Secretary Griswold’s Legislative Priority of Preventing Foreign Influence to be Introduced in Colorado State Legislature

Denver, March 8, 2021 – Today, a bill to prevent foreign influence will be introduced in the Colorado State Legislature. Colorado is a national leader in election security and access, and this bill will expand our leadership by limiting foreign corporate influence and dark money in Colorado’s elections. The bill has been spearheaded by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and is sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges and Representative Steven Woodrow.

“Corporations with significant foreign ownership should not be allowed to influence candidate elections with endless spending,” said Secretary Griswold. “That’s why this legislation to limit foreign corporate influence and dark money in Colorado’s elections is so important. I am thankful to Senator Bridges and Representative Woodrow for their leadership on this key policy.”

Under this bill, foreign-influenced corporations will be prohibited from contributing to Colorado SuperPACs, which spend money on candidate elections. Any corporation with a 1% ownership from a foreign government, a 5% ownership from a single non-US person, or 20% aggregate ownership from multiple non-US persons will be prohibited from spending from corporate coffers to influence candidate campaigns via SuperPac spending.

“Coloradans deserve to know that the only people contributing to Colorado candidates are Americans, not foreign-influenced entities acting through corporate contributions,” said Senator Bridges. “This bill stops these foreign-influenced companies from interfering in candidate elections in our state.”

“Colorado’s elections are safe, secure, accessible, and the envy of the nation, but that doesn’t mean we can be complacent in ensuring our electoral process remains one of the best in the United States,” added Representative Woodrow. “This bill prohibits the influx of spending by corporations with foreign influence in candidate elections and keeps Colorado’s elections the country’s gold standard.”

The bill “Concerning Restrictions on Foreign-Influenced Money in Political Campaigns in the State” is a continuation of the work Secretary Griswold started in 2019 with the “Clean Campaign Act”. In 2019, Secretary Griswold led, and worked with the Colorado legislature to pass, one of the largest democracy reform packages in the nation, including campaign finance reform, lobbying reform, and expanded voting access. The bill “Concerning Restrictions on Foreign-Influenced Money in Political Campaigns in the State” will help Colorado combat foreign influence and dark money.