Old North News

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of legislation banning election officials from accepting private donations to underwrite the administration of elections has one conservative elections analyst questioning his motives.

“One might ask why Gov. Cooper would veto such a common-sense bill that returns the belief in the neutrality of government in running elections,” Ken Cuccinelli, the national chairman of Election Transparency Initiative (ETI) and former Republican Virginia attorney general, told Old North News. “Unfortunately, it is hard to come up with a well-intentioned answer to that question.”

Cuccinelli describes himself as spending more than 20 years fighting "on the front lines of the conservative movement."  

The legislation was in response to reports that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated nearly $400 million to a nonprofit group, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which then granted the money to election officials who promised to follow a list of voting recommendations, including the heavy promotion of mail ballots and drop boxes. 

Although CTCL billed itself as nonpartisan group promoting safe and secure elections, its grant money went disproportionately to Democratic areas, and its staff is made up of former Democratic operatives, critics argue.

In his veto message, Cooper focused on the increased election safety afforded by the private donations.

“Elections are fundamental to our democracy, and in 2020 grants from nonpartisan nonprofits were needed for necessities such as masks, single-use pens and other protective equipment so voters stayed safe during the pandemic,” Cooper said. “The legislature should start properly funding elections boards to ensure accessible, safe and secure elections every time, which would end the need for grants.”

The North Carolina State Board of Elections last year received a CTCL grant of $1 million to buy 6 million single-use pens that were distributed to all 100 counties for use at voting sites, according to the Salisbury Post. The board also spent $2.28 million of CTCL money to provide bonuses to more than 10,000 workers across counties who staffed one-stop early voting sites.

And the election board received a $1.4 million grant from the Center for Election Innovation & Research, another Zuckerberg beneficiary, to send out direct mailings about absentee voting procedures.

An extensive investigation by the Capital Research Center (CRC) shows that the Zuckerberg money influenced the turnout in battleground states in the 2020 general election.

In Georgia, for instance, CTCL funded all four of the counties that delivered Biden votes in six-figures, according to a CRC report.

“Of the 29 counties won by Biden that delivered him votes in five-figures, CTCL funded 19, or 66%," the report said. “Biden carried 33 counties that delivered him votes in five- and six-figures, and 70% received CTCL grants.”

“It would seem Gov. Cooper wants this bad behavior to continue, despite the incredible destruction it does to North Carolinians confidence in their own elections,” Cuccinelli said.