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Laws governing the private funding of elections
From Ballotpedia
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The private funding of elections refers to the practice of nonprofits, private organizations, or individuals providing funding or other resources to election administrators for the purpose of conducting or administering an election. Debate over using private resources for election costs began after individuals, such as Mark Zuckerburg, made donations to nonprofits, including the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), ahead of the 2020 general election. These organizations subsequently made a series of donations and grants to election administrators.
As of July 2025, 29 states enacted laws banning or otherwise restricting the use of private donations for election administration purposes. Twenty-one of these states had a Republican trifecta when the law was adopted; five states had divided governments at the time. Two states, Louisiana and Wisconsin, adopted their bans through a ballot measure. No states banned or restricted private election funding prior to 2021.
Opponents of such donations sometimes refer to them "Zuck Bucks," referring to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's donations to CTCL ahead of the 2020 election.[1] For more information about CTCL grants given to local election officials in 2020, click here.
Background
Ahead of the 2020 general election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, donated $350 million to the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). They also donated $50 million to the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR). In a joint press release from September 2020, CTCL and CEIR said that the money was intended to help "election officials across the nation reach their voters with critical information about voter registration, mail voting, early voting, polling locations and hours, and the vote-counting process."[2]
These donations sparked debate among media commentators and elected officials about the propriety of non-governmental entities providing private funding for election administration efforts. In 2021 legislative sessions immediately following the 2020 election, 11 states adopted laws that either outright prohibited or restricted the acceptance and use of grants, gifts, donations, and other private resources for the purposes of election administration. Thirteen more states enacted such laws during 2022 legislative sessions. Some of these laws established that all election-related costs must be paid for from specific funding sources, while others prohibited the acceptance and use of private money or resources to conduct an election. For more on state-specific policies, click here.
Laws by state
The map below shows the landscape of private funding laws as of July 2025, including all states that enacted laws and those states' trifecta status at the time of adoption.
The table below displays states that enacted laws prohibiting or restricting the private funding of elections as of July 2025 and the trifecta status of the state at the time of enactment.
Support and opposition
Arguments in favor of banning or restricting private funding of election administration costs
Supporters of laws banning or restricting the use of private funding for election administration argue these laws prevent undue influence on election administrators.[3] Supporters of these laws say donations and the use of private resources may cause an election official to favor the adoption of specific policies preferred by the donor or grant maker, or may be used to do targeted outreach to a specific group of qualified voters to either encourage them to register to vote, or to vote in an upcoming election.[4] Supporters of these laws also say these donations may be used for the purpose of improving the donator's public reputation, and that election administration should not be the venue for such actions.[1]
Upon enactment of SB 122 in March 2022, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said, "Elections should be funded by government, and we will not risk creating avenues for big-tech billionaires to unfairly influence our free and open elections."[5]
In reference to state legislative actions in 2023, chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, former Virginia Attorney General, and Trump administration appointee Ken Cuccinelli (R) said the private funding of election administration "... undermine[s] the confidence of voters who have doubts about the legitimacy and accuracy of our elections and whether they were conducted with fairness and honesty."[6]
Rick Esenberg, president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which supported the adoption of Wisconsin's Question 1 (2024) to ban private funding of election administration, said private funding "creates an appearance of impropriety, and it undermines confidence in the outcome of the election. ... Elections are a public function that have to be undertaken with scrupulous neutrality.”[7]
Arguments against banning or restricting private funding of election administration costs
Opponents of laws banning or restricting the private funding of election administration argue these sources of funding are critical for the regular administration of free and fair elections, particularly during times of public emergency such as during the Covid-19 pandemic. They also argue the laws will unintentionally prevent other forms of public-private partnerships related to elections.[6][8]
In a veto message related to a bill banning private funding of election administration costs, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said, "Elections are fundamental to our democracy and in 2020, grants from nonpartisan nonprofits were needed for necessities such as masks, single-use pens and other protective equipment so voters stayed safe during the pandemic. The legislature should start properly funding elections boards to ensure accessible, safe, and secure elections every time, which would end the need for grants."[9]
Executive director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), Tiana Epps-Johnnson argued the persistent under-funding of election administration created the need for the type of donations lawmakers have moved to prohibit, saying, "While legislatures have been taking up the issue of banning the ability to supplement election departments' budgets, they haven't at the same time made sure to address the underlying issue that made our work necessary in the first place."[10]
