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Thursday, November 7, 2024

Democrat support in Bell rises 4% in 2020 after Mark Zuckerburg tries to influence election

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In Bell, where voting officials received funding from a Mark Zuckerberg-related organization, Democrat support rose 4% from 2016 to 2020.

In 2020, Joe Biden secured 17% of 10,007 votes, compared to the 17% earned by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Support for Trump increased in Bell 9.8% in 2020.

Bell 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.

Democrat support across Kentucky areas that received funding from the CTCL rose 22.9% in 2020 from 2016.

Such support rose 5.6% in Kentucky areas that didn’t receive any funding from the CTCL.

The Republican Party earned 9.8% more votes in Kentucky districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 0.4% in counties without similar funding.

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.

Voting differences in some Kentucky locations in 2020 election
AreaReceived CTCL Funding?% Change in Republican Support% Change in Democratic Support
AndersonYes17.227.1
BallardYes6.21.1
BellYes4.84
BooneYes14.739.1
BourbonYes11.218.1
CallowayYes9.522.1
CampbellYes13.732.2
ChristianYes6.915.4
ClarkYes10.327.6
ClayYes13.910.5
ClintonYes12.410.2
CrittendenYes4.918.5
DaviessYes7.322.1
FranklinYes9.118.1
GrantYes2015.4
GravesYes4.27.6
GreenupYes13.117.5
HartYes19.310.3
HendersonYes4.713.9
HenryYes18.217.2
HopkinsYes3.126.2
JacksonYes11.525.5
JeffersonYes4.819.7
KentonYes1233.3
MadisonYes16.832.1
MagoffinYes9.23.6
MarionYes19.31.6
MasonYes10.819.9
McCrackenYes522.6
MenifeeYes157.1
MonroeYes8.29.3
MontgomeryYes14.514.9
MuhlenbergYes11.88.3
OhioYes8.115.6
OldhamYes10.741.3
PendletonYes19.813.6
RowanYes15.817.8
ScottYes1837
SpencerYes21.431.7
TriggYes11.312.9
UnionYes5.614.9
WarrenYes10.932.5
WebsterYes2.513.9
Adair CountyNo9.65.1
Allen CountyNo17.521.7
Barren CountyNo8.619.7
Bath CountyNo29.315.6
Boyd CountyNo5.217.3
Boyle CountyNo10.323.8
Bracken CountyNo25.313.5
Breathitt CountyNo6.9-15.4
Breckinridge CountyNo18.819.9
Bullitt CountyNo17.227.8
Butler CountyNo1213.9
Caldwell CountyNo8.913.7
Carlisle CountyNo2.87.2
Carroll CountyNo14.10.9
Carter CountyNo15.716.1
Casey CountyNo12.719.7
Cumberland CountyNo10.7-32.9
Edmonson CountyNo16.825.3
Elliott CountyNo12.3-3.8
Estill CountyNo20.422.3
Fayette CountyNo-60.7-4.5
Fleming CountyNo17.29.3
Floyd CountyNo2.1-3.3
Fulton CountyNo3.72.6
Gallatin CountyNo219.7
Garrard CountyNo14.412.2
Grayson CountyNo-17.84.1
Green CountyNo10.710.6
Hancock CountyNo12.88.6
Hardin CountyNo10.629.8
Harlan CountyNo2.68.9
Harrison CountyNo16.518.2
Hickman CountyNo3.42
Jessamine CountyNo10.539.4
Johnson CountyNo5.128.6
Knott CountyNo9.713.4
Knox CountyNo11.420
Larue CountyNo18.517.7
Laurel CountyNo12.830.1
Lawrence CountyNo1718.5
Lee CountyNo5.78.3
Leslie CountyNo7.611.5
Letcher CountyNo-0.916.7
Lewis CountyNo14.34.8
Lincoln CountyNo15.720.9
Livingston CountyNo12.35.9
Logan CountyNo16.612.3
Lyon CountyNo11.24.5
Marshall CountyNo-36-55.4
Martin CountyNo-30.2-39.3
McCreary CountyNo48.1-38.1
McLean CountyNo-29.1-59.9
Meade CountyNo17.620
Mercer CountyNo-21.57.2
Metcalfe CountyNo13.4-0.1
Morgan CountyNo18.616.8
Nelson CountyNo-58.7-74
Nicholas CountyNo2321.3
Owen CountyNo14.63.4
Owsley CountyNo13.3-15.6
Perry CountyNo-0.510
Pike CountyNo2.713.6
Powell CountyNo157.5
Pulaski CountyNo11.134.6
Robertson CountyNo16.514
Rockcastle CountyNo57.166.6
Russell CountyNo9.421.6
Shelby CountyNo14.128.7
Simpson CountyNo1625
Taylor CountyNo12.716
Todd CountyNo12.515.6
Trimble CountyNo16.515.1
Washington CountyNo11.715.8
Wayne CountyNo16.618.8
Whitley CountyNo11.123.5
Wolfe CountyNo16.211.4
Woodford CountyNo8.631.7

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