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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8
KELLY LOEFFLER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO
NEW ZUCKERBUCKS SCHEME IN DEKALB COUNTY
ATLANTA – Today, Former U.S. Senator and Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler called for an investigation by Georgia's oversight agencies into the DeKalb County Board of Elections after it announced last week that it would accept $2 million in grant money from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence (the Alliance). The Alliance is backed by the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), the same group that, in 2020, partnered with Mark Zuckerberg to funnel $45 million into Georgia in mostly blue counties ahead of the election - boosting turnout in Democratic counties and benefitting liberal candidates at the top of the ticket. Zuckerberg continues to fund this latest effort, which brings external influence to local election operations despite existing laws banning the practice in Georgia.
“After the 2020 elections, Georgia lawmakers acted swiftly to ban Zuckerbucks - and all other outside money - from influencing our elections. Today, two years later, deep-blue DeKalb County is blatantly skirting that law to get the same money, while undermining trust and fairness in our electoral process,” said Loeffler. “The bottom line is that Georgia’s election operations should not be bought and paid for by special interests, and now, that’s the law. That is why, on behalf of Georgia voters, I am calling for an investigation into DeKalb County's clear violation of the law, and to shut down this partisan Zuckerbucks slush fund.”
In 2021, Georgia lawmakers banned local election officials from accepting outside money through the Georgia Election Integrity Act (SB 202). But according to DeKalb County Board of Elections Chair Dele Lowman Smith, the county found a way to skirt state law. As paraphrased by a local media outlet: “since election offices are not allowed to receive grants directly, the lengthy application process was led by the county’s finance department.”
The grant, which is part of CTCL’s U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence program, is unambiguously designed to fund certain local boards of election. As DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond emphasized in a public statement, “The county is pleased to be a recipient of this funding in support of the Elections Department’s ongoing efforts to serve as a model for election integrity not just in Georgia but throughout our nation.” In 2020, before the practice was outlawed, the DeKalb County Board of Elections received about $10 million in grants funded by Mark Zuckerberg and funneled through CTCL.
Potential investigatory agencies for DeKalb County's malfeasance include the Georgia Attorney General's office, the State Ethics Commission, and other bodies empowered with oversight authority.
Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity.
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