Wisconsin voters approved two election-related amendments to the state constitution, banning the use of private money in election administration and allowing only officials designated by state law to administer elections. This marked a victory for Republican lawmakers, who have been pushing to alter voting rules in the battleground state ahead of the November presidential election. The ban on private money in election administration was particularly in response to the $350 million donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, which helped administrators around the country carry out the 2020 election during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opponents argued that the money unfairly shaped the 2020 election outcome in Wisconsin, flipping the state from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.
The one-time $350 million donation included roughly $10 million sent to Wisconsin jurisdictions, with grant administrators stating that any community that applied for the money received it and partisanship played no role in their decision-making. However, critics have claimed that the money helped boost Democratic turnout, particularly in the state’s largest cities, leading to Biden’s narrow victory of fewer than 21,000 votes. In the aftermath of Trump’s 2020 loss, he and his allies have made baseless claims of election fraud contributing to his defeat in Wisconsin. As a result, Wisconsin voters approved measures to restrict private donations for elections and designate only state law officials to administer elections.
In addition to banning private money in election administration, Wisconsin voters also approved a separate constitutional amendment to only allow designated officials to administer elections. Proponents argued that this was necessary to guard against outside consultants participating in the election process. Opponents, however, raised concerns about potential unintended consequences, such as potentially barring local clerks from accepting donated supplies or using privately owned buildings as polling places. They also noted that there were no guarantees of increased government funding to help run elections once private sources were restricted, potentially leading to resource challenges for election administration in the future.
The constitutional amendments in Wisconsin were part of a broader trend across the country, with more than two dozen states banning, limiting, or regulating private donations for elections since the 2020 contest. These efforts have been driven by concerns over the influence of outside money in elections and the need to ensure transparency and fairness in the election process. In Wisconsin, an earlier attempt to pass similar legislation was vetoed by the state’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who has blocked election changes proposed by the Republican-controlled legislature. The approval of these amendments signals a shift in election policy in Wisconsin and reflects ongoing debates about the role of money and external influences in elections.
Overall, the approval of the election-related constitutional amendments in Wisconsin reflects a broader national conversation about election integrity and the role of private money in influencing the electoral process. The measures to ban private donations for election administration and restrict participation to designated officials aim to address concerns about outside influence and ensure transparency and fairness in elections. While proponents see these measures as necessary safeguards to protect the integrity of the election process, opponents have raised concerns about potential unintended consequences and the need for increased government funding to support election administration once private sources are restricted. The approval of these amendments in Wisconsin marks a significant shift in election policy and raises important questions about the future of election administration in the state.
