“Zuckerbucks” Were a Problem in the 2020 Election
- BY FGA
In 2020, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, spent more than $400 million
to influence elections across the country.
The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) received $350 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and provided “COVID-19 response” election administration grants to thousands of local election offices.
CTCL grants (or “Zuckerbucks”) were disproportionally siphoned to left-leaning counties to boost Democrat turnout and influence the outcome of 2020 elections.
HOW CTCL AND ZUCKERBUCKS INFLUENCED THE ELECTION
How funding from private individuals and third parties threatened election integrity:
- The grants gave outsiders a say in how the election was administered by allowing them to dictate how election offices spent funds.
- Targeted funds allowed election offices of CTCL’s choosing to spend more on voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts.
- By paying poll workers and furnishing election offices with new equipment, grants created a direct financial relationship between election administrators and a third party with special interests.
- Acceptance of private funding put pressure on grant recipients to allow CTCL-affiliated operatives to assist in election administration, including assisting with curing absentee ballots.
- Gave CTCL unprecedented access to ballot information, including daily reports of absentee ballot counts and the keys to at least one mail-in ballot storage room.
- The grants helped direct election officials toward CTCL-approved training and helped CTCL connect election officials with other left-leaning organizations to try and influence election practices.
PRIVATE DOLLARS
FOLLOWED DEMOCRATS
States where election results had great consequences were targeted for large Zuckerbucks grants—specifically counties or cities that leaned Democrat.
