Posted on 08/04/2024 12:02:23 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
In 2020, a group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife gave $332 million to local governments to run the presidential election amid a global pandemic, prompting a Republican backlash that led to more than two dozen states banning or limiting private funding for elections.
The Center for Tech and Civic Life is again awarding grants this fall — but in much smaller amounts. The $2.5 million it plans to give to small and midsize communities in as many as 19 states totals less than 1 percent of what it spent in 2020. The grants will have nowhere near the nationwide effect they did in the last presidential election but could nonetheless spark controversy.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are not participating in the program this year, according to the center. Zuckerberg has said he made one-time donations to the center in 2020 because the covid-19 pandemic fueled a spike in costs for election officials.
But election costs remain daunting, and they can be particularly challenging for cash-strapped rural communities, said Tiana Epps-Johnson, the center’s founder and executive director.
“It’s really been clear that there are many rural election departments right now that have really critical funding gaps,” she said in an interview. “We know that 5 or 10 or $25,000 can go a really long way toward meaningful improvements in smaller jurisdictions.”
Election officials have long complained they don’t have enough money. Running elections across the United States costs $2 billion to $5 billion a year, according to estimates from academics and election officials. Congress allocated $55 million for elections this year, leaving states and local governments to come up with most of the funding they need.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Running elections is a cost of doing business.
FIXING elections is what’s expensive.
Controlling each and every election office is the goal here. Maybe a few bucks here and there but a whole lot of control and manipulation via facebook.
The communists will not be giving up control.
Governments have no money for basic services (like elections), but plenty for migrant housing and foreign aid.
Same day voting and paper ballots should fix the problem.
“$332 million”?
That number is $100 million short of what has been reported. All of it purposed to elect Democrats. Election interference.
After all, we pay taxes.
I understand that most of that monies goes down the rabbit hole, but I hope some it can be spared for running elections!
Divert 1% of the money gifted to Ukraine - problem solved.
How about no private money for elections? Sounds right to me!
Nothing is private on Facebook yet people flock to it like lemmings going off a cliff. And while they are doing this they are enhancing Zuckerberg’s wealth so he can further screw them in elections.
Americans are so dumb.
Wall Street members wink
Found a way that it doesn’t get seen?
Maybe they’ll have to cut back on ballot harvesting. Boo-hoo.
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