Wisconsin Voters Approve GOP-Backed Amendment To Ban Private Funding For Elections – By Leif Le Mahieu (Daily Wire) / April 3, 2024
Voters in Wisconsin approved two election-related amendments to the State Constitution on Tuesday, including one that bans the use of private money for election administration.
The Republican-backed amendments came after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg spent millions backing groups that funded election administration in counties across the country, including in Wisconsin, during the 2020 election. Critics argued that the massive amount of election funding distributed to non-profit groups, known as “Zuckerbucks,” unfairly benefited Democrat-dominated counties.
The initiative to ban private funding, Question 1, passed with 54% of the vote in favor and nearly 46% against. A section will now be added to the State Constitution that says “private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum,” The Hill reported.
The second initiative, Question 2, defined who can administer various aspects of elections. It passed with nearly 59% supporting and 41% opposed. It stipulated that “only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums.”