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In 2020, Joe Biden secured 22% of 11,391 votes, compared to the 20% votes earned by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Grants to voting officials, funded almost entirely by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, weren’t offered in 2016.
In Kentucky, Democrat turnout rose 22.9% in areas which received the funding, while increasing 22% in areas which did not.
The Republican Party earned 9.8% more votes in Kentucky districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 9.5% in jurisdictions without similar funding.
Support for Trump increased in Spencer 0% in 2020.
There were 2,037 more votes cast in Spencer in the 2020 election than in 2016.
Spencer was one of 43 Kentucky areas where voting officials received money from the progressive Centre for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). A $350 million donation from Facebook founder Zuckerberg and his wife provided funding for the grants.
Grants from the organization, ranging from $5,000 to $19 million, were given to voting officials in exchange for specific conditions being followed. This included strategically targeting voters, creating ballots and developing what are known as “cure letters” to correct ballots at risk of being thrown out for discrepancies in signatures.
The influx of private money on such a large scale was criticized throughout the contentious 2020 election.
The CTCL was sued by Louisiana’s Attorney General in October 2021 “to prevent the injection of unregulated private money...and protect the integrity of elections in the State.” The lawsuit wasn’t allowed to proceed by a State judge.
Criticism of the CTCL also stemmed from favoring “predominantly Democratic counties” and even gave them a headstart to apply for funding, according to emails obtained through Right-to-Know requests.
“Mark Zuckerberg is providing nearly as much money to this year’s election administration as the federal government,” Phil Kline with the Amistad Project said in a late October 2020 press release.
The US government, in the run-up to the 2020 election, was criticized for underfunding the electoral process at a critical time.
| Area | Received CTCL Funding? | % Change in Republican Support | % Change in Democratic Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Yes | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Ballard | Yes | 1.7 | 0.5 |
| Bell | Yes | 0.7 | 0 |
| Boone | Yes | 2.1 | 4.7 |
| Bourbon | Yes | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Calloway | Yes | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Campbell | Yes | 1.8 | 4.5 |
| Christian | Yes | 1.2 | 2 |
| Clark | Yes | 2 | 3.6 |
| Clay | Yes | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Clinton | Yes | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Crittenden | Yes | 1 | 1.8 |
| Daviess | Yes | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Franklin | Yes | 1 | 2.7 |
| Grant | Yes | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Graves | Yes | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Greenup | Yes | 0 | 1 |
| Hart | Yes | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| Henderson | Yes | 1 | 2.4 |
| Henry | Yes | 1.7 | 0.4 |
| Hopkins | Yes | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| Jackson | Yes | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Jefferson | Yes | 2.4 | 4.2 |
| Kenton | Yes | 2.3 | 5 |
| Madison | Yes | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| Magoffin | Yes | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Marion | Yes | 4.9 | 2.8 |
| Mason | Yes | 0.6 | 2 |
| McCracken | Yes | 2.2 | 3.8 |
| Menifee | Yes | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Monroe | Yes | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Montgomery | Yes | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Muhlenberg | Yes | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Ohio | Yes | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Oldham | Yes | 4 | 6.3 |
| Pendleton | Yes | 2.1 | 0.5 |
| Rowan | Yes | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Scott | Yes | 2.1 | 4 |
| Spencer | Yes | 0.2 | 1.7 |
| Trigg | Yes | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Union | Yes | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Warren | Yes | 3 | 4.9 |
| Webster | Yes | 1 | 2.1 |
| Adair County | No | 2.4 | 0.2 |
| Allen County | No | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Barren County | No | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| Bath County | No | 3.6 | 1.7 |
| Boyd County | No | 0.7 | 3.1 |
| Boyle County | No | 0.8 | 3.5 |
| Bracken County | No | 3.2 | 1.1 |
| Breathitt County | No | 5.7 | -3.8 |
| Breckinridge County | No | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Bullitt County | No | 0.5 | 2.2 |
| Butler County | No | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| Caldwell County | No | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Carlisle County | No | 1.3 | 1 |
| Carroll County | No | 4.3 | 1.7 |
| Carter County | No | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| Casey County | No | 1 | 0.9 |
| Cumberland County | No | 7.5 | -5.1 |
| Edmonson County | No | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Elliott County | No | 5.1 | -2.1 |
| Estill County | No | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Fayette County | No | 3.2 | 8.1 |
| Fleming County | No | 2.9 | 0.7 |
| Floyd County | No | 2.4 | -0.5 |
| Fulton County | No | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Gallatin County | No | 3.6 | 1.1 |
| Garrard County | No | 2 | 0.1 |
| Grayson County | No | -1.6 | 4.4 |
| Green County | No | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Hancock County | No | 3.7 | 0.5 |
| Hardin County | No | 1.5 | 4.7 |
| Harlan County | No | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Harrison County | No | 1.7 | 1 |
| Hickman County | No | 1.1 | 0 |
| Jessamine County | No | 1.2 | 6.3 |
| Johnson County | No | 1.2 | 2.7 |
| Knott County | No | 0.9 | 1 |
| Knox County | No | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Larue County | No | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Laurel County | No | 0.4 | 2 |
| Lawrence County | No | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Lee County | No | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Leslie County | No | 0 | 0.3 |
| Letcher County | No | -0.9 | 2.8 |
| Lewis County | No | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Lincoln County | No | 1 | 1.1 |
| Livingston County | No | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Logan County | No | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Lyon County | No | 2.9 | 0.5 |
| Marshall County | No | -0.1 | 2.9 |
| Martin County | No | -0.3 | 1.1 |
| McCreary County | No | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| McLean County | No | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| Meade County | No | 1.4 | 1 |
| Mercer County | No | -3.7 | 6.7 |
| Metcalfe County | No | 3.4 | -1.7 |
| Morgan County | No | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| Nelson County | No | 3 | 0 |
| Nicholas County | No | 2 | 0.4 |
| Owen County | No | 3.8 | 1.1 |
| Owsley County | No | 4.3 | -3.2 |
| Perry County | No | -0.6 | 2 |
| Pike County | No | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Powell County | No | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Pulaski County | No | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Robertson County | No | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| Rockcastle County | No | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Russell County | No | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| Shelby County | No | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| Simpson County | No | 0 | 2.2 |
| Taylor County | No | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Todd County | No | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Trimble County | No | 1.8 | 0.3 |
| Washington County | No | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Wayne County | No | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Whitley County | No | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Wolfe County | No | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Woodford County | No | 1.8 | 6.4 |
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