The Zuckerberg Foundation Grants Aid to Assist with the Upcoming Election
- Author: Monica Jackson
- Posted: 2024-06-16
One such agency is the Center for Tech and Civic Life or better known as the CTCL. Its headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois. The agency began operations in 2012. Zuckerberg donated $250 million to the non-profit organization.
The mission statement of the CTCL is to help underserved jurisdictions increase voter turnout even in the face of the pandemic. What is so remarkable about the CTCL is that it was founded by previous Democratic elected nominees from the Obama administration.
In turn, the organization has donated millions of dollars to other organizations whose focus is to maximize voter turnout in other disadvantaged regions. At least 12 cities have received significant grants in a few of the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. A few examples are listed below.
- Delaware County, Pennsylvania: $2,200,000
- Flint, Michigan: $475,000
- Lansing, Michigan: $440,000
- East Lansing, Michigan: $8,500
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: $10,000,000
- Racine, Wisconsin: $942,000
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $2,154,000
- Green Bay, Wisconsin: $1,093,000
- Kenosha, Wisconsin: $862,000
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: $3,000,000
Zuckerberg has unleashed most of his private non-profit election grants just two months before the national election. The congressional gridlock has prevented much-needed aid in reaching states to make sure elections are fair and safe.
The infused funds have been a lifeline to other rural American cities. Many jurisdictions lack the funds to guarantee that the forthcoming election has vital safety measures to protect voters from crowded spreader events. Election polling officials are applying for the private grants at a break-neck pace.
At this point, more than 2,000 polling and election offices have applied for the funds through the CTCL. The demand has been so strong that the CTCL had to expand the time period for election offices to apply for the funds. The application timeline to apply for these specialized grants is from October 1 to October 15.
The boosted aid has increased governmental and other non-profit coffers for at least 30% to 40%. Furthermore, Zuckerberg is constantly increasing funds as more aid is doled out to at-need organizations.
Conservative areas of America are also taking advantage of Zuckerberg's generosity. Dallas County, Texas, has obtained a grant for $10,000,000. Union City, a coastal fishing town in Maine, has received a small grant for $5,000.
Opposition
However, all this extra aid has not been without controversy. The CTCL faces several lawsuits from public interest law firms who seek to stop non-profit organizations from receiving these grants.
The Amistad law agency has filed a lawsuit against the CTCL. Amistad is accusing the CTCL that it is only dispersing aid to areas that are swing states and districts where Democratic turnout is low.
The lawsuit also states that cities and counties applying for aid for their local governments are prohibited from doing so without approval from their states' legislatures. The complaint came about in the federal law from Bush v. Gore.
The attorneys for Amistad stated that governmental targeted relief is akin to voter suppression. The philanthropic acts produce unequal access and protections that are inherently available under the law.
Private philanthropy has a way of blocking the lead that should only belong to states. Some even think that Zuckerberg may be trying to influence the election according to his political convictions.
Notwithstanding national intervention, there would be a boisterous outcry if an agency like the National Rifle Association engaged in such political behavior by donating $250 million to private non-profits to affect election outcomes.
According to the attorney Kline, the management of elections must not have any outside objectives by being completely clear of biases. Non-profit entities should not play favorites.
The CTCL plans on defending themselves from such allegations. The allocation of private funds was not contingent upon political affiliation. Organizations were chosen based on financial need and not voter demographics.
It will take time for the courts to make a decision which will probably occur after the election. In the meantime, CTCL continues to grant awards to various non-profit groups.
