Wisconsin, along with 27 other states, is working to make it more difficult for well-funded ideologues such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to interfere in elections.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers
exercised the right of veto Multiple efforts to keep so-called “Zuckerbacks” out of Badger State elections. The state’s Republican-controlled Legislature had believed that lawmakers would be able to pass the final decision on the issue to voters and pass a corresponding constitutional amendment on the April primary ballot.
of
first question On Tuesday’s ballot, voters were asked to amend Article III, Section 7, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution to allow all levels of government and all state employees to “apply for, receive money or equipment in connection with Should spending or use be prohibited? In connection with the conduct of a primary, election, or referendum, where funds or equipment are donated or granted by individuals or nongovernmental organizations. ”
The amendment was approved by the League of Wisconsin Voters, Wisconsin Election Integrity, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Freedom, and a variety of other groups dedicated to restoring voter confidence and protecting American elections from private interference. Upvoted by
critic Suspect Mr. Zuckerberg’s extensive funding for election administration during the pandemic has been anything but profitable. That money benefited then-candidate Joe Biden by thousands of votes in 2020. Most of the voter support funds went to strategically important leftist cities. “Zuckerberg’s illegal absentee ballot boxes scattered across Wisconsin” were especially helpful in helping Democrats, he said. He argued that the scheme amounted to a sophisticated way for left-leaning billionaires to circumvent campaign finance laws.
State Sen. Eric Winberger (R), the sponsor of this amendment, said:
was suggested Days before the vote, Republicans said they were “trying to make elections safer in Wisconsin by putting local election officials in charge of administering elections in Wisconsin, rather than out-of-state billionaires.”
“In recent elections, out-of-state billionaires have given grants to local governments in Wisconsin to influence and even control the administration of elections,” Winberger said. “But Wisconsin elections should not be run by privately funded, unaccountable out-of-state organizations. They should be run by local, nonpartisan officials and paid for by local communities. ”
State Representative Tyler August, another sponsor of the amendment, said:
Posted “In 2020 alone, the state of Wisconsin received more than $10 million in Zuckerbacks. 85% of that money was Towards five cities that are broadly Democratic: Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Green Bay. ”
NBC News
I got it. The $10 million from Zuckerberg and his wife was reportedly brokered by an organization Zuckerberg founded called the Center for Tech and Civic Life.
Democrats and other leftists opposed the amendment.
The ACLU of Wisconsin was one of the organizations that sided with billionaires and black money.
Says“Our democracy depends on local election officials having the staff and resources to do their jobs. stripped millions of dollars from the national budget to support the
The second question posed on Tuesday’s vote was whether the state constitution should be amended to “provide that only election officials designated by law may perform duties in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums.” It was a question of what to do.
The New York Times received more than 95% of the vote at the time of publication,
report 54.4% of voters answered “yes” to the first question and almost 59% of voters answered “yes” to the second question.
according to As of January, 27 states have enacted laws banning or restricting the use of private funds in election administration starting in 2021, according to Ballotpedia. Twenty-one of these states were controlled by Republicans.
After the vote, Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Simming said:
said, “Win! Wisconsin is speaking out, and the message is clear. Elections belong to voters, not out-of-state billionaires. Thanks to the efforts of the Wisconsin Republican Party and grassroots organizations, Wisconsin’s The people turned Zuckerbacks around and secured our election.” An election run by dark financiers. ”
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative group that supported the amendment, also celebrated Tuesday’s results.
“We need to ensure that our election administration is fair, impartial and free from outside influence. Today’s results send a clear message that voters do not want private funds in their election administration. ,” said Rick Esenberg, President and General Counsel of WILL.
Said In a statement. “Today, Wisconsin became the 28th state to approve a measure to remove private funding from the fair administration of elections.Whether on the left or the right, ensuring the fairness and integrity of elections is a common goal. It should be a priority.”
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