Others, such as Matthew Weil, executive director of the Democracy Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center, have refrained from explicitly endorsing the private funding of elections, but have expressed doubt election administrators will have adequate resources to administer elections without private funding. Weil said: "I don’t necessarily disagree with banning private funding in elections. But that does require that counties, states and the federal government step up and fund elections at the levels they need to provide the services that voters have come to expect."[7]
Legislation by state
This section includes an explanation of each state's policy limiting or prohibiting the use of private funding for election administration. Information is organized by state and presented through a history of the adoption and amendment of state statutes. Below,
Alabama
- See also: 2022 Alabama legislative session
- Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed HB 194 into law on April 7, 2022. As enacted, the law prohibits state or local officials responsible for the conduct of an election, or their employees, from soliciting, accepting, or using any "money, grants, property, or personal service from an individual or a nongovernmental entity," for election-related expenses, including voter registration programs. [11] The law makes an exception for donations of space for the purpose of use as a polling location, as well as donations "for the preservation or protection of the public health" in the event of a public health emergency.[11]
- The Alabama House of Representatives approved the bill 72-28 on March 10, 2022. The Alabama State Senate voted 25-17 to pass the legislation on April 7.[11]
Arizona
- See also: 2021 Arizona legislative session
- Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed HB 2569 into law on April 9, 2021. The bill prohibited the state and all political subdivisions of the state from receiving or expending "private monies for preparing for, administering or conducting an election, including registering voters."[12]
- The Arizona House of Representatives approved the bill 31-29 on March 3, 2021. The Arizona State Senate voted 16-14 to pass the legislation on April 7.[12]
Arkansas
2021
- See also: 2021 Arkansas legislative session
- HB 1866 became law on April 27, 2021, after signature by Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R). The bill prohibited the state board of elections, commissioners of the board, and county board of election commissioners from accepting any "funding, grants, or gifts from any source other than from: (1) A city or incorporated town; (2) The governing authority of the county; (3) The State of Arkansas; or (4) The United States Government.”[13]
- The Arkansas House of Representatives approved the bill 93-7 on April 13, 2021. The Arkansas State Senate voted 32-1 to pass the legislation on April 22.[13]
2023
- See also: 2023 Arkansas legislative session
- SB 255 was signed into law on March 24, 2023, after signature by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). The bill made small changes to an existing prohibition on the use of private donations for election administration purposes. Specifically, the bill eliminated a reference to "county board of election commissioners" and replaced it with "state or county employee or official," and expanded the definition of prohibited donations to include "services, or anything else of value."[14] The bill also created an exception for the use of funds "lawfully received and expended by a candidate."[14]
- The Arkansas House of Representatives approved the bill 95-0 on March 13, 2023. The Arkansas State Senate voted 35-0 to pass the legislation on March 15.[14]
Florida
- See also: 2021 Florida legislative session
- S 90 became law on May 6, 2021, after approval by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). As enacted, the law prohibits any "agency or state or local official responsible for conducting elections" from soliciting, accepting, or using any resources donated from an individual or nongovernmental entity for election expenses, including administration, education, outreach, registration, and litigation. The law makes an exception for the donation of space for use as a polling or early voting location.[15]
- The Florida House of Representatives approved the bill 77-40 on April 28, 2021. The Florida State Senate voted 23-17 to pass the legislation on April 29.[15]
Georgia
2021
- See also: 2021 Georgia legislative session
- Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed SB 202 into law on March 25, 2021. As enacted, the law prohibits superintendents, defined in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-2.35, from taking or accepting "any funding, grants, or gifts from any source other than from the governing authority of the county or municipality, the State of Georgia, or the federal government." The bill also directed the state election board to study a method for accepting certain donations for election administration and equitably distributing such donations statewide.[16]
- The Georgia House of Representatives approved the bill 100-74 on March 25, 2021. The Georgia State Senate voted 34-20 to pass the legislation the same day.[16]
2023
- See also: 2023 Georgia legislative session
- SB 222 was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on May 3, 2023. The bill modified an existing limitation on the use of private funding for election administration. Specifically, the bill expanded the entities prohibited from accepting private money to include counties and municipalities.[17]
- The Georgia House of Representatives approved the bill 100-69 on March 27, 2023. The Georgia State Senate voted 32-21 to pass the legislation on March 29.[17]
Idaho
2021
- See also: 2021 Idaho legislative session
- Gov. Brad Little (R) signed SB 1168 into law on April 26, 2021. The law asserts that elections in Idaho must be funded "only by lawful appropriations from the government of the United States, the state of Idaho, or other local governments, including counties, cities, and special taxing districts." The law explicitly prohibits county clerks, local elections offices, or any other local governing body administering an election from accepting any " grant, gift, funding from any private persons, corporations, organizations, business entities, political parties, or any other private entity."The law makes an exception for the collection of fees and for the donation of space for use as a polling location.[18]
