Citizens Election Research Center

Archives April 2024

Illinois – Macoupin County – Article: USAEE Election Grant Used to Purchase Voting Center

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Article: County Purchases New Building for Voting Center Across from Courthouse

05/23/2023

Macoupin County voters will have a new place to early vote in person starting in 2024, County Clerk Pete Duncan announced recently. The County has purchased an office building just across the street from the Courthouse in Carlinville that will serve as the Macoupin Voting Center.

Utilizing the grant the Election Office received as being named one of the ten Centers for Election Excellence nationwide, Duncan worked with the County Board to purchase the building without using any taxpayer dollars. The grant covered the costs of the purchase and will cover the necessary upgrades and renovations to the building. For example, a ramp will need to installed for access to the main floor for better access to the public.

“I appreciate that the County Board agreed with me that using the Election Excellence grant, we should create a voting center as part of the Courthouse complex,” Duncan said. Voters who wish to vote early in person will now be able to utilize the parking right outside the building entrance, walk right in, and cast their ballot instead of trying to find parking around the Courthouse and going through the security entrance to get to the next floor up from the public entrance to vote.

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The Bharat Express News- Article: Wisconsin Voters Introduce Amendments that Could ‘Undermine’ State Elections

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Article: WI voters sign two amendments that election officials worry will harm election administration in the state.

While it was clear that Joe Biden and Donald Trump would win their respective primaries in Wisconsin on Tuesday, voters in the state pulled off other surprises by backing Republican-backed election amendments and registering a significant anti-war protest vote.

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday signed into the state constitution two amendments that election officials and voting rights advocates worry will harm election administration in the state.

The first prohibits election offices from accessing private subsidies — a source of revenue that election officials relied on in 2020 to conduct elections during the pandemic and have since been used to stock voting equipment in polling places.

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The Patriot Post – Article: Thursday Below the Fold, Executive News Summary

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Article: Another Team Biden Big Lie, Zuckerbucks banned in Wisconsin, Title IX rewrite strategically delayed, and more.

Another Team Biden Big Lie: If Joe Biden’s biggest reelection obstacle can be boiled down to one word, that word would be “age.” A whopping 86% of Americans think he’s too old to run for a second term. But a close second to “age” would be “immigration.” Not only is this the single most important issue to American voters, but it’s also the issue on which Donald Trump owns the greatest advantage over our decrepit president — an eye-popping 28 points, according to one recent poll. So we shouldn’t be surprised that Team Biden is trotting out another Big Lie to try to cut into Trump’s big lead on this issue. This time, they deceptively edited a video of Trump’s remarks at a recent rally to make it seem like he called all immigrants “animals.” He didn’t. Here’s the necessary context preceding the remark. As it makes clear, Trump was talking about one specific immigrant — the 26-year-old Venezuelan dog who murdered Laken Riley. As Trump put it: “The 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia who was barbarically murdered by an illegal alien animal — the Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals, they’re humans.’ I said, ‘No, they’re not humans, they’re animals,’” adding, “Nancy Pelosi told me that. She said, ‘Please don’t use the word animals when you’re talking about these people.’ I said, ‘I’ll use the word animal because that’s what they are.’” It’s funny, not funny, how what’s good for the Trump goose isn’t good for the Biden gander. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre lectured a reporter who asked about Biden’s reference to a “bloodbath” back in 2020. Recall that Team Biden and their mainstream media brethren pounced on Trump when he used the word recently in reference to the auto industry, dishonestly asserting that Trump was referring to a nationwide bloodbath should he lose the 2024 election. As KJP pathetically said Tuesday, “You’ve got to read what he said in context.” Oh.

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Wisconsin – Town Hall – Article: Republicans Score Major Win for Election Integrity

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Article: WI voter have made it clear that they do not want “Zuckerbucks” or dark-money interests influencing their local elections.

Wisconsin voters approved two constitutional amendments on Tuesday that the RNC says “will enshrine the principles of election integrity into the lawbooks.”  

Fifty-four percent of voters approved Question 1 banning the state from accepting private funds or equipment for election administration, commonly referred to as “Zuckerbucks.” According to the RNC, this ensures that “outsiders can’t manipulate the will of hardworking Wisconsin families when they cast their ballots.” Question 2 passed with 58.58 percent of the vote and mandates that only designated election officials can administer elections.

“Wisconsin voters have made it clear that they do not want Zuckerbucks or dark-money interests influencing their local elections,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. “The RNC and RPW were proud to help drive this crucial victory and ensure strong poll-watching coverage across Wisconsin to ensure a transparent voting process. This win emphasizes that Americans support basic election integrity safeguards in battleground states like Wisconsin and around the country.” 

