Milwaukee receives donations from Mark Zuckerberg just before residents vote on prohibiting private election funding
Milwaukee recently received over $1 million in private donations for election administration just before residents decide on the legality of private election funding. The donations, including a $786,850 grant from Cities Forward and a $250,000 grant for the Election Commission and public library, have raised concerns amid upcoming Republican-proposed amendments regarding election processes in Wisconsin. The grants aim to enhance election infrastructure and citizen engagement, sparking debates surrounding private funding influence on elections. Louisiana stands as the sole state to have prohibited such private donations, addressing the controversial issue of “Zuckerbucks” and their impact on electoral integrity.
Milwaukee received more than $1 million in private donations to help administer elections nearly a week before residents decide whether injecting private funding into elections is unconstitutional.
Last week, the city received a $786,850 grant from nonprofit organization Cities Forward, and a $250,000 grant was given to the Milwaukee Election Commission and the city’s public library, Just the News reported. In 2020, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg donated to the left-leaning nonprofit organization the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which funneled millions of dollars into local elections, leading Republicans to dub the private donations “Zuckerbucks.”
The private donations come as Wisconsin voters are set to decide on two Republican-proposed amendments on April 2. Voters will decide if private funding toward the election process is unconstitutional and if only election officials can carry out election duties.
The nearly $800,000 grant will fund two ballot tabulators, a text messaging service, 50 ExpressVote machines, and 210 Android smartphones for election officials, the Urban Milwaukee reported.
The text messaging service would contact voters to correct misinformation and answer questions about the election process, and the smartphones would be used by chief inspectors at polling locations to take pictures or videos of any equipment malfunctions, according to the outlet.
The $250,000 grant given to the city’s library and election commission will help “launch a citywide public education campaign to increase civic connection among residents.”
“At the library, when people are registering for a new library card, they will also be asking, ‘Do you want us to help register you to vote today?’” said Claire Woodall, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.
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Following the 2020 election, House Republicans investigated the funds and found that less than 1% of the $350 million, some of which was donated by Zuckerberg to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, was used for personal protective equipment and that the bulk of the money was used on voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote campaigns.
So far, the only state to have banned “Zuckerbucks” is Louisiana, which it did at the end of last year.
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