The Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which spent tens of millions of dollars boosting turnout in Democrat districts in 2020, is moving to help election officials secure Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants ahead of the 2024 election. FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) fund includes $701 million in competitive grants, ostensibly to protect public infrastructure against hazards such as floods — but the CTCL says it can also be used to “improve elections operations” as “elections are a critical service.”
The CTCL is leading a webinar series, starting January 25th, to help election officials apply for the FEMA grants and provide “inspiration for what the grant funds can be used for.” Previously, the CTCL used “Zuckerbucks” from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative to fund supposedly nonpartisan projects in collaboration with local officials to increase turnout.
These projects overwhelmingly benefited Democrat-leaning areas. Phillip Kline of the Amistad Project argues the spending was, therefore, illegal, as it resulted in some voters having more opportunities to vote and have their votes counted than others.
“[W] e’ve privatized our elections, that’s the problem,” Kline said of the involvement of actors like the CTCL in elections earlier this month.
“We have private resources in election offices… America’s been kicked out of the counting room, nonprofits, and billionaires have been invited in,” added the former Kansas Attorney General.