Private Grants for State's Elections the Focus of Elections Committees

Thursday, October 26th, 2023 -- 2:00 PM

(Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Private grants to help local governments with the costs of elections, long scrutinized by Republicans and those who have questioned the 2020 election, were again the focus of a joint meeting of the Assembly and Senate elections committees Tuesday.

According to Hope Karnopp with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, lawmakers discussed one measure that reflects Republicans' past scrutiny of $8.8 million in private grants mostly allotted to the state's five largest cities, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha, to help them administer elections safely during the 2020 election, which was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cities used the funding to purchase ballot drop boxes, mail information about voting to the public and provide PPE to poll workers and pay them higher wages, for example. Courts have rejected lawsuits over the grants and affirmed President Joe Biden's win in Wisconsin.

Bipartisan members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission also threw out challenges to the grants. Republicans questioned the grants from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which were financed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife and went to cities that are concentrated with Democratic voters.

Twenty-four states have prohibited, limited or regulated the use of private funds for elections administration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republicans noted municipalities just received an influx in shared revenue funding that could help them with elections administration, and the Legislature's finance committee could consider motions to help municipalities meet costs.

Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said funding also went to about 200 other municipalities, even if the bulk of the money went to the five largest cities. He said the finance committee rejected funding for electronic poll books during the budget process.

A bipartisan bill would help counties and municipalities with the costs of special elections for open Assembly and Senate seats, for example, which can come as a surprise and strain local governments. That bill already passed the Senate with only one vote against and could get a full Assembly vote soon.

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