Ohio Elections Commission determines foreign national cannot contribute to a ballot issue PAC

The Ohio Elections Commission recently issued an advisory opinion addressing whether a foreign national can contribute to a ballot issue political action committee (PAC) in Ohio.

The Ohio Elections Commission determined that R.C. 3517.13 (W) prohibits a foreign national from contributing to a ballot issue PAC in Ohio. This question was raised due to a recent decision from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), in which it dismissed a similar pending matter because it did not have enough linkage between an election involving a candidate that sufficiently invoked the FEC jurisdiction. However, Ohio law differs, and therefore the Ohio Elections Commission jurisdiction differs from the FEC’s jurisdiction.