Wisconsin voters resoundingly said “No” to outside influence in their elections on Tuesday night by supporting Questions 1 and 2 which would ban the use of private funds for election administration.
Questions 1 and 2, which passed by margins of 54% and 58%, respectively, mean outside private, third-party grants are not allowed in Wisconsin’s elections and the state must use only those public officials who are authorized by law to administer elections. These changes are now part of the Wisconsin Constitution.
The concern for Wisconsin’s elections arose as the result of an influx of millions of private dollars designated for election administration made their way into the state in 2020. The funds were financed primarily by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg through his Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) organization. According to research from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), “This funding went disproportionately to Democratic areas in Wisconsin” and resulted in thousands of additional votes for Joe Biden throughout the state.
In an April 2 statement on the election results, WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg said, “The administration of our elections should be fair, impartial, and free from outside influence. With today’s results, voters sent a clear message that they want to keep private money out of election administration. Today, Wisconsin becomes the 28th state to approve a measure to keep private funding out of impartial election administration.”
The grassroots were out in force to help accomplish this huge victory, including AMAC members. AMAC Action devised a two-part strategy to activate over 48,100 members in Wisconsin. First, a statewide call-to-action detailing these issues and urging members to get out the vote was deployed. This activity was followed-up with a statewide AMAC Action Chapter meeting emphasizing these issues.
AMAC Action’s Manager of Advocacy Support, Terri Haverly said, “We explained these issues as part of our agenda for the meeting and encouraged the 116 participants to talk about them with family, friends, co-workers, and everyone else in their social circles. We also provided a handout to give participants talking points. This is the beauty of AMAC Action state chapters, we can address local issues quickly and thoroughly.”
This satisfying victory largely results from engaged citizens getting involved in local issues. This is the kind of activity AMAC Action facilitates with members throughout the country, and it is AMAC members’ care and concern for their state and country that consistently drives these victories. Stay engaged!
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