Zuxit: More states, counties are banning Zuckerbucks

FPI / March 19, 2024

In 2020, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) funneled some $350 million into local elections offices under the guise of making it safer to vote during the pandemic. Most of the funds donated to the nonprofit came from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

While CTCL insisted these "Zuckerbucks" were allocated without partisan preference, a House Republican investigation found that most of the funds were focused on get-out-the-vote efforts and registrations in Democrat-dominated jurisdictions.

After the GOP investigation pulled the curtain back, the Zuxit began.

Thus far, 27 states have either restricted or banned the use of private money to fund elections, while 12 counties have also restricted or banned the funds, according to the Capital Research Center.

Indiana is the latest to enact a law to ban a new form of “Zuckerbucks,” or "Zuckerbucks 2.0." On Monday, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1264 into law, which includes multiple election security measures, such as banning “Zuckerbucks 2.0.”

The new law “[p]rovides that a political subdivision that conducts or administers an election may not join the membership of, or participate in a program offered by, a person who has directly financed certain elections activities,” according to the state legislature’s summary.

Also on Monday, the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1374. The bill “[r]equires a person to provide certification that the person is not the knowing recipient of foreign donations before entering into any agreement with a government entity to provide goods or services relating to elections administration.”

Two Utah counties and two North Carolina counties have withdrawn from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a project of the CTCL. There are currently 11 cities and counties across eight states that remain in the alliance. One of those counties, Coconino County, is in Arizona.

The CTCL received nearly $25 million in 2020 from New Venture Fund, according to the Capital Research Center. New Venture Fund, which is the largest nonprofit created by the Arabella Advisors network, received $57.8 million from nonprofits started by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, according to a report by Americans for Public Trust.

The Zuxit Scorecard

States with bans and restrictions on Zuckerbucks: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia.

Pending: Wisconsin.

Vetoes: Kansas (veto overridden), Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin (vetoed twice, constitutional amendment pending).

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