Last spring, Virginia Democrats and Republicans banned private funding for elections as part of a nationwide surge in election integrity bills meant to push back against the lawlessness and chaos Americans saw during the 2020 election. The goal of SB 80 — and similar bills passed in 23 other states — was to prevent another flood of “Zuckbucks,” when the partisan Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) poured $350 million from Mark Zuckerberg into (largely Democratic) elections offices across the country.
Now that achievement is threatened as Senate Democrats attempt to repeal the Zuckbucks ban, exposing Virginia’s elections to unaccountable money and partisan influence forever.
SB 1180 was introduced on Jan. 10 by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Arlington, who voted to ban Zuckbucks last year. SB 1180 was recently voted out of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections on partisan lines, and it will now move on to the Democrat-controlled Senate. The same committee voted unanimously to advance the ban a year ago.
What changed? Simple: CTCL and its latest scheme.
Two months after Virginia’s Democratic-controlled Senate voted to ban Zuckbucks, CTCL launched the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, an $80 million coalition of activists, strategy groups, and political consultants with a dark vision for America’s elections. Two members represent the $1.6 billion Arabella Advisors “dark money” network, the most powerful liberal lobbying force in Washington, D.C.
CTCL assured the nation at the time that the alliance wouldn’t provide private funding, only “training” for election administrators. Now it’s dangling
