Louisiana voters have resoundingly decided on the future of public election funding in their state.
A substantial 72.6% of participants endorsed a constitutional amendment to prohibit the use of private funds, widely referred to as “Zuckerbucks,” in the election administration.
The remaining 27.4% voted against the amendment.
This decision comes in the wake of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) allocating close to $350 million to local election offices in 2020, primarily from a donation by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
Although CTCL insists their financial support was non-partisan and aimed at ensuring safer voting during the pandemic, an investigation led by House Republicans suggests otherwise.
The study revealed that less than 1% of the funds were spent on personal protective equipment, with a significant portion channeled towards voter engagement and registration campaigns.
Many argue that this financial support was skewed towards Democratic areas, potentially influencing the 2020 election results in favor of Biden.
This concern has prompted 25 states to either restrict or ban the inclusion of such private funds in their election mechanisms.
The Capital Research Center highlights that numerous counties have also implemented comparable bans or restrictions.
Notably, Louisiana had received a sum of $1,128,000 from CTCL in 2020.
Governor John Bel Edwards (D) of Louisiana vetoed a bill in 2021 that aimed to prohibit “Zuckerbucks.”
While a similar bill was successfully passed by the state House the following year, it encountered resistance in the state Senate.
Louisiana’s decision to use a constitutional amendment to address this issue marks a first, making it the 27th state to implement such a ban.
Prior to Louisiana, North Carolina had also clamped down on the use of these funds, even overturning a governor’s veto to do so.
Wisconsin is currently considering offering its citizens a constitutional amendment in the April 2024 primary election.
This would address the controversial “Zuckerbucks,” especially since their Democratic governor has already vetoed two legislative bills on the matter.
Several figures have hailed Louisiana’s recent constitutional amendment.
Ken Cuccinelli, chair of the Election Transparency Initiative, commented, “Elections should never be privatized in Louisiana or anywhere else, and we’re pleased that voters resoundingly decided to ban ‘Zuckerbucks’ once and for all at the polls.”
Cuccinelli, further praised Louisiana’s initiative, stating, “Louisiana has joined a movement of more than two dozen states declaring that elections should never be privatized, and we’re pleased that voters acted resoundingly to ban ‘Zuckerbucks’ once and for all after the governor’s politically motivated veto.”
He further lauded the House and Senate for championing this “critical anti-corruption amendment which let voters decide whether the campaign financing scheme should be allowed to pollute Louisiana’s elections.”
Similarly, Andy Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, expressed pride in contributing to the effort that makes it “illegal for foreign or private money to be used in elections.”
