The election outcomes in one of the most pivotal states in November—and again in a January runoff—may have been significantly affected by a total of $45 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan, according to a government watchdog that has tracked the money used to finance election administration across the country.
Zuckerberg and Chan gave $350 million to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which distributed the grants to 48 states and Washington, D.C. for election administration in the lead up to November 2020. Of that, $31 million went to Georgia for the general election, where Joe Biden narrowly carried Georgia’s 16 electoral votes beating Donald Trump by fewer than 12,000 votes. The center also gave $14.5 million to Georgia counties for the January runoff election where Democrats won two special elections, flipping the U.S. Senate majority to Democrats.
The Foundation for Government Accountability contends the grant money in Georgia and across the country was heavily weighted toward Democratic-leaning counties. While billed as election safety grants during the COVID-19 pandemic, only a small portion in any of the states the foundation examined was used for personal protective equipment.
