Citizens Election Research Center

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Capital Research Center: States Banning or Restricting “Zuckbucks”

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Article: States banning or restricting outside/private funding in elections.

Private financing of government election offices under the guise of COVID-19 relief skewed voter turnout in the 2020 election and may have tipped the presidential election to Joe Biden.

The chief culprit was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who poured $350 million into one sleepy nonprofit, the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL). CTCL then distributed grants to hundreds of county and city elections officials in 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Despite its claims that the grants were strictly for COVID-19 relief, not partisan advantage, the data show otherwise. CRC research into grants distributed in key states—Arizona and Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia—has documented their partisan effects. We have also catalogued our major findings at InfluenceWatch.

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States-Banning-or-Restricting-Zuck-Bucks—UPDATED-4_10_2024-Capital-Research-CenterDownload
The Shasta Scout – Article: County Board is Still Discussing a Nearly Three-Year-Old CTCL Election Grant

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Article: Shasta county still discussing controversial election grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life

In December 2022, the Shasta County Elections Office received good news: a national funding organization known as the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) had offered a $1.5 million grant to Shasta County. Conditions for using the grant required that it support election administration and that it not be used to replace normal budgeted expenses. 

The source of the funding was controversial. CTCL has come under fire because much of the money distributed before the 2020 election came from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. While concerns have been raised about whether CTCL funds might have been used to  influence the 2020 election, the six-member Federal Election Commission, which includes an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats, has unanimously concluded that no evidence of such interference exists.

Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters (ROV) Cathy Darling Allen knew about the controversy related to CTCL when she brought forward a proposal to accept the grant funds a few months later, in February 2023. In a presentation to the Board, Darling Allen said she thought if the Board wished to accept the funds it would be extremely important to use them only for a purchase that could not possibly be connected to partisan purposes.

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The Shasta County Board is Still Discussing a Nearly Three-Year-Old Elections Grant. Here’s What Happened. – Shasta Scout – Reader ModeDownload

Center for Tech and Civic Life: Early Report on 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program
Early Report on 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program – Center for Tech and Civic LifeDownload
Research- CTCL Election Grants Summer/Fall 2024

Center for Tech and Civic Life 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure & Institute for Responsive Government Election Grants.

NEW CTCL GRANTS_ (2)Download
The Federalist – Article: Rhode Island Solicited Voter Registration From Noncitizens At The Behest Of Leftist Election Group

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Article: Rhode Island Department of State solicited potential noncitizens to register to vote

The Rhode Island Department of State solicited potential noncitizens to register to vote in order to meet the requirements of the leftist election group Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), according to emails reviewed by The Federalist.

In a 2021 email thread, Rob Rock, the Department of State’s former director of elections (who now serves as deputy secretary and director of administration), said the state sent “eligible but unregistered” (EBU) voter mailers to individuals flagged as noncitizens. The email was sent in response to an inquiry from Kyle Upchurch, program manager at the Zuckbucks-linked Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR).

“We sent two versions of the EBU,” Rock wrote. “One to people who have a ‘Y’ citizenship flag and one to those who have a ‘No’ citizenship flag. Each PDF contains the English and Spanish versions.”

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Emails_ Rhode Island Solicited Voter Registration From Noncitizens – Reader ModeDownload
The Daily Signal – Article: ‘Zuckerbucks’ Hit Small Towns as Tech Group Finances More Election Offices

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Article: ‘Zuckerbucks’ tech group financing election offices in rural counties

The Center for Tech and Civic Life—which four years ago doled out controversial election grants that became known as “Zuckerbucks”—recently notified White Pine County, Nevada, of a $20,000 grant. 

The county, in a major battleground state going into the Nov. 5 presidential election, has a population of about 9,000 and is part of what the Left-aligned center calls its Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program. 

The notification to White Pine County came with a message from Tiana Epps-Johnson, CTCL’s executive director, and an agreement on how the $20,000 grant could be used. 

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‘Zuckerbucks’ Hit Small Towns as Tech Group Finances More Election Offices – Reader ModeDownload
The Daily Signal – Article: The Left Lauded Voting by Mail in 2020, but Now It’s a Bipartisan Concern

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Article: Democrat and Republican election officials are raising concerns about whether the U.S. Postal Service is prepared for mail-in ballots. 

