One of the foundational principles of U.S. democracy is that elections must be decided by Americans. Election law makes it illegal for foreign governments, corporations, or people to spend money to influence U.S. elections, either directly or indirectly. This bedrock principle was established by the nation’s founders, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and reaffirmed in federal court. This principle is necessary primarily because foreign entities often have policy and political interests—regarding, for example, taxes, the environment, workers’ rights, or national security—that do not align with the best interests of the United States.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court’s misguided 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission introduced a loophole that makes U.S. elections more vulnerable to foreign influence: Foreign entities are now able to influence America’s political process by investing in U.S. corporations, which in turn spend enormous amounts of money to sway the results of elections and ballot measures.