- The Idaho State Senate voted 28-7 to pass the legislation on March 18, 2021. The Idaho House of Representatives approved the bill 64-3 on April 19, 2021.[16]
2023
- See also: 2023 Idaho legislative session
- H 11 became law after signature by Gov. Brad Little (R) on March 9, 2023. The bill expanded those prohibited from accepting or expending private money for election administration to include any "official or employee of the state of Idaho."[19]
- The Idaho House of Representatives voted 67-0 to pass the legislation on February 10, 2023. The Idaho State Senate approved the bill 35-0 on February 28.[19]
Indiana
2021
- See also: 2021 Indiana legislative session
- SB 398 became law on April 23, 2021, after signature by Gov. Eric Holcomb (R). As enacted, the law said:[20]
| “ | A political subdivision that conducts or administers an election may not receive or expend funds received from a person
for preparing, administering, or conducting elections, including registering voters. This subsection does not prohibit a political subdivision from receiving or expending funds from the state or from the federal government to prepare for, administer, or conduct an election.[21] |
” |
- The Indiana House of Representatives voted 93-0 to pass the legislation on March 29, 2021. The Indiana State Senate approved the bill 40-2 on April 15, 2021.[20]
2022
- See also: 2022 Indiana legislative session
- SB 134 became law on March 11, 2022, after signature by Gov. Eric Holcomb (R).
- The bill added "accept private money donations" to the list of prohibited activities and specified that donated funds may not be used to employ an individual on a temporary basis for the purposes of election administration. The bill also added a requirement that all state agencies submit an annual report to the budget agency detailing "each individual state employee employed by the state agency whose salary is funded in whole or in part from donated money."
- The Indiana House of Representatives voted 66-26 to pass the legislation on February 22, 2022. The Indiana State Senate approved the bill 44-4 on March 3, 2022.[22]
2024
- See also: 2024 Indiana legislative session
- HB 1264 became law on March 11, 2024, after signature by Gov. Eric Holcomb (R).
- As part of an omnibus elections bill that made changes to a number of areas of election law, the bill added the following language to Indiana's existing prohibition on the private funding of election administration:[23]
| “ | A political subdivision that conducts or administers an election may not join the membership of, or participate in a program offered by, a person who has directly financed: (1) preparing, administrating, or conducting elections; or (2) employing individuals on a temporary basis for the purpose of preparing, administering, or conducting elections, including registering voters. For purposes of this subsection, a person does not include the local, state, or federal government.[21] | ” |
- The Indiana House of Representatives voted 67-29 to pass the legislation on January 29, 2024. The Indiana State Senate approved the bill 34-13 on February 29, 2024.[23]
Iowa
- See also: 2022 Iowa legislative session
- Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed HF 2589 into law on June 21, 2022. As enacted, the law asserts that the state commissioner, county commissioners, and political subdivisions in the state may only accept, for the purpose of conducting an election, lawfully appropriated money from the federal or state government, or from the political subdivision in which the election is held. The law explicitly prohibits these same entities from accepting or expending funding for election administration from any source and makes an exception for the collection of fees and for the donation of space for use as a polling location.[24]
- The Iowa House of Representatives approved the bill 56-39 on May 24, 2022, and the Iowa State Senate voted 30-14 to pass the legislation on the same day.[24]
Kansas
- See also: 2021 Kansas legislative session
- HB 2183 became law on May 3, 2021, after the Kansas State Legislature successfully overrode a veto of the bill by Gov. Laura Kelly (D). The bill prohibited any election official in the state from knowingly accepting or expending "any moneys, directly or indirectly, from any person, except as provided in any acts of appropriation or as otherwise provided by law, for any expenditures related to conducting, funding or otherwise facilitating the administration of an election pursuant to law." The bill does not apply to the "payment of fees or assessed costs as required by law" or funds received as campaign contributions for the office of county clerk.[25]
- The Kansas House of Representatives voted 85-38 to override Gov. Kelly's veto on May 3, 2021, and the Kansas State Senate voted 28-12 to complete the successful veto override on the same day. The State Senate originally approved the bill 27-8 on April 8, and the House of Representatives passed the bill 80-42 on the same day. Gov. Kelly vetoed the bill on April 23.[25]
Kentucky
- See also: 2022 Kentucky legislative session
- HB 301 became law on March 24, 2022, without the signature of Gov. Andy Beshear (D). The law establishes that all costs related to the administration of elections in the state must be paid for with public funds and prohibits an employee of a governmental body from accepting or spending funds or anything of value from a private donation. The law makes an exception for contracts for services and donations of food and beverage.[26]
- The Kentucky State Senate approved the bill 27-4 on March 7, 2022, and the Kentucky State Senate voted 77-18 to pass the legislation on March 10. Gov. Beshear allowed the bill to become law without signature.[26]
Louisiana
- See also: Louisiana Amendment 1 (2023)
- Amendment 1, officially the Ban on Private or Foreign Funding of Election Costs Amendment, was on the ballot as a legislatively referred ballot measure in the October 14, 2023, election. The ballot measure was approved 72.57% (734,324 votes) to 27.43% (277,564) and became Section 6, Article XI of the Louisiana Constitution. The law prohibits state and local governments from using funds, goods, and services donated by foreign governments or nongovernmental (private) sources for the purpose of conducting elections.
