Good News Friday
April 05, 2024
Dear Patriot,
This week headway was made on several fronts of election laws.
These are the stories ignored by the far left, elite talking heads.
Have a good weekend.
1- WAY TO GO, WISCONSIN!!!!
‘Goodbye, Zuckerbucks!’: Wisconsin Voters Ban Private Funding of Elections
QUOTE: Wisconsin voters approved an amendment on Tuesday night, banning the private funding of elections in the swing state.
The amendment directs that “donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in…connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum,” according to the question phrasing that the Wisconsin State Legislature listed. Associated Press election results showed the ballot question passed by a 54.4 percent to 45.6 percent vote.
Wisconsinites also voted in favor of a second part to the amendment on ballot question two, mandating “that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums.” That question passed with 58.6 percent of support.
The votes come four years after the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL), gave more than $10 million in grants in Wisconsin in the 2020 election, as Capital Research Center reported.
“Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan notoriously poured hundreds of millions of ‘Zuckerbucks’ into” the CTCL “for the purpose of getting out the vote in Democrat-leaning areas in the 2020 election,” Breitbart News previously noted.
The Badger State went for President Joe Biden in that year’s presidential election by just 20,682 votes. In 2021, the state had an opportunity to ban the private funding of elections, but Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) vetoed a bill that the state legislature passed that would have done so.
Former President Donald Trump encouraged voters at a rally on Wednesday evening in Green Bay — while polls were still open — to “ban Zuckerbucks” by voting for the ballot questions, and Republicans celebrated the outcome.
2- Wisconsin is the most recent state to say no to private funds being used in state elections. Twenty Seven (27) other states have, in various ways, banned people like Mark Zuckerberg from entering the process. Check the link to see if your state is on the list.
National Conferences of State Legislatures
Prohibiting Private Funding of Elections
QUOTE: Twenty-seven states prohibit, limit or regulate the use of private or philanthropic funding to run elections.
All legislation on this topic has been enacted since the 2020 election when the COVID-19 pandemic led to unexpected expenses related to mailing and processing an increased number of absentee/mail ballots, providing larger in-person voting facilities to accommodate social distancing and sudden demands for more cleaning and hygiene supplies.
Generally, elections are funded by state and local budgets—with occasional federal infusions. To meet the additional needs during the pandemic, philanthropic funding for local election offices was made available by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, with donations from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $19 million.
Those who support banning or limiting such grants argue that private funds could result in the donor or grant-making organization having undue influence over elections and perhaps favoring some jurisdictions over others. Opponents, however, say that elections are chronically underfunded and that such bans may prohibit election offices from using donated resources such as cybersecurity tools and the use of polling places they have long relied on.
Currently, over half of the states have passed laws prohibiting or limiting the use of private funds in elections. Eleven states did so in 2021 (similar bills were vetoed in Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that year), 13 states followed suit in 2022, and three states in 2023. The specifics vary, with some states passing outright bans on election officials accepting or using philanthropic funds and others setting new regulations on how and when such funding can be accepted.
3- A little progress in Georgia regarding ballot security.
Georgia Assembly Passes Impressive Set of Election Security Bills
QUOTE: After two years of legislative debate and loud and persistent grassroots citizen activism, the Georgia Assembly voted to beef up security in Georgia’s elections substantially. According to election security activist David Cross, one of the most significant changes will be the addition of a”visible watermark security feature” on ballots that will identify each ballot as an “official Georgia ballot.” This election security measure is one of many the Georgia Assembly passed before it adjourned for Sine Die after midnight on Mar. 28.
Three critical bills, SB189, HB974, and HB1207, go a long way to end “unverifiable, secretly counted elections” in Georgia, according to a press release from VoterGA. VoterGA was founded by Garland Favorito, one of the state’s most dedicated election security activists. The new bills deter “ballot trafficking, counterfeit ballots, and ballot box stuffing” by requiring visible watermarks and more robust chain of custody procedures. According to Favorito, all of these measures will improve transparency in the administration of elections. The governor has 40 days to sign off on the bills for them to be official.
The omnibus bill SB189 passed 33-22 just after midnight on Mar. 28 after Democrats made several unsuccessful attemptsto stop the bill. It is important to note that much of the language in HB976 was transferred to SB189 to make the legislative process more efficient. One of the most significant aspects of SB189 is that the text portion of the paper ballot, not the QR code, will be used as the “official vote for purposes of vote tabulation,” both in the election and in any subsequent audit or recount. QR-coded ballots make it impossible for voters to know their votes were cast and counted properly.
Evidence from the 2020 election shows QR codes can be problematic. David Cross and Kevin Moncla found anomalies and QR code failures in 65 of the 67 counties in Georgia for which they had the requisite records.
