by Natalia Mittelstadt
Republicans oppose using federal funds to promote get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns to students, while Democratic-led states take advantage of a modern federal Work-Study (FWS) program focusing on voter registration efforts .
Secretaries of state from Democrat-led states have urged the Biden administration to exploit federal funds for GOTV on college campuses, and Republicans are currently fighting the funding in Congress and all GOP-led states.
On Monday, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Bryan Steil, D-Wis., sent a letter to Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman over reports of public universities in his home state using federal funds for voter registration activities.
Steil asked for confirmation that state universities would not exploit taxpayer dollars for partisan GOTV efforts.
“I am sure you would agree that it should not be the prerogative of a public agency receiving funds from American taxpayers to engage in partisan Get Out Vote (GOTV) activities or to recruit self-identified partisan groups to support voter registration drives,” Steel wrote.
“[T]Using school and work funds for partisan causes communicates to the public that their taxes are being used for partisan advocacy. The use of outside organizations with their own political views has received significant negative attention.” he added later.
“As we enter another election season, I am asking for your help to guide universities in a direction that will avoid these pitfalls this year. I am also seeking help in determining whether any federal funding sources, such as work-study programs, are used in voter registration efforts. “These actions will help ensure that Wisconsin universities do not use federal funds to support GOTV partisan activities.” Steil continued.
As of press time, Rothman had not publicly responded to Steil’s questions.
In February, the Ministry of Education explained the 2022 noteexplaining that FWS program funds can be used “to support voter registration activities.”
“The Department of Education today clarifies that FWS funds may be used for employment by a federal, state, local, or tribal public agency for civic engagement that is not tied to a particular interest or group….” according to the note.
“This work may include supporting broad-based voter outreach efforts, registering voters, providing voter assistance at the polls or via a voter hotline, or serving as an election board employee.” the note continued.
The memo came after 18 secretaries of state, all of whom are Democrats except the Pennsylvania Republican, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in July asking for clarification 2022 notes
The – the secretaries asked that Cardona explained that “students may exploit their FWS awards to engage in nonpartisan, pro-democracy activities, including nonpartisan voter registration, working as a nonpartisan poll worker, and other nonpartisan civic activities while working for government entities or nonpartisan nonpartisan organizations -profit 501(c)(3) as they do now, working directly for higher education institutions.”
In early April, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita joined 14 other GOP attorneys general wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Education in response to the February explanatory memo.
The the letter urges department “to reconsider these guidelines because they violate federal work-related curriculum restrictions and ignore the dangers of public dollars being entangled in political functions.”
The correspondence notes that the memo violates federal law because “praiseworthy activities like encouraging voter turnout and voter registration have to be happening somewhere, and that somewhere decides the election.” Your guidance effectively allows colleges and universities to subsidize these activities – and potentially influence elections by choosing where to direct those funds – with taxpayer money. This approach violates the restrictions imposed by law.”
About a week after Republicans sent the letter, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced that his administration is implementing the U.S. Department of Education’s FWS program to have students “work in voter outreach, election offices, polling places, and other nonpartisan civic engagement employment opportunities.”
The the administration noted that the FWS program “ties well with the existing Pennsylvania Campus Voting Challenge, a nonpartisan support and recognition program for institutions of higher education that aims to increase student voting participation and engagement on campuses across the Commonwealth.”
The challenge is run by the Pennsylvania Department of State “in partnership with the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.” EVERYTHING IN is an initiative Civic NationAccording to InfluenceWatch, it is a left-wing nonprofit run by former Obama administration officials.
Jason Snead, formerly executive director of the Honest Elections Project he said Only News that it is tough to “get students” to volunteer their time rather than paying them money for it. That’s why the Biden administration is tapping federal resources and partnering with left-wing “nonprofits, subsidizing them, making it easier to get students to support the program, and doing so to benefit a specific demographic that is overwhelmingly liberal.”
In March, he chaired the House Education Committee, the House Employment Committee, and the House Administrative Committee sent a letter to Cardona due to their doubts regarding the clarified note.
The – wrote the committee chairmen that they are “deeply concerned” about the modern memo and how “FWS funds may be used to support the Biden administration’s 2024 campaign efforts.”
They – he urged the Biden administration to “withdraw” the memo “allowing taxpayer money to fund get-out-the-vote activities.”
The newly implemented FWS program looked similar to “Bidenbucks,” lawmakers also noted. In March 2021, Biden signed Executive Order 14019, often called “Bidenbucks” by critics, a reference to “Zuckerbucks” – approximately $400 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that is widely believed to have been donated by left-wing nonprofits to obtain Democratic votes in the 2020 presidential election year.
According to Executive Order“The head of each agency shall evaluate ways in which the agency may, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, promote voter registration and voter participation,” including “by soliciting and facilitating approved, nonpartisan third-party organizations and government officials to provide on-site voter registration services.” agency.”
Like “Bidenbucks,” “Zuckerbucks” gained attention when the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) donated approximately $350 million to local election offices managing the 2020 elections, with most of the funds going to Zuckerberg’s nonprofit organization. Nonprofit says its 2020 election donations – commonly known as “Zuckerbucks” – were awarded without bias to make voting safer during the pandemic.
Instead, a House investigation found it less than 1% funds were allocated to personal protective equipment. The lion’s share of funds was allocated to voting efforts and registrations in mainly Democratic districts.
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Natalia Mittelstadt is a reporter for Just the News.
