Wong Maye-E/AP/File
Poll workers sort through early voting and absentee ballots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Nov. 3, 2020.
CNN
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Wisconsin voters approved two election-related amendments to the state constitution, handing a victory to Republican lawmakers who have been pushing to change voting rules in the battleground state ahead of November’s presidential election.
Vote to ban the use of private money in election administration refers to funds donated to a nonprofit that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan ultimately supported, dubbed “Zuckerbucks.” This signifies a victory for conservative activists who have been criticizing the situation. Government authorities across the country will hold 2020 elections amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The one-time $350 million contribution includes approximately $10 million going to jurisdictions in Wisconsin. Grants administrators noted that all communities that applied for this funding received it and said partisanship played no role in decision-making.
But opponents say the money helped boost Democratic turnout that year, especially in the state’s largest cities, and tainted the 2020 election results that flipped Wisconsin from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. He claims to have formed it.
That year, Biden won Wisconsin by less than 21,000 votes.
Following President Trump’s loss in 2020, he and his allies have repeatedly made baseless claims that election fraud contributed to his loss in the Badger State.
Since the 2020 election, more than 20 states have banned, restricted or regulated individual campaign contributions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A legislative effort in Wisconsin was vetoed by the state’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, blocking election changes passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Wisconsin voters also approved another constitutional amendment Tuesday that would allow only officials designated by state law to administer elections. Supporters argued it was necessary to prevent outside consultants from participating in the process.
Opponents say the measure could have unintended consequences, including potentially preventing local officials from accepting donated supplies or using privately-owned buildings as polling places. Additionally, they point out that a ballot question does not guarantee an increase in government funding to support election operations if private funding sources are limited.