- The Louisiana legislature referred the measure to voters through HB311. The Louisiana House of Representatives voted 79-19 to pass the bill on June 7, 2023, and the Louisiana State Senate voted 27-12 to confirm the referral the next day.
Mississippi
- See also: 2022 Mississippi legislative session
- Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed HB 1365 into law on April 1, 2022. As enacted, tthe law prohibits any agency or state or local official responsible for conducting elections from soliciting, accepting, or using "any donation in the form of money, grants, property or personal services from an individual or a nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding election-related expenses or voter education, voter outreach or voter registration programs."[27]
- The Mississippi State Senate voted 49-2 on March 24, 2022, and the Mississippi House of Representatives approved the bill 77-38 on March 25, 2022.[27]
Missouri
- See also: 2022 Missouri legislative session
- Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed HB 1878 into law on June 29, 2022. As enacted, the law prohibits the state and political subdivisions from accepting or spending "private moneys... for preparing, administering, or conducting an election, including registering voters," and makes an exception for in-kind donations. The law also allows for the acceptance and use of private resources in even-numbered years when the state funds appropriated to a county for election administration are less than those appropriated in the previous even-numbered year. In such a case, the amount of resources received and disbursed by the secretary of state may not exceed ten percent more than the difference between the current appropriation and the amount appropriated to the county in question in the previous even-numbered year.[27]
- The Missouri State Senate voted 23-11 to pass the legislation on May 10, 2022. The Missouri House of Representatives approved the bill 97-47 on May 12.[15]
Montana
- See also: 2023 Montana legislative session
- Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed SB 117 into law on May 1, 2023. The bill established that all costs for the conduct of elections must be paid for with public funds and prohibited "the state, the secretary of state, a county, a municipality, or the officers or employees of those entities" from accepting or using any private resources for the purposes of conducting an election. The law makes an exception for the donation of space for the purpose of voting, services provided at no cost, and goods with a nominal value of less than $100.[28]
- The Montana State Senate voted 34-14 to pass the legislation on February 16, 2023. The Montana House of Representatives approved the bill 64-31 on April 7.[28]
Nebraska
- See also: 2022 Nebraska legislative session
- Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) signed LB 843 into law on April 19, 2022. The bill prohibited the "Secretary of State, election commissioners, and county clerks" from accepting or using any private money for "preparing for, administering, or conducting an election." However, it also allowed for "such gift, grant, or donation[s] [to be] appropriated to the Secretary of State for such use by the Legislature." The law makes an exception for donations of food and beverages to election workers, and for space for use as a polling location or election training purposes.[29]
- The Nebraska State Senate voted 45-0 to pass the legislation on April 13, 2022.[29]
North Carolina
- See also: 2023 North Carolina legislative session
- S747 became law on October 10, 2023, after the North Carolina state legislature overrode Gov. Roy Cooper's (D) veto of the bill. The prohibition came as part of an omnibus election bill that made numerous changes to the state's election law. The law banned state and county boards of elections and county commissioners from "accept[ing]] private monetary donations or in-kind contributions, directly or indirectly, for conducting elections or employing individuals on a temporary basis." Exceptions are made for "in-kind donation or use of a voting site."[30]
- The North Carolina State Senate voted 30-19 to override the governor's veto on October 10, 2023, and the North Carolina House of Representatives voted 72-44 to complete the override on the same day.[30]
North Dakota
- See also: 2021 North Dakota legislative session
- Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed HB 1256 into law on April 19, 2021. As enacted, the law says that the "state and political subdivisions may not solicit, accept, or use any grants or donations from private persons for elections operations or administration." The law makes an exception for donations of space for use as a polling location, food for poll workers, and "other nonmonetary donations that are not used to prepare, process, mark, collect, or tabulate ballots or votes."[31]
- The North Dakota House of Representatives voted 78-13 to pass the legislation on February 8, 2021. The North Dakota State Senate approved the bill 24-22 on March 8.[31]
Ohio
- See also: 2021 Ohio legislative session
- Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed HB 110 into law on July 1, 2021. Among numerous other provisions, the bill prohibited any public official responsible for conducting or administering an election from accepting or expending money from a "nongovernmental person or entity for any costs or activities related to voter registration, voter education, voter identification, get-out-the-vote, absent voting, election official recruitment or training or any other election-related purpose." The law does not prohibit the collection of authorized fees and makes an exception for donations of food for election officials on Election Day and for space for use in conducting an election.[32]
- The Ohio House of Representatives approved the bill 70-27 on April 21, 2021, and the Ohio State Senate voted 25-8 to pass the legislation on June 9.[32]
Oklahoma
2022
- See also: 2022 Oklahoma legislative session
- Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 3046 into law on May 4, 2022. The bill established that all costs for the conduct of elections must be paid for with public funds and prohibited any "government official or election official" from soliciting or accepting any contribution, donation, or anything else of value for the purposes of conducting or administering an election. The law as adopted provided that donations "not directly related to the administration of elections" may be accepted with the written approval of the Governor as well as "written notification sent to the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate."[33]
- The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 79-18 to pass the legislation on March 9, 2022. The Oklahoma State Senate approved the bill 37-9 on April 27.[33]
2023
- See also: 2023 Oklahoma legislative session
- HB 2682 became law on April 26, 2023, after signature by Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). The bill amended an existing prohibition on the use of private money for election administration to add a ban on individuals from offering to "provide any contribution, donation, or anything else of value for purposes of conducting or administrating any election."[34] The bill also added a list of exceptions, including donations of space for use as a polling location, contribution of volunteer labor, food and beverage items of nominal value, and more.
- The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 75-20 to pass the legislation on March 21, 2023. The Oklahoma State Senate approved the bill 39-8 on April 19.[34]
Pennsylvania
- See also: 2022 Ohio legislative session
- Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed SB 982 into law on May 11, 2022. The bill established that all costs related to the preparation, administration, and conduct of an election must be funded through appropriations made by the Federal, State, or local governments. The bill prohibits "State and local governments, including their public officers, public officials, employees and agents, acting in their official capacity" from soliciting, contracting, receiving, or expending any funding or resources from an "individual, business, organization, trust, foundation, or any nongovernmental entity for the registration of voters or the preparation, administration or conducting of an election." As adopted, the law provides an exception for services provided without remuneration, goods with a nominal value of less than $100, the collection of authorized fees, and the donation of space for the purposes of voting.[35]
- The Pennsylvania State Senate approved the bill 37-12 on April 13, 2022, and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 110-90 to pass the legislation on July 7.[35]
South Carolina
- See also: 2022 South Carolina legislative session
- Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed A 150 into law on May 13, 2022. The bill prohibited "the State Election Commission and the county boards of voter registration and elections" from receiving or expending any money or resources from private individuals or third parties not provided through state or county appropriations.[36]
- The South Carolina State Senate voted 39-0 to pass the legislation on May 11, 2022. The South Carolina House of Representatives approved the bill 109-0 on May 12.[36]
South Dakota
- See also: 2022 South Dakota legislative session
- Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed SB 122 into law on March 28, 2022. The bill prohibited the state and any political subdivisions from accepting or using funds or resources for election costs "from any source other than the governing body of a political subdivision, the state, or the federal government.” The bill made an exception for gifts of a "nominal and intrinsic value."[37]
- The South Dakota State Senate voted 32-3 to pass the legislation on February 22, 2022. The South Dakota House of Representatives approved the bill 68-2 on March 3.[37]
Tennessee
- See also: 2021 Tennessee legislative session
- Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed SB 1534 into law on May 18, 2021. The bill established that the "state election commission, secretary of state, coordinator of elections, county election commission or the administrator of elections" may only accept funding from the U.S. government, the state of Tennessee, or a county or municipality in the state. The bill prohibited these officials from accepting any grant, gift, or funding "from private persons, corporations, organizations, or political parties for conducting an election unless such acceptance or expenditure is approved by the speaker of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives." The bill made an exception for the collection of authorized fees, for election information advertising, donations of space for use as a polling location, volunteer labor, and "pens, sanitizer, or nominal items."[38]
- The Tennessee State Senate voted 26-4 to pass the legislation on April 14, 2021. The Tennessee House of Representatives approved the bill 70-23 on April 21.[38]
Texas
- See also: 2021 Texas legislative session
- Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed HB 2283 into law on June 18, 2021. The bill prohibited the secretary of state, the joint elections commission, county election commission, county election board, and the commissioners court from accepting a contribution of $1,000 or more, including in-kind donations, for the purpose of administering elections. The secretary of state may grant consent for such donations so long as "the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives unanimously agree." The joint elections commission, county election commission, and county election may accept contributions of less than $1,000 "with written consent from the relevant political subdivision." The bill made an exception for donations of food and beverage during the administration of an election, donations of space for the purpose of conducting an election, and "state or federal funds administered or distributed by the secretary of state."[39]
- The bill also required any donations above the $1,000 threshold accepted under grant of consent from the secretary of state to be equitably distributed throughout the state by county population "or another method determined by the secretary."[39]
- The Texas State Senate voted 18-13 to pass the legislation on May 25, 2021. The Texas House of Representatives approved the bill 18-13 on May 28.[39]
Utah
- See also: 2022 Utah legislative session
- Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB 219 into law on March 23, 2022.
