States pursuing laws to curb Zuckerberg spending on elections

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan spent $350 million on election administration during 2020, prompting a growing number of state lawmakers across the United States to say "no, thanks" when it comes to accepting any private money to run future elections.

Legislatures in Kansas and Idaho sent bills to prohibit private money for election administration to the desks of their respective governors, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability, a watchdog group that has tracked private financing of election administration. At least one legislative chamber in Arkansas, Wisconsin and Tennessee passed a similar measure. "It’s the same reason why we have ethics rules on lobbyists gifts and limits on those things in states, or campaign finance rules and guardrails on those types of things," Nicholas Horton, research director for FGA told Fox News. "It just doesn’t pass the smell test. Government should be a neutral, fair arbiter of the election process, and the public should have no doubts and full confidence in that process when going to vote in the polls. When they are getting all this funding, there are just some bad potential outcomes that erode public confidence. I think that’s what’s really driving a lot of these states in really reining this in."