State Rep. Wes Allen’s (R-Troy) bill to prohibit private funds from interfering or influencing the administration of the state’s elections has drawn the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alabama.
Allen’s legislation, House Bill 41, would prohibit state and local election officials from soliciting or accepting money or services from private and non-governmental entities for the purpose of election-related expenses. Voter education, outreach or voter registration are activities for which the bill prohibits the use of private funds.
Allen, candidate for Alabama Secretary of State, highlighted what he saw as he need for the bill due to instances such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg distributing money, known as “Zuckerbucks,” across the United States during the 2020 general election. According to reports, 90% of that money was given to counties that voted for President Joe Biden.
“In 2020, we saw millions of dollars being transferred to counties across the country (7 in Alabama) by Mark Zuckerberg through a grant program. That money was then comingled with taxpayer money,” advised Allen. “That money was used to do a variety of things including pay bonuses and salaries or elections officials and pay for equipment and supplies used in elections. This is unacceptable.”
Allen added, “There should never be a dollar from an individual or a non-government entity that is used to pay an election official or their staff members or that is used to buy election equipment or supplies. I think everyone should agree that our elections should be fair and open and safe and secure and not for sale to anyone.”
Earlier this week, ACLU of Alabama executive director JaTuane Bosby took a swipe at Allen’s legislative effort by suggesting that bills such as the one he is spearheading serve to “perpetuate issues of white supremacy and discrimination.”
When asked by Yellowhammer News to specify the provisions in Allen’s bill that would “perpetuate issues of white supremacy and discrimination,” Bosby claimed that such legislative tactics have been employed to suppress minority voters.
“Any bill focused on further restricting access to the ballot by attaching criminal penalties to the work of organizers and activists is voter suppression, plain and simple,” alleged Bosby. “We’ve seen this tactic used to suppress Black voters and their communities for decades, and we will not minimize the impact that these discriminatory bills have on marginalized communities.”
In response to the progressive organization’s attack, Allen declared that the claims were “patently false” and were designed to create “fake controversy.”
“This is patently false and the ACLU of Alabama knows that. They are simply making false statements in an attempt to drum up a fake controversy and raise money for their organization,” Allen said in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “There is no justifiable reason why anyone who believes in fair elections would want to open up the salaries and equipment of the elected officials who run our elections to an auction to the highest bidder. My bill stops that from happening. Every single resource that every election official needs is provided by the State of Alabama and there should never be an instance where any person or group can go in and buy any aspect of that election administration.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.