The Sconi

Concerned by the influence of millions in private dollars in the administration of the November 2020 elections, the Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that bans state officials from accepting private funds.

The legislation, SB 207, approved on a voice vote, was one in a package of four “election integrity” bills approved by the Republican-controlled Senate. An even larger package of election reform bills crafted in response to what some view as controversial election practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic is moving through the Legislature.

The sponsor of SB 207, Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville), said the legislation will protect Wisconsin elections from out-of-state billionaires who attempt to buy elections through election administration.

“Election administration is a sacred function of government and it should never be for sale,” Strobel said in a statement. “Out-of-state billionaires must never be the ones who pay for election administration in our state.”

The big money behind the donations to Wisconsin officials, and those in other battleground states, was from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

Zuckerberg funneled $350 million through a self-proclaimed nonpartisan group, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a group run by former Democratic Party operatives.

An ongoing state-by-state analysis by the independent Capital Research Center of how the Zuckerberg money was distributed shows that CTCL assisted a Democratic get-out-the-vote campaign. The larger percentage of the money went to heavily Democratic voting blocks in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other battleground states, the center said. 

Brian Sika, press secretary to Stroebel, told The Sconi they estimate at least $6 million to $7 million of the CTCL money was spent in Wisconsin. They are still counting, he added.

Also Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Assembly held a hearing on legislation that allows the use of private funds in the administration of election but mandates that the funds be distributed statewide on a per capita basis – not targeted at certain voting blocks.

Sikma predicted that either the Senate or the Assembly bill will make it to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, by late May.

The other bills approved by the Senate on Wednesday include SB 208, which increases transparency at the Wisconsin Elections Commission, SB 213, which expands enforcement options for election law violations, and SB 210, which establishes stronger protections for election and recount observers.