West Virginia Code 3-8-5g – Prohibition on political contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals
(a) A foreign national may not, directly or indirectly, make:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 3-8-5g
- Candidate: means an individual who:
(A) Has filed a certificate of announcement under §. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Contribution: means a gift, subscription, loan, assessment, payment for services, dues, advance, donation, pledge, contract, agreement, forbearance, promise of money, or other tangible thing of value, whether conditional or legally enforceable, or a transfer of money or other tangible thing of value to a person, made for the purpose of influencing the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Election: means any primary, general, or special election conducted under the provisions of this code or under the charter of any municipality at which the voters nominate or elect candidates for public office. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Electioneering communication: means any paid communication made by broadcast, cable or satellite signal, mass mailing, telephone bank, billboard advertisement, or publication in any newspaper, magazine, or other periodical that:
(i) Refers to a clearly identified candidate for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Supreme Court of Appeals, or the Legislature. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Foreign national: means the following:
(A) A foreign principal, as such term is defined in 22 U. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Independent expenditure: means an expenditure by a person:
(A) Expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, including supporting or opposing the candidates of a political party. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Local: refers to the election of candidates to a city, county, or municipal office and any issue to be voted on by only the residents of a particular political subdivision. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, committee, association, and any other organization or group of individuals. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Political committee: means any candidate committee, political action committee, or political party committee. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- Political party: means a political party as that term is defined by §. See West Virginia Code 3-8-1a
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(1) A contribution or donation, or an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, to a candidate‘s committee, a political committee, or a political party; or
(2) An independent expenditure or any disbursement for an electioneering communication related to a state or local election.
(b) A person may not solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subsection (a) of this section.