Wisconsin voters approved two constitutional amendments aimed at banning private funds, known as “Zuckerbucks”, from being used in election administration within the state. These measures, pushed by Republican lawmakers, passed with the majority of voter support. The amendments prohibit clerks from accepting private grant money to help conduct elections and require that only election officials can conduct elections. State GOP Chairman Brian Schimming emphasized that elections belong to voters, not wealthy individuals or corporations.
Opponents of the amendments, primarily Democrats, argue that these measures will make it more challenging to conduct elections. Concerns were raised about the vague wording of the election workers provision, leading to potential challenges in interpretation and implementation by local election officials. The amendments were in response to grant money that came to Wisconsin in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, funded by a $300 million donation from Mark Zuckerberg. The goal was to support jurisdictions in dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on elections.
The funding provided by Zuckerberg and his wife aimed to assist election officials in purchasing supplies, running elections, setting up ballot drop boxes, providing voting equipment, and supporting additional manpower. However, Republicans have raised concerns that such funding disproportionately benefits Democrats in elections. The Election Transparency Initiative (ETI) National Chairman Ken Cuccinelli praised the voter reaction to ban Zuckerbucks, applauded Wisconsin voters for rejecting outside influence on elections, and criticized the biased distribution of funds during the 2020 election.
Wisconsin now joins 27 other states in restricting the use of private funds in elections, including other battleground states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arizona. Sam Rogers, state government affairs director for the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), highlighted the importance of securing election integrity by preventing dark money influence in future elections. By enshrining these election protection measures in the state constitution, Wisconsin voters can have more trust and confidence in the voting process as they move forward.
The passage of these ballot measures was commended by Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, as a step towards banning private influence on election administration in all states. Snead emphasized the need to prevent private influence schemes like ZuckBucks, which can lead to distrust in election outcomes. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that moneyed interests have no impact on how elections are administered. The amendments in Wisconsin mark a significant move towards safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process by eliminating outside financial influence.
In conclusion, the approval of Wisconsin’s constitutional amendments banning private funds in election administration reflects a commitment to preserving the integrity of the voting process and preventing undue influence from wealthy individuals or organizations. By moving to restrict outside funding sources and enshrining these protections in the state constitution, Wisconsin voters have taken a significant step towards ensuring fair and transparent elections in the future. This decision has been met with both support from various organizations and criticism from those concerned about the potential impact on election administration. Overall, the move to ban “Zuckerbucks” in Wisconsin represents a broader effort to safeguard the democratic process from undue outside influence.