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The Federalist – Article: Dark Money-Fueled Group Strategizes to Target Dem Voting Blocs

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Article: Inside one dark money-fueled group’s strategy session to “reshape the electorate in as many states as possible”

In 2015, the Wyss Foundation — a project of Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss — put forth a plan to “fundamentally change the composition of the [American] electorate” in a way that another leaked memo indicated would help “achieve the foundation’s policy goals.” Last week, one of the organizations the Wyss Foundation channels money to held a conference plotting how to do just that.

The Wyss Foundation’s plan, mapped to run from 2015 to 2020 and projected to cost $105 million to $210 million, aimed to “reshape the electorate in as many states as possible” by expanding voter registration. A follow-up memo indicated these efforts would be directed at “low-income populations who tend to be reliably progressive” such as “[u]nmarried women, youth, and people of color.”

At its 15th annual State Summit in Washington, D.C., last week, left-wing nonprofit America Votes brought together public officials and activists to strategize about reaching just such voters. The conference included discussions about how to “create more lifelong voters” from a “diverse coalition” that, based on the conference topics, includes college students, pro-abortion voters, anti-Second Amendment activists, LGBT activists, racial minorities, and “progressive Christians.”

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Newsmax – Article: After Wisconsin Vote, RNC Likely to Launch War on ‘Zuckerbucks’

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Article: Wisconsin voters resoundingly elected to ban out-of-state election interference

Wisconsin voters resoundingly elected to ban out-of-state election interference with vote counting Tuesday.

Barely 24 hours later, Newsmax learned that members of the Republican National Committee were discussing launching a movement nationwide to eradicate the influence of outside money in election administration such as that deployed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2020.

With nearly all votes counted, 54% of Badger State voters supported Question 1 to ban all private funding of elections. An even larger number of voters (58%) voted to enact Question 2 to restrict the administration of elections “to only election officials designated by law.”

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Wisconsin – Illinois Review – Article: Zuckerbucks’ No More: How Wisconsin Voters Took Back Their Elections

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Article: WI voters draw a clear line in the sand against the intrusion of private funds in the electoral process

In a resolute move that underscores the spirit of American democracy, voters in Wisconsin have emphatically endorsed two constitutional amendments that draw a clear line in the sand against the intrusion of private funds in the electoral process. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle to preserve the sanctity of the vote, an issue that has sparked widespread concern over the influence of billionaire donors like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, colloquially dubbed “Zuckerbucks,” on the integrity of elections.

The approval of these amendments is not merely a local affair but a resounding message to the nation: Wisconsin insists that its elections are for its voters, not for the highest bidder or out-of-state billionaires looking to tip the scales. This development is a testament to the foresight and diligence of Republican lawmakers who, recognizing the potential for abuse and manipulation, sought to enshrine these protections within the bedrock of the state constitution.

At the heart of this landmark decision is a fundamental question about the role of money in our electoral system and the potential for it to undermine the democratic process. Critics of private election funding, including prominent figures from conservative think tanks such as the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, argue that the infusion of vast sums of money by entities like the Center for Tech and Civic Life, under the guise of voter access and education, disproportionately benefits Democratic strongholds, thereby skewing the electoral landscape.

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Wisconsin – The Cap Times – Article: Madison Spent Private Election Funds Before Amendment Banned Them

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Article: The City of Madison had already spent $1.5 million in private grant funding for new election equipment before Wisconsin voters approved a ban on such money for local governments.

The city of Madison had already spent $1.5 million in private grant funding for new election equipment before Wisconsin voters approved a ban on such money for local governments.

Voters resoundingly approved two state constitutional amendments April 2 that would ban not just the private grant funding but also restrict who can be involved in administering elections in Wisconsin. 

Statewide, voters in all but nine counties moved to approve the ban on private election funding. One of the nine was Dane County, where residents voted over 2-to-1 to reject the amendment. 

The second amendment, which restricted election administration to only “election officials designated by law,” gained somewhat more widespread support.

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Wisconsin- WKOW – Article: USAEE Grant Money Used to Develop New Polling Signs

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Article: Through a project with the USAEE, the City Clerk’s Office worked with CTCL to develop new polling signs.

MADISON (WKOW) — As voters head to the polls Tuesday, they’ll find new signs with multiple languages to help direct them to their polling place.

The new signs contain English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Hmong, and an icon, according to the city of Madison.

Through a project with the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, the City Clerk’s Office worked with the Center for Civic Design to develop the new signs.

“We want our democracy to be accessible to every eligible voter,” said Mayor Rhodes-Conway in a statement. “It’s important that we are providing voting information in a variety of languages. I appreciate the improvements the Clerk’s Office has made.”

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