Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
In 2020, Joe Biden secured 31% of 82,131 votes, compared to the 31% votes earned by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Grants to voting officials, funded almost entirely by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, weren’t offered in 2016.
In Louisiana, Democrat turnout rose 8.4% in areas which received the funding, while increasing 10.1% in areas which did not.
The Republican Party earned 4.1% more votes in Louisiana districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 6.7% in jurisdictions without similar funding.
Support for Trump increased in Calcasieu 2% in 2020.
There were 142 less votes cast in Calcasieu in the 2020 election than in 2016.
Calcasieu was one of 2 Louisiana 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.
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.
| Area | Received CTCL Funding? | % Change in Republican Support | % Change in Democratic Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu | Yes | 1.2 | -0.3 |
| Orleans | Yes | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| Acadia County | No | 2.2 | -1.4 |
| Allen County | No | 2.9 | 1.3 |
| Ascension County | No | 0.8 | 2.6 |
| Assumption County | No | 3.1 | -1.9 |
| Avoyelles County | No | 2.2 | -1.6 |
| Beauregard County | No | 1.8 | 0.3 |
| Bienville County | No | 1.6 | -1.2 |
| Bossier County | No | 1.5 | 3.3 |
| Caddo County | No | -0.5 | 2 |
| Caldwell County | No | 2 | -1.1 |
| Cameron County | No | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| Catahoula County | No | 1.2 | -1.1 |
| Claiborne County | No | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Concordia County | No | 1.1 | -0.9 |
| De Soto County | No | 2.1 | 1.2 |
| East Baton Rouge County | No | 0.6 | 3.2 |
| East Carroll County | No | 0.5 | 0 |
| East Feliciana County | No | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Evangeline County | No | 2.1 | -1.3 |
| Franklin County | No | 0.6 | 0 |
| Grant County | No | 2.4 | -1.1 |
| Iberia County | No | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Iberville County | No | 1.6 | 1 |
| Jackson County | No | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Jefferson County | No | 1.5 | 0 |
| Jefferson Davis County | No | 0.6 | 3 |
| Lafayette County | No | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| Lafourche County | No | 2.6 | 1.1 |
| Lincoln County | No | 1 | 1.1 |
| Livingston County | No | 0.4 | 2.1 |
| Madison County | No | 0.6 | -1.2 |
| Morehouse County | No | 1.4 | -0.8 |
| Natchitoches County | No | 2.6 | -1.3 |
| Ouachita County | No | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| Plaquemines County | No | 2 | 0.7 |
| Pointe Coupee County | No | 2.9 | -2.7 |
| Rapides County | No | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Red River County | No | 4.3 | -4 |
| Richland County | No | 1 | 0.5 |
| Sabine County | No | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| St. Bernard County | No | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| St. Charles County | No | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| St. Helena County | No | 2.2 | -1.9 |
| St. James County | No | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| St. John the Baptist County | No | -1.3 | 2.3 |
| St. Landry County | No | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| St. Martin County | No | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| St. Mary County | No | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| St. Tammany County | No | 2 | 4.7 |
| Tangipahoa County | No | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Tensas County | No | 0.5 | -0.2 |
| Terrebonne County | No | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| Union County | No | 1.9 | -1 |
| Vermilion County | No | 2 | 0.6 |
| Vernon County | No | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Washington County | No | 0.8 | 0 |
| Webster County | No | 1.3 | -0.6 |
| West Baton Rouge County | No | 0 | 1.6 |
| West Carroll County | No | 2 | -1 |
| West Feliciana County | No | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| Winn County | No | 1.9 | -1 |
Alerts Sign-up