Posted on Mar 31, 2022
Private funding saved the 2020 election. Now, some GOP-led states are banning it
601
9
4
5
5
0
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/ [login to see] /private-funding-saved-the-2020-election-now-some-gop-led-states-are-banning-it
For voting officials, money from the private sector leading up to the 2020 election was a lifeline.
In Philadelphia, the city was able to buy new high-speed machines to help sort mail ballots by ward and precinct, thanks to the roughly $10 million it received in donated funds.
In Coconino County, Ariz., the money paid for temporary staff to assist Native American voters to register and vote. In Chester County, Pa., it paid for body cameras for election workers picking up mail ballots from drop boxes.
But a year and a half later, that lifeline has also spawned a slew of conspiracies, and efforts in dozens of states to ban the kind of financial help local election officials say saved them.
For voting officials, money from the private sector leading up to the 2020 election was a lifeline.
In Philadelphia, the city was able to buy new high-speed machines to help sort mail ballots by ward and precinct, thanks to the roughly $10 million it received in donated funds.
In Coconino County, Ariz., the money paid for temporary staff to assist Native American voters to register and vote. In Chester County, Pa., it paid for body cameras for election workers picking up mail ballots from drop boxes.
But a year and a half later, that lifeline has also spawned a slew of conspiracies, and efforts in dozens of states to ban the kind of financial help local election officials say saved them.
Private funding saved the 2020 election. Now, some GOP-led states are banning it
Posted from npr.org
Elections
Voting
Election 2020
Republicans
Finance
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 3
1
1
0
Republicans cannot win without voter suppression. When America gets out and votes, Republicans lose.
(1)
(0)
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
1SG (Join to see) Always! Republicans No Longer have a Platform other than Christian Nationalism, Not so Covert Racism, Denying the Majority of Americans their Voting Rights.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In Coconino County, Ariz., the money paid for temporary staff to assist Native American voters to register and vote. In Chester County, Pa., it paid for body cameras for election workers picking up mail ballots from drop boxes.
But a year and a half later, that lifeline has also spawned a slew of conspiracies, and efforts in dozens of states to ban the kind of financial help local election officials say saved them.
The pandemic was killing more than 1,000 people per day that fall, and the risks it posed made voting exponentially more expensive as officials hurried to implement mail options and make in-person precincts safer.
But Congress didn't allocate more money to help make the general election happen, after an initial allotment during the primaries. That left local election officials desperate for other funding sources.
"I know the benefit that that [private] funding provided," said Al Schmidt, a Republican former election commissioner in Philadelphia. "And I cannot comprehend what a mess the 2020 election would have been if we did not have the equipment that we were able to purchase."
But for many Republican legislators across the country, using private money to run a government operation was unacceptable. And now, in many states, it won't happen again."...
..."In Coconino County, Ariz., the money paid for temporary staff to assist Native American voters to register and vote. In Chester County, Pa., it paid for body cameras for election workers picking up mail ballots from drop boxes.
But a year and a half later, that lifeline has also spawned a slew of conspiracies, and efforts in dozens of states to ban the kind of financial help local election officials say saved them.
The pandemic was killing more than 1,000 people per day that fall, and the risks it posed made voting exponentially more expensive as officials hurried to implement mail options and make in-person precincts safer.
But Congress didn't allocate more money to help make the general election happen, after an initial allotment during the primaries. That left local election officials desperate for other funding sources.
"I know the benefit that that [private] funding provided," said Al Schmidt, a Republican former election commissioner in Philadelphia. "And I cannot comprehend what a mess the 2020 election would have been if we did not have the equipment that we were able to purchase."
But for many Republican legislators across the country, using private money to run a government operation was unacceptable. And now, in many states, it won't happen again."...
(1)
(0)
0
0
0
Some states have ballot harvesting. Hopefully, the Republicans will use the same loophole, and if they do, the Dems will ban Ballot harvesting. Because that just might even the field a little. And the Dems won't like that
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google