FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin will soon sign S.B. 80, election integrity legislation helping ensure fair, transparent, and accountable elections voters can trust, into law. The bill was recently passed by the Virginia General Assembly with bipartisan support, including unanimous approval by the Senate
Importantly, S.B. 80 prohibits local election officials from accepting private monetary donations from ideological groups, corporations, big tech companies and possible foreign interlopers—commonly referred to as “Zuckerbucks” after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg—directly or indirectly, for conducting elections or employing individuals on a temporary basis.
National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli praised the legislation saying:
“We are grateful to the legislature for advancing this important legislation that is sorely needed to help restore voters’ trust in the democratic process and ensure that private and foreign money can’t be selectively funneled into local elections. Make no mistake, the corrupting influence of big tech oligarchs like Mark Zuckerberg manipulates the official voting apparatus and dilutes the voice and votes of Virginians in order to affect turnout. We urge Governor Youngkin to sign S.B. 80 into law without delay in support of Virginia elections in which it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
The bill stipulates that “[t]he State Board, the Department, each local electoral board, and all offices of the general registrar shall not solicit, accept, use, or dispose of any money, grants, property, or services, given by a private individual or nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding voter education and outreach programs, voter registration programs, or any other expense incurred in the conduct of elections.”
Polls show the majority of voters, including Black and Hispanic voters, as well as urban and independent voters, overwhelmingly support voter I.D. protections and want it to be easy to vote and hard to cheat.
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between American Principles Project (APP) and the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), was organized to combat H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
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