New polling from Honest Elections Project Action shows that Floridians widely support passage of legislation to ban the foreign funding of ballot issue campaigns. The poll’s findings can be found below and in a polling memo linked here:
- 82% believe foreign nationals should be banned from donating to ballot issue campaigns in Florida.
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- 85% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 78% of Democrats agree that foreign nationals should be banned from contributing.
- 89% think Florida lawmakers should prioritize closing the foreign funding loophole.
- 76% say they would be less likely to vote for a ballot issue if they knew its campaign was funded by a foreign national.
Jason Snead, Executive Director of Honest Elections Project Action, released the following statement:
“The threat of foreign funding in ballot issue campaigns is real, particularly in Florida. States across the country are taking action to close the foreign influence loophole, and it’s clear Florida voters believe they should as well.”
Background
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, through his prolific giving to the Sixteen Thirty Fund – a liberal, D.C. based dark money group – has had a profound impact on Florida politics. Just last year, flush with Wyss’s foreign cash, the Sixteen Thirty Fund shelled out $14 million to a Florida ballot initiative campaign. Florida ranks near the top of Sixteen Thirty Fund’s spending total when it comes to ballot issue campaigns.
While foreign nationals are barred from contributing directly or indirectly to politicians’ campaigns and Super PACs, no such ban exists for ballot issue campaigns, which is why states across the country are taking action to close the foreign funding loophole.
Methodology
The poll was conducted March 9-11, 2025, among 800 likely voters in Florida, half via phone and half online. Sampling controls were used to ensure that a proportional and representative number of respondents were interviewed from such demographic groups as age, gender, race, and geographic region. ±3.46% overall margin of error at the 95% confidence interval for the overall survey.
A link to the full toplines of the poll can be found here.