- The bill established that "An election officer may not solicit, accept, or use any funds for an election if those funds are donated by any person other than a government entity"[40]
- The Utah State Senate voted 24-0 to pass the legislation on February 25, 2022. The Utah House of Representatives approved the bill 66-0 on March 3.[40]
Virginia
- See also: 2022 Virginia legislative session
- Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed HB 205 into law on April 11, 2022. The bill prohibited the "State Board, the Department, each local electoral board, and all offices of the general registrar" from accepting or spending using any funding, property, or services provided by a private individual or nongovernmental entity. The prohibition applies to resources used for "the purpose of funding voter education and outreach programs, voter registration programs or any other expense incurred in the conduct of elections." The legislation made an exception for donations of space for use as a polling location or voter satellite office, and for a federal government grant "funded in whole or part by donations from private individuals or nongovernmental entities."[41]
- The Virginia State Senate voted 39-0 to pass the legislation on March 3, 2022. The Virginia House of Representatives approved the bill 50-47 on March 7.[41]
West Virginia
- See also: 2022 West Virginia legislative session
- Gov. Jim Justice (R) signed HB 4097 into law on March 30, 2022. The bill prohibited any "county commission, clerk of a county commission, municipal governing body or other public official or body responsible for overseeing, administering or regulating an election" from accepting or receiving any gift, grant, contribution, or donation of money or anything of value for election administration and related expenses. The bill also established an account called Nonpublic Funding for Election Administration Fund which shall receive all such donations or funding from private individuals or other third parties. According to the bill, the fund shall be "administered by the Secretary of State, with the approval of the State Election Commission."[42]
- The West Virginia State Senate voted 39-0 to pass the legislation on March 3, 2022. The West Virginia House of Representatives approved the bill 50-47 on March 7.[42]
Wisconsin
- See also: Wisconsin Question 1 (2024)
- Question 1, officially the Prohibition on Non-Governmental Funding of Elections Amendment, was on the ballot as a legislatively referred ballot measure in the April 2, 2024, election. The ballot measure was approved 54.42% (631,755 votes) to 45.58% (529,088) and became Article III, Section 7 of the Wisconsin Constitution. The law prohibit any level of government in the state from applying for or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration.
- In Wisconsin, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment must pass the legislature in two consecutive sessions before appearing on the ballot for voter approval. In the 2021-2022 legislative session, the amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 101 (SJR 101). The Wisconsin State Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 21-11 February 22, 2022, and the Wisconsin State Assembly approved SJR 101 by a vote of 58-32 on February 24.[43] In the 2023-2024 legislative session, the amendment was introduced as SJR 78. The Wisconsin State Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 21-10 on November 7, 2023, and the Wisconsin State Assembly approved SJR 78 by a vote of 60-35 on November 9.[44]
Wyoming
- See also: 2025 Wyoming legislative session
- Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed HB 228 into law on March 18, 2025. The bill provided that "no agency or any state or county official responsible for conducting elections, including, but not limited to, a county clerk, shall solicit, accept, use or dispose of any donation in the form of money, grants, property or personal services from an individual or nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding any type of expenses related to election administration, including, but not limited to, voter education, voter outreach or voter registration programs. All costs and expenses relating to elections shall be paid with public funds." The bill made an exception for "meals or food provided or donated in support of election training or education, or to meals or food provided on election day to poll workers and other election staff," and did not apply to elections in special districts.[45]
- The Wyoming House of Representatives approved the bill 57-4 on February 11 and the Wyoming State Senate voted 30-1 to pass the legislation on March 3, 2025.[45]
Amended laws
As of September 2025, seven states — Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, and Oklahoma — amended their private funding laws after first enacting them. In most cases, these amendments expanded the list of individuals these laws applied to, altered definitions of prohibited donations and activities, or created other provisions regarding the receipt and expenditure of private funding for the purpose of election administration.
