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In 2020, Joe Biden secured 52% of 157,215 votes, compared to the 46% 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 Nebraska, Democrat turnout rose 32.9% in areas which received the funding, while increasing 31.3% in areas which did not.
The Republican Party earned 13.8% more votes in Nebraska districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 12.1% in jurisdictions without similar funding.
Support for Trump increased in Lancaster 1% in 2020.
There were 22,966 more votes cast in Lancaster in the 2020 election than in 2016.
Lancaster was one of 1 Nebraska 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | Yes | 1.3 | 6.2 |
| Adams County | No | 0.2 | 4.2 |
| Antelope County | No | 2.6 | 0.9 |
| Arthur County | No | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| Banner County | No | 1.2 | 5.7 |
| Blaine County | No | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Boone County | No | 2.9 | 1.2 |
| Box Butte County | No | 3.2 | 0.5 |
| Boyd County | No | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| Brown County | No | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Buffalo County | No | 0.8 | 4.1 |
| Burt County | No | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| Butler County | No | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| Cass County | No | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| Cedar County | No | 3.1 | 1.5 |
| Chase County | No | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| Cherry County | No | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| Cheyenne County | No | 1.5 | 2.7 |
| Clay County | No | 0.6 | 2.1 |
| Colfax County | No | 2.8 | 0.6 |
| Cuming County | No | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Custer County | No | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Dakota County | No | 0.3 | 3.2 |
| Dawes County | No | 1.5 | 4.2 |
| Dawson County | No | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| Deuel County | No | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Dixon County | No | 1.9 | 1 |
| Dodge County | No | 0.4 | 3.3 |
| Douglas County | No | 2.2 | 6.8 |
| Dundy County | No | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Fillmore County | No | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| Franklin County | No | 2.5 | 1 |
| Frontier County | No | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Furnas County | No | 0.7 | 2.3 |
| Gage County | No | 3.1 | 1.1 |
| Garden County | No | 4 | 0.8 |
| Garfield County | No | 2.6 | 0 |
| Gosper County | No | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| Grant County | No | 2.4 | 0 |
| Greeley County | No | 2.7 | 0.2 |
| Hall County | No | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| Hamilton County | No | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Harlan County | No | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| Hayes County | No | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Hitchcock County | No | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Holt County | No | 0.6 | 2 |
| Hooker County | No | 0.7 | 3.7 |
| Howard County | No | 2.7 | 0.2 |
| Jefferson County | No | 1.1 | 3.2 |
| Johnson County | No | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| Kearney County | No | 0.9 | 2.6 |
| Keith County | No | 0.5 | 3.2 |
| Keya Paha County | No | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Kimball County | No | 3.2 | 0.4 |
| Knox County | No | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Lincoln County | No | 0.5 | 3.4 |
| Logan County | No | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Loup County | No | 2.6 | 4 |
| Madison County | No | 1 | 3 |
| McPherson County | No | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| Merrick County | No | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| Morrill County | No | 0.5 | 2.2 |
| Nance County | No | 0.1 | 2.2 |
| Nemaha County | No | 3.4 | 1.9 |
| Nuckolls County | No | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Otoe County | No | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Pawnee County | No | 1 | 1.3 |
| Perkins County | No | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Phelps County | No | 0.7 | 2.8 |
| Pierce County | No | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Platte County | No | 1.3 | 2.4 |
| Polk County | No | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Red Willow County | No | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| Richardson County | No | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| Rock County | No | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| Saline County | No | 3.8 | 0.3 |
| Sarpy County | No | 2.3 | 7.9 |
| Saunders County | No | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| Scotts Bluff County | No | 0.2 | 4.5 |
| Seward County | No | 1.4 | 2.7 |
| Sheridan County | No | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Sherman County | No | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| Sioux County | No | 3.9 | -1.2 |
| Stanton County | No | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Thayer County | No | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| Thomas County | No | 0.1 | 2.8 |
| Thurston County | No | 0.4 | 3.2 |
| Valley County | No | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Washington County | No | 0 | 4.2 |
| Wayne County | No | 0.8 | 2 |
| Webster County | No | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| Wheeler County | No | 5.5 | -1.7 |
| York County | No | 0.5 | 4.1 |
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