Money And Politics - Mark Zuckerberg Story

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook.  As of September 2024, Mark Zuckerberg's net worth is approximately $180.5 billion, making him the third-richest person in the world.  

The Mark Zuckerberg Story has two parts when it comes to political involvement. 

First is the incredible donation of $ 450 Million in the 2020 election cycle.  Second is the censorship of Facebook posts that were negative towards Democrats, particularly Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife Priscilla, made the staggering donation of $ 450 Million dollars towards supporting election offices throughout the U.S.   

The Zuckerberg  donation was worth almost 13.5 % of all Democratic receipts, but the money did not go directly to the Democrat Party or candidates

For Perspective, the Democrats took in $ 3.5 Billion in donations for 2020. 

The donation was primarily directed to two small organizations:

CTCL:  Center for Tech and Civic Life

CEIR:   Center for Election Innovation and Research

Both are Democrat leaning organizations although they claim non-partisanship.

The stated purpose of the donation was to help local election officials meet challenges from COVID – 19,  and to help ensure that the 2020 election was conducted fairly and safely.

The donation also generated controversy.  

Critics argue that private funding of public elections could lead to perceived or actual bias, depending on how the funds are distributed.

Supporters, however, contend that the funds were crucial in helping election offices, many of which were underfunded and struggling with the additional challenges posed by the pandemic.

Here is how the $450 Million donation was split:

1. $350 million to CTCL to help local election offices manage the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including staffing, personal protective equipment, and voter education.

2. $69.5 million to the CEIR to assist states with voter outreach, education, and election security.

3. The remaining $30.5 million was funding distributed across smaller initiatives related to election support, but specific details about the allocation of this amount are not easily available.

The intent of the donation was stated as support for purchase of protective equipment for poll workers, expanding mail-in voting capabilities, securing voting locations, and promoting voter education and outreach. 

All good things, but how was $450 Million really spent.

Just exactly how these previously tiny organizations could manage that kind of money is unknown.

Following is an overview of the two tiny organizations who were suddenly swamped with massive amounts of money.

CTCL   

A nonprofit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to modernize and improve the administration of elections in the United States.  

CTCL provides training, tools, and resources to election officials to help them better manage elections and engage voters.

Tiana Epps-Johnson is the Chief Executive, a prominent figure in the field of election administration and civic technology.  Her work has intersected with issues that often align with Democratic interests, although she asserts that she is non-partisan.

Here is a history of the money donations CTCL has managed since its founding:

2015…………………     $         667,000

2016…………………     $         272,000

2017………………….    $         738,000

2018………………….    $         562,000

2019………………….    $      2,842,000

2020………………….    $  354,577,000

2021………………….    $    63,563,000

2022………………….    $    17,831,000

Look at it again.  In 2020, CTCL received 630 Times as much donation as in 2018 !

They received 125 times as much donation as they did in 2019, from the Zuckerberg’s.

How was their small staff prepared to handle such a huge influx of funding. 

You can bet they received some “guiding help” as to how this much money was distributed.

Surely it was not all spent on Covid related masks and protective screens at the election centers.

CEIR

The CEIR (Center for Election Innovation & Research) is a non-profit organization that focuses on improving election administration and promoting transparency in elections in the United States. CEIR works with election officials and other stakeholders to develop policies, tools, and practices to make elections more secure, accessible, and efficient.

David Becker is the Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR), a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on improving election integrity and administration in the United States. He established CEIR in 2016 to help counter declining voter turnout and address concerns about foreign interference.

Becker has held positions at the Department of Justice and worked with organizations like Pew Charitable Trusts. He maintains a nonpartisan stance in his professional role, though his actions are more aligned with Democrat advocacy.

Here is a history of the money donations CEIR has managed since its founding:

2016…………………     $         268,000

2017………………….    $         798,000

2018………………….    $         850,000

2019………………….    $         920,000

2020………………….    $     56,704,000

2021………………….    $     23,375,000

2022………………….    $       2,529,000

In 2020, CEIR received 67 Times as much donation as in 2018 !

They received 62 Times as much donation as they did in 2019, all from the Zuckerberg’s. 

Again, we question how a small organization was able to manage the distribution of so much cash.

SUMMARY

With $ 450 Million in cash freely floating around the election system in 2020, there is no real accounting of how it was actually used.  That would take a team of forensic accountants a lifetime to figure out.

However, we can identify where this money was deployed among Cities and States in the U.S.   

Cogport will provide some of that information in the next Report .

Details about the Facebook censorship program will also be reported.

David Hollaender                  September 8, 2024

Cogport.com