Cheri Quickmire Executive Director of Common Cause Connecticut | Common Cause Connecticut
Cheri Quickmire Executive Director of Common Cause Connecticut | Common Cause Connecticut
Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill into law on May 21, 2024, prohibiting contributions by foreign nationals or entities to state and local ballot referenda.
"Foreign money has no place in local democracy," stated Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut. "As we approach the general election in November, voters will have the opportunity to vote on important measures like no-excuse absentee voting. We are grateful that our lawmakers took bipartisan action this session to prevent foreign influence on this and other ballot referenda."
Alex Knopp, a board member at Common Cause in Connecticut, echoed these sentiments. "Foreign powers want to divide us by making voters feel like their votes don’t matter or by convincing voters that their election administrators can’t be trusted," he said. "It is a relief that the state legislature closed this loophole, and we encourage other states to follow suit in the interest of our democracy."
In early May, Knopp published an opinion piece in CT Insider advocating for this bill. Maine enacted a similar ban as a state constitutional amendment in November 2023, and several states including Massachusetts are currently considering similar prohibitions.
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