{"id":2350432,"date":"2024-10-03T19:33:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T23:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-election-chief-warns-of-zuckbucks-threat-in-wyoming\/"},"modified":"2024-10-03T19:33:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T23:33:53","slug":"exclusive-election-chief-warns-of-zuckbucks-threat-in-wyoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-election-chief-warns-of-zuckbucks-threat-in-wyoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Election Chief Warns Of &#8216;Zuckbucks&#8217; Threat In Wyoming"},"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\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" 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buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><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.youtube.com\/watch?v=A9DWeVpsgMQ\">Wyoming PBS\/YouTube<\/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 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class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Wyoming&rsquo;s elections chief is sounding the alarm that a left-wing group notable for its 2020 election shenanigans is attempting to influence the state&rsquo;s 2024 contest, The Federalist has learned. <\/p>\n<p>In an Oct. 2 letter sent to county clerks and obtained by The Federalist, Secretary of State Chuck Gray warned that 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 (CTCL)<\/a> has a foothold in the Cowboy State weeks before the Nov. 5 election. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9cfc7ce2fc9813ea4ec4d4e29d7fdea3 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9cfc7ce2fc9813ea4ec4d4e29d7fdea3\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;I have serious concerns with CTCL&rsquo;s presence and with its solicitation of county clerks,&rdquo; Gray wrote.<\/p>\n<p>CTCL is one of two nonprofits that dumped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techandciviclife.org\/100m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hundreds of millions of dollars<\/a> from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into local election offices in the months leading up to the 2020 contest. 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 heavily skewed toward Democrat-majority counties, essentially making it a massive, privately funded Democrat get-out-the-vote operation.<\/p>\n<p>Wyoming is one of two states (the other being West Virginia) that did not appear to have received any &ldquo;Zuckbucks&rdquo; during the 2020 election cycle, 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>In his letter, Gray told Wyoming clerks he was &ldquo;deeply troubled&rdquo; to learn of CTCL&rsquo;s presence &ldquo;at the Wyoming Association of County Officers meeting in Rock Springs last week,&rdquo; and that the group&rsquo;s appearance at the event &ldquo;only demonstrates that they are targeting Wyoming&rdquo; ahead of the 2024 election. He specifically expressed concern about the launch of CTCL&rsquo;s &ldquo;2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grants.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-da58aaf2a9c811ff21bf6d43a69c5d03 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-da58aaf2a9c811ff21bf6d43a69c5d03\"><\/div>\n<p>As my colleague Logan Washburn <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;program&rsquo;s <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.&rsquo;&rdquo; The grants were offered to states in which private election funding is legal.<\/p>\n<p>While arguably one of the &ldquo;reddest&rdquo; jurisdictions in the country, Wyoming has failed to follow the lead of <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/article\/states-banning-zuck-bucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">28 other states<\/a> in banning or restricting the use of &ldquo;Zuckbucks&rdquo; in elections. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.wyo.gov\/Media\/2023\/Letter_re-Private-Funding-of-Election-Administration_8-10-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">separate letter<\/a> issued last year, Gray <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/17\/wyoming-secretary-of-state-warns-election-officials-to-repel-dems-blatantly-partisan-dark-money-election-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a> state lawmakers to fast track legislation during the state&rsquo;s 2024 budget session to prohibit private election funding in Wyoming. <\/p>\n<p>While such a bill (<a href=\"https:\/\/wyoleg.gov\/Legislation\/2024\/HB0042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HB 42<\/a>) received <a href=\"https:\/\/wyoleg.gov\/Legislation\/2024\/HB0042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimous support<\/a> during its introduction earlier this year, the GOP-controlled House Corporations Committee voted to table the measure in an <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/22\/wyoming-is-the-epicenter-of-americas-fake-red-state-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">apparent act of retaliation<\/a> by the GOP establishment against members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/06\/zuckbucks-group-acts-as-a-shadow-legislature-in-rural-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lsquo;Zuckbucks&rsquo; Group Acts As A Shadow Legislature In Rural America<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9530404fc78b08433073140c8c71a3a7 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9530404fc78b08433073140c8c71a3a7\"><\/div>\n<p>Gray noted in his Oct. 2 communique that Republican lawmakers&rsquo; failure to pass a &ldquo;Zuckbucks&rdquo; prohibition into law, combined with CTCL&rsquo;s &ldquo;evolving tactics,&rdquo; makes Wyoming &ldquo;particularly vulnerable&rdquo; for election interference by private entities. He also cited concerns about &ldquo;funding streams linked to potentially foreign actors&rdquo; such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/hansjorg-wyss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hansj&ouml;rg Wyss<\/a>, a Swiss national who has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/18\/dark-money-group-backed-by-foreign-billionaire-has-dumped-100-million-into-state-ballot-initiatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dumped<\/a> money into U.S. elections via left-wing dark money groups. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While I will continue to advocate for legislative action banning the private funding of election administration, Wyoming&rsquo;s current vulnerability and CTCL&rsquo;s troubling presence demonstrate the need for continuing vigilance and the need to take action banning these groups attempting to influence our elections,&rdquo; Gray wrote. &ldquo;Should any third-party entity or organization solicit county clerks to fund election administration, I ask that you please notify me immediately for further investigation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Troubling CTCL presence in Wyoming\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/775895407\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-jlSKCmAeok4Mwg376MF7\" tabindex=\"0\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7727272727272727\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"   margin: 12px auto 6px auto;   font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;   font-style: normal;   font-variant: normal;   font-weight: normal;   font-size: 14px;   line-height: normal;   font-size-adjust: none;   font-stretch: normal;   -x-system-font: none;   display: block;\"><a title=\"View Troubling CTCL presence in Wyoming on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/775895407\/Troubling-CTCL-presence-in-Wyoming#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Troubling CTCL presence in &hellip;<\/a> by <a title=\"View The Federalist's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/274202084\/The-Federalist#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Federalist<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d14716c7995600835c9c7e98cf99b96a fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d14716c7995600835c9c7e98cf99b96a\"><\/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\/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\/chuck-gray\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Chuck Gray<\/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-interference\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election interference<\/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\/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\/wyoming\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Wyoming<\/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>Image Credit Wyoming PBS\/YouTube Share Share Article on Facebook Share Article on Twitter Share Article on Truth Social Copy Article Link<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2350433,"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\/10\/unnamed-2.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2350432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350432","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=2350432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2350433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2350432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2350432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2350432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}