A Minnesota county has accepted a $20,000 grant from a left-wing dark money group notable for its interference in the 2020 election to the benefit of Democrats.
During its Aug. 20 meeting, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners voted to acquire the monies from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). The left-wing organization is widely known for pouring hundreds of millions of dollars from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into local election offices during the 2020 election cycle. These “Zuckbucks” were used to expand unsecure election practices and were heavily skewed toward Democrat-majority counties, essentially making it a massive, privately funded Democrat get-out-the-vote operation.
Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in Nobles County by a 30.7-point margin in the 2020 contest.
Notes of the commissioners’ meeting indicate the locality applied for the grant on Aug. 14 under CTCL’s “2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program.” As The Federalist’s Logan Washburn previously reported, the new grants are directed at “eligible rural and nonmetro election offices” and “can be used for ‘key human, physical, and technological assets’ the Department of Homeland Security considers ‘necessary to conduct elections.’”
The grants were offered to states in which private election funding is legal.
Minnesota Senate Republicans introduced a bill in 2022 prohibiting local officials from accepting “a contribution, in any form, from a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization made for the purpose of paying expenses associated with conducting a federal, state, or local election.” The measure died in the State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee without receiving a vote.
CTCL dumped nearly $7.2 million “Zuckbucks” into Minnesota during the 2020 election, according to the Capital Research Center.
A copy of Nobles County’s grant application indicates Auditor-Treasurer Joyce Jacobs applied for the funds on behalf of the locality. The completed document forfeits various points of information about Nobles County’s election operations requested by CTCL, including the size of its election team, how many “active registered voters” it has as of July 1, and a copy of its most recent elections budget.
Jacobs noted that the $20,000 requested by the county would be used to “purchase and install cameras and viewing capabilities so that citizens can view the election processes that takes place in our office with the focus on the ballot board activities.”
“We want to provide transparency for our voters but also create a safe environment for our staff so installing cameras and viewing screens will allow us to continue to process ballots in a secure area while allowing citizens to view the ballot board in action,” Jacobs wrote. “The viewing screens in the halls will also allow us to communicate messages to the public about voting information and upcoming elections. Installing cameras in the halls and at entrances will also allow us to better serve the public and observe any activities of concern from the safety of our internal office areas.”
The auditor-treasurer also noted the locality is “considering hiring security for after the polls close on election night” on the advice of its county attorney and affirmed interest in being notified of future CTCL grant opportunities.
CTCL Co-founder and Executive Director Tiana Epps-Johnson later sent a notice and grant agreement informing Board of Commissioners Chair Justin Ahlers that Jacobs’ application for the $20,000 was approved. The group asked that Jacobs follow all applicable laws and use the funds for their intended purpose when signing for the grant.
Jacobs did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on whether she felt it is appropriate for Nobles County to accept grant money from CTCL given its history of partisan interference in U.S. elections. Nor did she respond when pressed on how much money the locality received from CTCL during the 2020 election cycle or whether it’s received any other funds from the group in the years since.
Following CTCL’s interference in the 2020 contest, 28 states have prohibited or restricted the use of private money in elections. In an effort to skirt these laws, CTCL launched the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, an $80 million, five-year venture aimed at “systematically influen[ing] every aspect of election administration” and advancing Democrat-backed voting policies in local election offices.
The Alliance’s membership has steadily declined since its 2022 launch, with five counties exiting the coalition within the last year alone.
Jacobs did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on whether Nobles County is a member of the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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