In the 2020 presidential election, the Left staunchly promoted voting by mail and scoffed at critics of the option. In 2024, however, Democrat and Republican election officials, as well as an inspector general, are raising concerns about whether the U.S. Postal Service is prepared for mail-in ballots. 

Last week, election officials from both major parties expressed concern about mail-in ballots, the same week the National Letter Carriers Association—which represents 290,000 active and retired mail carriers—endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. In July, the American Postal Workers Union, representing 200,000 Postal Service employees, endorsed Harris. 

Earlier this year, the Postal Service Office of Inspector General expressed concern about the “risk of delays in the processing and delivery” of election-related mail as well as “operational changes that pose a risk of individual ballots not being counted.”

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The Left Lauded Voting by Mail in 2020, but Now It’s a Bipartisan Concern – Reader ModeDownload
The Federalist – Article: ‘Zuckbucks’ Group Acts As A Shadow Legislature In Rural America

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Article: Applications for the new round of CTCL grants opened in August. The organization has approved election funding in these jurisdictions.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life, which funneled millions in “Zuckbucks” to local election agencies in 2020 through grants favoring Democrat areas, recently announced another round of grants to “rural and nonmetro” election offices ahead of November. The leftist group has awarded grants to at least 11 jurisdictions so far, cultivating relationships with election officials while effectively taking on the legislature’s job of appropriating funds for elections.

Applications for the new round of CTCL grants opened Aug. 2, and the organization has so far approved election funding in at least the following jurisdictions: Colorado (San Juan County); Massachusetts (Orange); Maine (Belgrade, Caribou, Farmington, and West Paris); Minnesota (Nobles County); Nevada (White Pine County); New Hampshire (Meredith and Plymouth); and Vermont (Washington).

Many of these election officials expressed the need for funding and infrastructure, and CTCL has effectively taken on the role of a shadow legislature, granting money to fill the perceived needs of election officials. Doing so allows the group, which was responsible for election meddling to benefit Democrats in 2020, to curry favor with those officials.

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‘Zuckbucks’ Group Acting As Shadow Legislature In Rural America – Reader ModeDownload
The Federalist – Article: Here We Go Again: ‘Zuckbucks’ Group Announces Plans To Dump More Cash Into Election Offices

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Article: The Center for Tech and Civic Life, which influenced the 2020 election with “Zuckbucks,” announced another round of grants before November.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which increased Democratic turnout in 2020 by shuttling “Zuckbucks” to public election offices, will be issuing another round of grants to rural areas ahead of November’s election.

“This program will help eligible rural and nonmetro election offices modernize outdated voting technology, improve access to voting for rural voters, seniors, and veterans, and make much-needed infrastructure updates to enhance election security and make voting smoother,” said CTCL Director Tiana Epps-Johnson in a press release obtained by The Federalist.

Rural officials can apply for grants beginning today, the release said. It is unclear how much money CTCL is planning to distribute to local election offices before the election. 

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‘Zuckbucks’ Group To Dump More Cash Into Election Offices – Reader ModeDownload
The Federalist – Article: ‘Zuckbucks’ Org Promotes $6 Million Election Grant From Left-Wing Dark Money Group

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Article: The Institute for Responsive Government is offering officials $6 million in election grants, promoted by CTCL.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life, which funneled millions in “Zuckbucks” to election officials in 2020, is promoting a $6 million election grant program from a left-wing dark money group with which it shares close ties.

“We wanted you to be aware that the Institute for Responsive Government (IRG) launched A More Responsive Government 2024 Grant Program, a new, nonpartisan $6 million grant program that aims to support local election offices,” said an Aug. 21 CTCL email obtained by The Federalist.

The email, apparently directed to election officials, noted the funding is “not a CTCL grant program.” CTCL funneled $328 million from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to public election agencies in 2020, using “Zuckbucks” to target areas with likely left-leaning voting blocs and boost Democratic turnout. 

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‘Zuckbucks’ Org Promotes $6M Dark Money Election Grant – Reader ModeDownload