{"id":2331749,"date":"2024-08-27T13:29:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T17:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-county-accepts-20k-grant-from-zuckbucks-group\/"},"modified":"2024-08-27T13:32:20","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T17:32:20","slug":"minnesota-county-accepts-20k-grant-from-zuckbucks-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-county-accepts-20k-grant-from-zuckbucks-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota County Accepts $20K Grant From &#8216;Zuckbucks&#8217; Group"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-county-accepts-20k-grant-from-zuckbucks-group%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2331749&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Minnesota county has accepted a $20,000 grant from \u2064the Center for Tech \u2063and Civic Life (CTCL), a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/antifa-leftists-get-censored-by-social-media-platforms\/\" title=\"Antifa, leftists get censored by social media platforms\">left-wing organization<\/a> known for its involvement\u2062 in\u2063 the \u200b2020 \u200delection. The Nobles County \u200dBoard of Commissioners\u200b approved the grant during an August 20\u2064 meeting, with the funds aimed at enhancing election \u2063transparency\u200b and security, such as installing cameras for public viewing of election processes.<\/p>\n<p>CTCL is recognized for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-gop-rep-sponsors-bill-to-strip-qatar-of-ally-status-unless-they-kick-out-hamas-leaders\/\" title=\"Tennessee GOP Rep Sponsors Bill To Strip Qatar Of Ally Status Unless They Kick Out Hamas Leaders\">significant financial\u2064 support<\/a> it provided during the\u2063 last election, funded \u200cby Meta \u200cCEO Mark Zuckerberg, which critics label &#8220;Zuckbucks.&#8221; These funds were primarily\u2062 directed toward helping Democrat-majority \u200dcounties, raising concerns\u2064 about election integrity and private influence in public elections.<\/p>\n<p>Despite legislation proposed in \u200cMinnesota to prohibit such private funding of\u2062 elections, \u2062the bill did not progress.\u200c The jurisdiction applied \u2062for the CTCL grant under\u200c its \u200d&#8221;2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election \u2063Infrastructure Grant Program,&#8221; \u200cwhich is designed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/infamous-zuckbucks-group-tries-to-election-meddle-again-this-time-with-federal-tax-dollars\/\" title=\"Notorious &#039;Zuckbucks&#039; Group Attempts Election Interference Again, Now with Federal Funds\">assist election offices<\/a>\u2064 in making necessary improvements. The\u200b Nobles County funds will focus on security and transparency measures, such as the \u200cinstallation of cameras \u2062and communication screens to inform the public about voting-related information.\u200c <\/p>\n<p>As with past instances, acceptance of these grants has\u200b sparked debate about\u2062 the potential for partisan influence in local electoral processes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/08\/localimages\/File-3AWelcome_to_Minnesota_Sign_-2824701001473-29.jpg\">Tony Webster\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/27\/minnesota-county-accepts-20000-grant-from-zuckbucks-group-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Minnesota%20County%20Accepts%20%2420,000%20Grant%20From%20%E2%80%98Zuckbucks%E2%80%99%20Group%20Ahead%20Of%202024%20Election&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/27\/minnesota-county-accepts-20000-grant-from-zuckbucks-group-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Minnesota%20County%20Accepts%20%2420,000%20Grant%20From%20%E2%80%98Zuckbucks%E2%80%99%20Group%20Ahead%20Of%202024%20Election&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/27\/minnesota-county-accepts-20000-grant-from-zuckbucks-group-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/27\/minnesota-county-accepts-20000-grant-from-zuckbucks-group-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Minnesota%20County%20Accepts%20%2420,000%20Grant%20From%20%E2%80%98Zuckbucks%E2%80%99%20Group%20Ahead%20Of%202024%20Election&amp;body=CTCL%20dumped%20nearly%20%247.2%20million%20'Zuckbucks'%20into%20Minnesota%20during%20the%202020%20election.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/27\/minnesota-county-accepts-20000-grant-from-zuckbucks-group-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>During its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.co.nobles.mn.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AGENDA-7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aug. 20 meeting<\/a>, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners voted to acquire the monies from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/center-for-tech-and-civic-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL)<\/a>. The left-wing organization is widely known for pouring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techandciviclife.org\/100m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hundreds of millions of dollars<\/a> from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-zuckerberg-broke-law-with-dropboxes\/\" title=\"Trump: Zuckerberg &#039;Broke Law&#039; with Dropboxes\">local election offices<\/a> during the 2020 election cycle. These &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/10\/12\/the-2020-election-wasnt-stolen-it-was-bought-by-mark-zuckerberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Zuckbucks<\/a>&rdquo; 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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d6c7f04d3c56df20a9c47eeab1911e31 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d6c7f04d3c56df20a9c47eeab1911e31\"><\/div>\n<p>Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in Nobles County by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/2020-election\/results\/minnesota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30.7-point margin<\/a> in the 2020 contest. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.co.nobles.mn.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AGENDA-7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Notes<\/a> of the commissioners&rsquo; meeting indicate the locality applied for the grant on Aug. 14 under CTCL&rsquo;s &ldquo;2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program.&rdquo; As The Federalist&rsquo;s Logan Washburn previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/02\/here-we-go-again-zuckbucks-group-announces-plans-to-dump-more-cash-into-election-offices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techandciviclife.org\/our-work\/election-officials\/grants\/2024grants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grants<\/a>&nbsp;are directed at &ldquo;eligible rural and nonmetro election offices&rdquo; and &ldquo;can be used for &lsquo;key human, physical, and technological assets&rsquo; the Department of Homeland Security considers &lsquo;necessary to conduct elections.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The grants were offered to states in which private election funding is legal.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota Senate Republicans introduced a <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MN\/text\/SF3333\/id\/2523225\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bill<\/a> in 2022 prohibiting local officials from accepting &ldquo;a contribution, in any form, from a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization&#8203; made for the purpose of paying expenses associated with conducting a federal, state, or&#8203; local election.&rdquo; The measure died in the State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee without receiving a vote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4ba75de5f647fc754e910dc9ce95bacf fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4ba75de5f647fc754e910dc9ce95bacf\"><\/div>\n<p>CTCL dumped nearly $7.2 million &ldquo;Zuckbucks&rdquo; into Minnesota during the 2020 election, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/article\/which-states-did-ctcl-flood-with-zuck-bucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Capital Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A copy of Nobles County&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.co.nobles.mn.