In Georgia, the amendment came at least partially as the result of some lawmakers' concerns about a loophole that had allowed DeKalb County to still receive a private grant for election administration in 2023. The grant was legal due to how the 2021 law defined the entities that were prohibited from accepting private funding. The 2023 amendment was subsequently passed to include more entities, such as county offices, that were prohibited from accepting private funding.[46]
Details about each state's amendments are below:
- Arkansas, which originally passed a law restricting the private funding of election administration in 2021, adopted an amendment to the law in 2023. The amendment expanded the list of officials prohibited from accepting funding to include any "state or county employee or official," expanded the definition of prohibited donations to include "services, or anything of value," and created an exception for the use of funds "lawfully received and expended by a candidate."[14]
- Georgia's law restricting the private funding of election administration passed through the legislature in 2021, and lawmakers adopted an amendment to the law in 2023. The amendment expanded the entities prohibited from accepting private money to include any "county or municipal government, government employee, or election official."[17]
- In 2023, Idaho legislators amended the state's original 2021 restriction on the private funding of election administration. The amendment expanded the list of officials prohibited from accepting or expending money for election administration to include any "official or employee of the state of Idaho."[19]
- In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) first signed a bill into law restricting the private funding of election administration in 2021 and later approved amendments to the law in 2022 and 2024. The 2022 amendment added "accept private money donations" to the list of prohibited activities and specified that donated funds may not be used to employ an individual on a temporary basis for the purposes of election administration. The law also added a requirement that all state agencies submit an annual report to the budget agency detailing "each individual state employee employed by the state agency whose salary is funded in whole or in part from donated money."[22] The 2024 amendment added a provision that prohibits a political subdivision that conducts or administers an election from joining or participating in programs offered by a person who "has directly financed: (1) preparing, administrating, or conducting elections; or (2) employing individuals on a temporary basis for the purpose of preparing, administering, or conducting elections, including registering voters."[23]
- In Kansas, the Kansas State Legislature successfully overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) veto of SB 5 the on April 10, 2025. The bill amended the state's law restricting the use of private funding for election administration purposes — referred to as the transparency in revenues underwriting elections act — to include a prohibition on the use of funds provided by the federal government for the purposes of election administration unless specifically appropriate by state law. The bill said:[47]
- No governmental agency, including, but not limited to, any election official, shall knowingly accept or expend any moneys, directly or indirectly, from the federal government, except as provided in any acts of appropriation or as otherwise provided by state law, for any expenditures related to conducting, funding or otherwise facilitating the administration of an election pursuant to law or for any election-related activities, including, but not limited to, voter registration and voter assistance. Provided that such expenditures are authorized by acts of appropriation or as otherwise provided by state law, any moneys received from the federal government shall only be expended for those purposes authorized by an act of congress appropriating such moneys. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to the receipt and expenditure of moneys for election security.
- In North Dakota, Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) signed HB 1165 on April 28, 2025. In addition to changing the state's deadline to return an absentee/mail-in ballot, the bill added the following language to the chapter of statute restricting the use of private funding: "The state or any political subdivision of this state may not use a private entity to administer an election."[48]
- Oklahoma, which initially restricted the private funding of election administration with a law passed in 2022, adopted an amendment to the law in 2023. The amendment added a new prohibition on individuals from offering to "provide any contribution, donation, or anything else of value for purposes of conducting or administrating any election." It also added a list of exceptions, including donations of space for use as a polling location, contribution of volunteer labor, and food and beverage items of nominal value.[34]
Private funding legislation
The table below includes private funding bills introduced during (or carried over to) each state's current legislative session. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by state and then by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
See also
- Ballotpedia's election legislation tracker
- Ballotpedia's The Ballot Bulletin
- Election laws and legislation in the United States
- Legislation governing private funding for election administration in the United States, 2023
- Legislation governing private funding for election administration in the United States, 2022
- Legislation governing private funding for election administration in the United States, 2021
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Protocol, "How 'Zuck Bucks' saved the 2020 election — and fueled the Big Lie," May 23, 2022
- ↑ The Center for Tech and Civic Life and The Center for Election Innovation & Research, "Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Commit $300 Million Donation to Promote Safe and Reliable Voting During COVID-19 Pandemic," September 1, 2020
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Zuckerbucks Shouldn’t Pay for Elections," January 3, 2022
- ↑ National Review, "What are ‘Zuckerbucks’ and Why Are They Controversial?" June 8, 2022
