HB 963: Elections; prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to or participating in any campaign

Georgia law already regulates campaign committees that raise money to support or oppose ballot questions, constitutional amendments, and referendums. This bill adds new rules aimed specifically at foreign influence in those campaigns. It defines 'foreign national' to include non-citizens who aren't lawful permanent residents, foreign governments, foreign political parties, and foreign-controlled business entities, and it defines 'preliminary activity' to include polling, focus groups, and drafting ballot language. The bill bars foreign nationals from directing, controlling, or participating in decisions about ballot-question campaigns, and from soliciting donations for them. Campaign committees must certify, when registering and when filing disclosure reports, that no foreign national funded preliminary activity and that no donor is a foreign national or has funneled more than $100,000 through foreign nationals in the prior four years. It also limits government disclosure of tax-exempt donors' identities unless a violation is confirmed, with penalties tied to existing Code Section 21-5-9.

• Prohibits foreign nationals from directing, controlling, or participating in decisions of ballot-question campaigns, or soliciting donations for them, whether directly or indirectly.
• Defines 'foreign national' to cover non-citizens without lawful permanent residency, foreign governments, foreign political parties, and foreign-controlled or foreign-based business entities.
• Requires campaign committees pursuing ballot measures to certify at registration that no foreign national funded 'preliminary activity' like polling or drafting ballot language.
• Requires committees to certify with each disclosure report that donors are not foreign nationals and haven't funneled more than $100,000 through foreign nationals in the prior four years.
• Restricts state and local government entities and courts from disclosing donor identities to tax-exempt organizations unless a violation has been confirmed.
• Extends the existing definition of 'campaign committee' to explicitly include committees active in county and municipal ballot questions, not just state-wide ones.

Campaign committees organized around ballot questions, constitutional amendments, and referendums at the state, county, and municipal level; donors to those committees; foreign individuals, governments, political parties, or foreign-controlled businesses; and government investigators or courts handling disclosure of donor identities.

Committees running ballot-measure campaigns would face new paperwork requiring them to certify donor citizenship status and screen out foreign money, with potential penalties for violations. Donors to tax-exempt groups would gain some protection from having their identities disclosed unless a violation is confirmed.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-5-3 to add definitions for 'directly or indirectly,' 'foreign national,' 'foreign political party,' and 'preliminary activity,' and clarifies that 'campaign committee' includes county and municipal ballot question committees.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-5-34 to require campaign committee registrations to certify no foreign national funded preliminary activity.
• Section 2 also requires each disclosure report to certify that donors are not foreign nationals and have not funneled more than $100,000 through foreign nationals in the prior four years.
• Section 3 creates new Code Section 21-5-37, barring foreign nationals from directing, controlling, or soliciting contributions for ballot-question campaigns.
• Section 3 requires committees to obtain donor affirmations of non-foreign-national status upon receiving contributions.
• Section 3 limits disclosure of tax-exempt donor identities by government entities and courts unless a violation is confirmed, with penalties under Code Section 21-5-9.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senado)
2. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senado)
3. 2026-03-31Senate Engrossed (Senado)
4. 2026-03-23Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
5. 2026-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
6. 2026-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
7. 2026-03-04House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2026-03-04House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)

• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)Patrocinador principal
• Victor Anderson (R, HD-010)
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
• John Carson (R, HD-046)
• Shaw Blackmon (R, HD-146)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes4 de marzo de 2026

   140 a favor, 24 en contra (1 sin votar, 12 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #633

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado31 de marzo de 2026

   33 a favor, 15 en contra (2 sin votar, 4 ausentes)

   Motion To Engross: Hb 52, Hb 248, Hb 963, Hb 964, Hb 1001, Hb 1077, Hb 1116, Hb 1129, Hb 1132, Hb 1209: Senate Vote #876

• election law
• campaign finance
• foreign influence
• ballot measures
• donor privacy