4.2.24
The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has issued a statement after Statewide Referendum Questions 1 & 2 successfully passed and were added to the Wisconsin Constitution after a vote of the people in the April 2nd Spring Election. WILL supported and advocated in favor of these amendments in both the Spring 2024 election and the 2023-24 Legislative Session.
The amendments stem from the concerning influx of private funds, often dubbed “Zuckerbucks,” that infiltrated Wisconsin’s 2020 election. Financed by grants from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg through the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL), these funds were distributed unevenly, with larger cities receiving disproportionate amounts. In total, Wisconsin municipalities received $10.3 million in grant funding from CTCL, with 86% going to the 5 largest cities in the state.
The Quote: Rick Esenberg, WILL President and General Counsel, stated, “The administration of our elections should be fair, impartial, and free from outside influence. With today’s results, voters sent a clear message that they want to keep private money out of election administration.”
Esenberg continued, “Today, Wisconsin becomes the 28th state to approve a measure to keep private funding out of impartial election administration. Whether you identify with the left or the right, ensuring the fairness and integrity of our elections should be a shared priority.”
WILL’s Election Integrity Work: Previous research from WILL showed that Wisconsin’s 5 biggest cities (Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine) received approximately 86% of the overall grant funding in the state.
The presence of outside money was also highlighted as part of WILL’s comprehensive report of the 2020 Presidential Election, dubbed by the WSJ as “The Best Summary of the 2020 Election.”
WILL’s Messaging Campaign: Over the last two weeks, WILL engaged in an extensive messaging campaign to directly appeal to voters and advocate for the passage of the Constitutional Amendments in the Spring Primary. WILL informed voters through media appearances, text messaging, social media advertising and a video campaign on streaming platforms.
