FGA Applauds Governor Stitt’s Decision to Ban Third-Party Funding in Oklahoma Elections
- BY FGA
Naples, FL—The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauds Governor Kevin Stitt for signing into law House Bill 3046, the Prohibit the Private Funding of Elections Act. The legislation bans any government or election official from soliciting or accepting donations, contributions, or anything else of value for the purpose of conducting elections.
Lead sponsors Representative Mark Lepak and Senator Julie Daniels introduced the legislation after nearly $350 million of “COVID-19 relief” grants were distributed to election offices across the country during the 2020 election cycle.
The grants deemed “Zuckerbucks” became even more controversial after it was uncovered that most of the money was spent on unrelated expenses. FGA research showed that Oklahoma received nearly $2.8 million in 43 of 77 counties and counties where the number of registered Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters received more per registered voter.
“Governor Stitt chose to protect the voice of every Oklahoma voter with his decision to ban out-of-state billionaires from interfering financially with the democratic process,” said Madeline Malisa, Senior Fellow at FGA. “Elections are public functions that should be free from the influence of private dollars, period. While many chose to look the other way after the election, Oklahoma lawmakers stood up for Oklahomans by ensuring their elections remain free from outside influence.”
Oklahoma joins 19 other states that have chosen to implement private election grant reforms.
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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
