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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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The Federalist -Article: States Banning or Restricting “Zuckbucks”—UPDATED 4/10/2024

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Article: States Banning or Restricting Zuckbucks (WI Update)

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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Arizona – Alter Net – Article: ‘Zuckerbucks’

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‘Zuckerbucks’: 2020 election conspiracy theories return to Missouri and Arizona

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It turns out that right-wing activists have learned the same lesson as Hollywood: Everyone loves a sequel.

You may remember the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life from the so-called “Zuckerbucks” controversy during the 2020 election. That was when a couple of nonprofits including the Center for Tech and Civic Life distributed hundreds of millions of dollars that had been donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, as no-strings-attached grants to local election officials. Despite no evidence of partisanship (and lots of people checked), right-wing activists and critics labeled the funding a political act aimed at boosting turnout of Democratic voters.

CTCL now has a new program, the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence. It’s a group of 15 counties, all of whom submitted applications, who work together to share best practices and create things such as a voluntary set of standards for recruitment, training, management, and retention of poll workers, a major concern for election officials around the country.

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Nevada – The Nevada Independent – Article: SOS

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Article: SOS – Coding issues to blame for errors in online voter history records

Officials said they fixed coding errors that created problems with the state’s online voting records, primary election results not affected.

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The Nevada Secretary of State’s office announced it had fixed coding errors in files used to provide nightly updates on voter registration history that led to misreported records.

In a statement issued by the office early Monday evening, officials said that some of the steps county workers are required to file in the system ”were not taken, resulting in inaccurate data” and re-emphasized that the errors did not affect the results of the presidential primary election.

Specifically, officials explained that every county uploads its voter registration data to the secretary of state’s database each night. The secretary of state’s office then executes code to create a single voter registration file that users see when they log into the website. 

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Arizona – Public News Service – Article: Official Calls on Federal Government for Election Funding

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Article: Arizona elections official calls for federal lawmakers to include funding for election administration and security.

Congress recently cleared legislation to extend government funding into March, but one Arizona elections official would like to see federal lawmakers include funding for election administration and security.

Patty Hansen, recorder for Coconino County in Northern Arizona, has been involved with elections administration for 36 years, and said with the continuing exodus of many election recorders and directors in recent years because of increased threats and harassment, what remains is what she called a “huge institutional void.”

She pointed out in rural counties such as hers, funding to improve election systems would go a long way.

“Some jurisdictions are wealthier than others and have a better tax base,” Hansen observed. “I do think it is something the federal government should be looking at for providing the necessary funds across the nation because elections are the foundation of our democracy.”

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North Carolina – The Brunswick Beacon – Article: Board of Elections Leaves Alliance

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The Brunswick County election office has withdrawn membership from The US Alliance for Election Excellence.

The Brunswick County election office has withdrawn its membership from The US Alliance for Election Excellence.

Elections Director Sara LaVere told the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners of the decision during the county’s goals workshop. The workshop is designed for county departments to share their successes, shortfalls, goals and needs.

In April 2023, the Brunswick County Board of Elections voted to remain in the Alliance after county commissioners asked the county elections office to withdraw, citing concerns that membership in the Alliance would bring partisan funding to the board of elections and as well as the organization’s alleged connection to Facebook founder and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.

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