, while an important part of the democratic process, also allow citizens to sidestep the legislative process and place important policy issues directly on the ballot, while also driving voter turnout to impact concurrent, contested elections,” writes Americans for Public Trust. “Sixteen Thirty Fund has used this foreign-backed money to influence state and local policy on a variety of issues…”
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between the American Principles Project (APP) and Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, was organized to combat federal H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 legislation and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
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