While the Georgia Assembly should be applauded for its efforts to better secure elections in the state, electronic voting systems will remain a poor substitute for election-day voting, paper ballots, and hand counts. Col. Shawn Smith’s testimony on Apr. 1 makes it clear that using electronic voting systems will inevitably result in “catastrophic” security breaches. Among the threats he listed are tainted supply chains, systems that have never been secured properly, a lack of real-time defensive monitoring, and “public servants who have no knowledge, capability or authority” to examine or defend against the possible compromises that permanently alter the security of the motherboards. Smith said the federal government has understood these election security threats for years. “It is shocking to me that we would employ systems this insecure and then lie to the public about it. I believe that’s what happened in Georgia.”
4- Iowa continues to fight the battles of the day.
Iowa Passes ‘Sensible’ Religious Freedom Law
QUOTE: Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, making Iowa the latest state to pass protective laws amid concerns that the measures open the door to anti-LGBT discrimination.
In a statement after a Tuesday bill-signing, Reynolds noted the law passed “almost unanimously at the federal level” 30 years ago.
“Since then, religious rights have increasingly come under attack,” she wrote. “Today, Iowa enacts a law to protect these unalienable rights — just as 26 other states have done — upholding the ideals that are the very foundation of our country.”
The measure passed Iowa’s House and Senate in February.
According to Catholic News Agency, more than half of U.S. states have passed RFRAs since the federal government passed the original law in 1993 in response to a Supreme Court decision determining a state can enact a law forbidding some religious behaviors if the measure is a “neutral law of general applicability.”
5- A bad day for a teacher’s union is a good day for America’s children.
Third Largest Teachers’ Union Faces Demise of Its Own Making
QUOTE: In a frantic attempt to preserve its monopoly over the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, attorneys for the union currently representing the district’s 24,000-plus teachers and support staff are relying on a strategy that has the potential to backfire and leave its members without workplace representation altogether.
On March 18, United Teachers of Dade (UTD), using an argument that would invalidate its own petition, asked a hearing officer with Florida’s Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) to reject a competing union’s bid to participate in a forthcoming election to determine the bargaining representative for the South Florida educators.
The election is the result of a law passed by the state’s legislature last May requiring a recertification vote for government employee unions whose paid membership falls below 60 percent of the total bargaining unit.
The statute stripped dozens of smaller Florida unions of their certification in the ensuing months, and now UTD — one of the country’s largest teacher’s unions — is facing the same fate after an independent audit in December found only 56 percent of the defined bargaining unit were paying dues.
The recertification vote has not yet been scheduled, but in the meantime a startup union, dubbed the Miami-Dade Education Coalition (MDEC), has requested its name appear on the same ballot. On March 11, MDEC arrived at PERC’s headquarters in Tallahassee with 2,564 showing-of-interest cards — far more than needed under the agency’s regulations to ensure the new union a spot on the ballot.
Time and again UTD faltered when representing the bargaining unit, from failing to contest the school district’s decision to eliminate step raises to refusing to adequately address problematic working conditions.
For this reason, a group of like-minded educators established MDEC — with the objective of maintaining a laser-focus on issues concerning the wages, benefits and working conditions of Miami-Dade teachers and staff.
6- These are steps in the right direction, which is more than we could have said three months ago.
Michael Whatley: RNC Hiring ‘Election Integrity Councils’ in Battleground States
QUOTE: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is hiring “election integrity directors and election integrity councils in every battleground state” ahead of the general election, RNC chair Michael Whatley said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily.
When asked how Republicans can feel confident that every vote was counted properly in November, Whatley said “there’s really two components to it.”
“Number one, you got to get out the vote. Number two, you have to protect the ballot, and we absolutely are focused on making sure that we have election integrity around the country,” he said, explaining that the RNC is “making sure that we have the laws, the rules and regulations in place in every state that are going to allow a fair election” and “working with legislators” as well as boards of elections and secretaries of state.
“And then when they don’t, we’re going to the courts,” he said. “As the General Counsel of the RNC for the past year, I put us in over 75 different lawsuits. We’ve added five different ones since I became chair. So we’re now in 80 different lawsuits around the country, making sure that the rules of the road are going to ensure a fair election and that the states are going to follow,” he said, highlighting a “huge win yesterday in Pennsylvania, which means that all of the absentee ballots have to be in and it has to be postmarked, which is a big deal.”“We’re winning cases around the country right now. The second big thing that we have to do is you got to be in the room,” he said, stressing the need for “observers and attorneys in every room where votes are being cast, in every room where votes are being counted across the country.”