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AGENDA-7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grant application<\/a> 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&rsquo;s election operations requested by CTCL, including the size of its election team, how many &ldquo;active registered voters&rdquo; it has as of July 1, and a copy of its most recent elections budget.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs noted that the $20,000 requested by the county would be used to &ldquo;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.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Jacobs wrote. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-040474ec8648e28c42f4e45e2cb1eabe fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-040474ec8648e28c42f4e45e2cb1eabe\"><\/div>\n<p>The auditor-treasurer also noted the locality is &ldquo;considering hiring security for after the polls close on election night&rdquo; on the advice of its county attorney and affirmed interest in being notified of future CTCL grant opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>CTCL Co-founder and Executive Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/tiana-epps-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tiana Epps-Johnson<\/a> later sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.co.nobles.mn.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AGENDA-7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notice and grant agreement<\/a> informing Board of Commissioners Chair Justin Ahlers that Jacobs&rsquo; 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. <\/p>\n<p>Jacobs did not respond to The Federalist&rsquo;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&rsquo;s received any other funds from the group in the years since. <\/p>\n<p>Following CTCL&rsquo;s interference in the 2020 contest, <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/article\/states-banning-zuck-bucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">28 states<\/a> have prohibited or restricted the use of private money in elections. In an effort to skirt these laws, CTCL launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-alliance-for-election-excellence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence<\/a>, an $80 million, five-year venture <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/20\/inside-democrats-newest-election-takeover-scheme-report-unmasks-dark-money-group-youve-probably-never-heard-of\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aimed<\/a> at &ldquo;systematically influen[ing] every aspect of election administration&rdquo; and advancing Democrat-backed voting policies in local election offices. <\/p>\n<p>The Alliance&rsquo;s membership has steadily declined since its 2022 launch, with <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/17\/scotland-county-missouri-becomes-latest-locality-to-ditch-zuckbucks-2-0-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five counties<\/a> exiting the coalition within the last year alone.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs did not respond to The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment on whether Nobles County is a member of the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1030c14e0b3b8e813006e56074d5c927 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1030c14e0b3b8e813006e56074d5c927\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      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<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020 Election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/center-for-tech-and-civic-life\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Center for Tech and Civic Life<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ctcl\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CTCL<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Minnesota<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nobles-county\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Nobles County<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/private-election-funding\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">private election funding<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/private-funding\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">private funding<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/zuckbucks\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Zuckbucks<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A county in Minnesota has received a $20,000 grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a left-leaning organization known for its involvement in the 2020 election that favored Democrats. During their meeting on August 20, the Nobles County Board of Commissioners approved this funding. CTCL gained notoriety for distributing hundreds of millions of dollars from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to local election offices during the 2020 election cycle, which critics labeled &#8220;Zuckbucks.&#8221; These funds were primarily allocated to Democrat-leaning counties and contributed to expanding less secure voting practices.<\/p>\n<p>In Nobles County, Donald Trump won against Joe Biden by a significant margin of 30.7 points in the 2020 election. The county applied for this grant on August 14 as part of CTCL&#8217;s &#8220;2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program,&#8221; which aims to support rural and nonmetropolitan election offices with necessary resources deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n<p>In response to concerns about private funding in elections, Minnesota Senate Republicans proposed legislation in 2022 that would prevent local officials from accepting contributions from businesses or nonprofits intended for electoral expenses; however, this bill did not advance past committee review.<\/p>\n<p>CTCL had previously invested nearly $7.2 million into Minnesota during the last presidential election cycle. According to documents related to Nobles County\u2019s application, Auditor-Treasurer Joyce Jacobs sought these funds specifically for purchasing and installing cameras and viewing capabilities aimed at enhancing transparency during elections while ensuring staff safety.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs expressed that these installations would allow citizens visibility into ballot processing activities while also facilitating communication regarding voting information through screens placed in public areas. Additionally, she mentioned considering hiring security personnel after polls close based on legal advice received.<\/p>\n<p>Following approval from CTCL co-founder Tiana Epps-Johnson regarding Jacobs&#8217; application, she was reminded to adhere strictly to applicable laws when utilizing these funds. Jacobs did not provide comments when asked about her views on accepting money from CTCL given its partisan history or whether Nobles County had previously received any other grants from them since the last election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>After CTCL&#8217;s involvement in past elections led many states\u201428 so far\u2014to restrict private funding sources for electoral processes, they initiated an $80 million project called the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence aimed at influencing local electoral administration towards Democrat-supported policies; however, membership has been declining since its inception with several counties withdrawing recently.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs also did not respond when questioned about whether Nobles County is affiliated with this alliance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2331750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Welcome_to_Minnesota_Sign_24701001473.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8394,39423,5581,5698],"class_list":["post-2331749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-zuckbucks","tag-county-funding","tag-grant","tag-minnesota"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Welcome_to_Minnesota_Sign_24701001473.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2331749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2331750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2331749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2331749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2331749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}