Georgia legislature passes bill aimed at limiting foreign influence in elections – Washington Examiner

Lawmakers in Georgia passed legislation aimed at limiting foreign influence in elections in the Peach State, where it awaits Gov. Brian Kemp‘s (R-GA) approval.

The bill, Senate Bill 368, passed unanimously in the state Senate last month and passed 161-2 in the state House on Thursday. Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from donating to political campaigns, and this legislation also bars foreign nationals from making donations to political candidates, campaigns, and committees in Georgia.

The legislation also requires citizens acting as representatives of foreign entities, with respect to donating to political campaigns and committees, to register with the Georgia State Ethics Commission. Advocates of the bill, including Republican state Rep. Matt Reeves, said it will reduce the influence of outside foreign actors.

“What we want to do is make sure that the ballot box in Georgia is sacred and it is there for citizens and it is not cheapened by foreign influence and money on our elections,” Reeves told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger championed the legislation and called it a “commonsense measure to safeguard Georgia elections against foreign interference.”

“Georgia voters need to know that their elections are free of foreign interference and that representatives of foreign entities register and disclose their activities,” Raffensperger said in a statement on Thursday.

“The support for this measure was bipartisan and nearly unanimous,” he added. “Making sure American elections are for Americans, and Americans only, is a high priority for Georgians, and the people who represent them in legislature know it.”

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Georgia is expected to be one of the most hotly contested states in the presidential election in November, between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The Peach State is one of several key swing states that have made changes to their election laws since the 2020 election, in which Trump and his allies alleged malpractice with how the elections were conducted.

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