“And that’s a big logistical issue. We’re talking about tens of thousands of volunteers, thousands of attorneys that we are right now in the field recruiting and training so that we can have them in place on election day,” he continued.
7- It is a good to see the quick turn-around in this organization.
Without Ronna McDaniel, Republicans See a Big Spike in Fundraising That Should Worry Democrats
QUOTE: The joint fundraising committee made up of the RNC and several Trump-centered entities announced a total of $65.6 million raised during March. That comes after the resignation of Ronna McDaniel as chairwoman of the Republican Party apparatus. Under McDaniel, fundraising had slowed to a trickle, a problem fueled by distrust in the organization following several exclusive reports from RedState detailing how money was being wasted and misappropriated. Republican donors, both small and large, saw an RNC under McDaniel that was prioritizing Beltway perks over winning elections, and the results from 2018 to 2022 provided no evidence to counter that judgment. Since then, new leadership has taken over in the form of Chairman Michael Whatley. The direct connection of having Lara Trump as co-chair is also likely playing a role as well.
With that said, a money gap still exists between the DNC and RNC with their joint fundraising committees. This latest haul for Republicans brings cash on hand to over $90 million while the Democrats had that much at the end of February. Biden and his party are expected to announce a massive haul in March, headlined by a $25 million star-studded “grassroots” fundraiser that started at $100,000 a plate.
Still, Democrats should be worried by a Republican number that represents a significant step towards leveling the playing field. Will it continue? That’s unknown, but if the GOP is going to be competitive, it must continue. Democrats are going to bombard the airwaves, and while there is a saturation point with diminishing returns, Republicans need to reach it to not get swamped.
8- It is good news that these middle-of-the-road losers are out of the picture.
No Labels No-Go: Moderate Group Pulls Plug on Third-Party Bid in 2024
QUOTE: No Labels is reportedly ending its efforts to cobble together a presidential ticket after it aimed to provide a “launching pad” for a moderate candidate in 2024’s presidential election, in the event voters were unhappy with the two major parties’ nominees.
The moderate group was unable to enlist a viable candidate and running mate:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) seemed to be the first pick to lead the No Labels ticket but opted not to run under it. The group also courted former Govs. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Larry Hogan (R-MD), but Haley declined, and Hogan opted for a Senate bid in Maryland, where the prospects look great for him.
The Journal’s report comes eight days after former vice presidential nominee and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) — who was one of several No Labels co-chairman — died at 82 due to complications from a fall.
9- Remember that crazy Scotland law we talked about earlier this week? The majority of the 3,000 hate crime complaints that were lodge after the new hate crime law in Scotland was in effect, were made against Humza Yousaf for anti-white racism. Humza is the politician who created the new law.
More than 3,000 hate crime complaints made to Police Scotland
QUOTE: Police Scotland has received more than 3,000 hate crime reports since a new law was introduced on Monday, the BBC understands.
It creates a new crime of “stirring up hatred” over protected characteristics.
A large number were about a 2020 speech by First Minister Humza Yousaf – then justice secretary – highlighting white people in prominent public roles.
Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown said people were making “fake and vexatious complaints”.
Police Scotland said complaints about Mr Yousaf’s speech were assessed at the time, with no crime committed and no action taken. The new law will not apply retrospectively.
Hate crime reports are handled by the force’s Contact, Command and Control centres.
These have been extremely busy but are understood to be coping with the number of complaints
Ms Brown told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that “misinformation” and publicity had led to the high number of reports.
She also confirmed that a “fake complaint” was made using her name and contact details on Monday.
Ms Brown said: “To be a crime it has to be threatening and abusive with the intent to a stir up hatred to an towards individual and this would cause that individual to have fear or alarm.
“That is a very very high threshold for criminality. We’ve been very clear within the act this is not about restricting freedom of expression, it is to protect.”
As well as political opposition, a number of high profile individuals including Harry Potter author JK Rowling have voiced frustration at the new law.
Social media comments by Ms Rowling challenging the legislation were not found to breach the legislation. In a series of posts, she described several transgender women as men, including convicted prisoners, trans activists and other public figures.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said the new law was a “massive burden” to police at a time when resources are already stretched.
He told BBC Radio Scotland : “Police time is being taken up looking at which might well be vexatious complaints.”The way the police in Scotland have been messaging this, actively encouraging complaints, has led to this deluge. Everyone one of which they have said they will investigate. I’ll be surprised if any of these complaints end up with a prosecution.”
PRAY for divine intervention. PRAY that lawmakers and Governors in all the states will work to protect elections.
KNOW the truth. SHARE the truth.
Hold Fast,
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