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Noem bans private election funding, cites 'Zuck Bucks' and Big Tech influence," March 16, 2022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Public Radio, "Georgia lawmakers add to the growing list of bans on outside election funding," April 5, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Stateline, "Cash-strapped election offices have fewer resources after bans on private grants," April 23, 2024
- ↑ Statehouse News Bureau, "Ohio Elections Chief Says Public-Private Efforts Won't Be Affected By Budget," July 8, 2021
- ↑ NC Governor Roy Cooper, "Governor Cooper Signs Three Bills into Law, Vetoes Three Bills," December 9, 2021
- ↑ National Public Radio, "Private funding saved the 2020 election. Now, some GOP-led states are banning it," March 31, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 BillTrack50, "AL HB194: Elections, prohibits state and local election officials and their employees from soliciting, accepting, using, or disposing of certain donations from individuals or nongovernmental entities for funding certain election-related expenses," accessed July 11, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Arizona Legislature, "elections; private funding; prohibition," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Arkansas State Legislature, "HB1866 - CONCERNING ELECTION EXPENSES FOR THE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS AND THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS; AND TO PROHIBIT THE ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS, GRANTS, AND GIFTS," accessed July 21, 2023
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Arkansas State Legislature, "SB255 - TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ALLOCATION OF ELECTION EXPENSES; AND TO RESTRICT THE SOURCE OF ELECTION FUNDING," accessed September 14, 2023
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 The Florida Senate, "CS/CS/CS/SB 90: Elections," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 BillTrack50, "GA SB202: Elections and Primaries; persons or entities that mail absentee ballot applications shall mail such applications only to eligible registered electors; provide," accessed July 24, 2023
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Georgia General Assembly, "Georgia Senate Bill 222," accessed September 14, 2023
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "2021 Legislation; SENATE BILL 1168" accessed July 24, 2023
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Idaho Legislature, "2023 Legislation; HOUSE BILL 11" accessed September 14, 2023
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Indiana General Assembly, "2021 Session; Senate Bill 398" accessed July 24, 2023
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Indiana General Assembly, "2022 Session; Senate Bill 134" accessed July 24, 2023
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Indiana General Assembly, "2024 Session; House Bill 1264" accessed October 24, 2024
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Iowa Legislature, "89th General Assembly, House File 2589 - Enrolled," accessed July 24, 2023
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Kansas 2021-2022 Legislative Sessions, "S Sub for HB2183," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Kentucky General Assembly, "House Bill 301," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Mississippi Legislature, "2022 Regular Session, House Bill 1365," accessed July 24, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ms1365" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 28.0 28.1 Montana Legislature, "SB 117; Prohibiting use of certain funds for conducting an election," accessed July 27, 2023
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Nebraska Legislature, "NE LB843: Change provisions relating to elections," accessed August , 2023
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 North Carolina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 747," accessed October 30, 2023
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 North Dakota Legislative Branch, "AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 16.1-01 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a prohibition on using nonpublic funds for elections operations." accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 The Ohio Legislature, "OH HB110, 2021-2022, 134th General Assembly," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Oklahoma State Legislature, "HB 3046: Elections; creating the Prohibit the Private Funding of Elections Act; prohibiting acceptance of private funds for elections; emergency," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Oklahoma State Legislature, "HB 2682: Elections; prohibiting the contribution, donation, or anything of value for purposes of conducting an election; penalties; effective date," accessed September 14, 2023
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Regular Session 2021-2022; House Bill 982," accessed August 7, 2023
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 South Carolina General Assembly, "124th Session, 2021-2022; A150, R165, S108," accessed August 7, 2023
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 South Dakota Legislature, "Senate Bill 122 Senate Bill 122," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Tennessee General Assembly, " SB1534," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 Texas Legislature Online, "HB 2283," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Utah State Legislature, "S.B. 219 Election Funding Amendments," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Virginia's Legislative Information System, "HB 205 Election officials, state and local; acceptance of certain gifts and funding prohibited, etc.," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 West Virginia Legislature, " House Bill 4097," accessed August 8, 2023
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "SJR 101," accessed April 3, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "SJR 78," accessed April 3, 2024
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Wyoming Legislature, "House Bill 228," accessed March 31, 2025
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "RNC Sues DeKalb County, Georgia Over Election Grant Records" May 17, 2024
- ↑ Kansas 2025-2026 Legislative Sessions, "SB5 Enrolled," accessed June 30, 2025
- ↑ North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly House Bill 1165," accessed May 1, 2025
