States Banning or Restricting “Zuck Bucks”—UPDATED 08/18/2022

Capital Research Center ^ | July 27, 2022; Aug. 18, 2022 | Sarah Lee, Hayden Ludwig

[T Ruth]

State Bans and restrictions passed: 24 states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia

County Bans and restrictions passed: 5 counties

Wisconsin: Walworth, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Winnebago Michigan: Livingston

Vetoes: 6 states

Kansas (veto overridden), Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin (vetoed twice)

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. ...

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As detailed below, at least a dozen state legislatures have responded to these revelations with bills to protect free and fair elections by prohibiting or restricting private funding of government election offices. Note that not all of the states listed below banned Zuck bucks; some only regulated or restricted private funding for elections offices. Vetoes and failed bills are also noted.

As of July 2022, 24 states have banned or restricted the use of private funds for election offices and 6 governors—all Democrats—have vetoed potential bans. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has vetoed 2 Zuck buck bans; Kansas’s legislature overrode its Democratic governor’s veto. In addition, 4 counties (Walworth, Wisconsin; Ozaukee, Wisconsin; Kenosha, Wisconsin; Livingston, Michigan) have banned Zuck bucks.

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[T Ruth]

Detail state-by-state information is at the link.

[butlerweave]

Zuck bucks suck , Zuck bucks suck

[Boogieman]

This has been a problem since long before Zuckerberg dipped his toe in. Remember ACORN? Same basic playbook, and they never stopped when they got caught, just “reorganized” under a new entity. And they’ll probably not even be banned under these new laws, since they incorporate as “non-profits” rather than private corporations.

[skeeter]

Zuck sucks.

[null and void]

Nevada Ping!

To add your name to the growing Nevada ping list, FReepmail me...

Philosophical question for everyone:

Did zuck bucks influence the vote outcome in your state?

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.

If yes, did your state ban zuck bucks?

State Bans and restrictions passed: 24 states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania*, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia
* Vetoed.