Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., signed a bill into law on Wednesday forbidding private funding of elections to coerce election integrity.
According to Noem, the, “Act to prohibit private funding of election costs except for gifts of a nominal and intrinsic value,” is designed to prevent Big Tech companies from interfering in political elections.
Referencing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Noem said, “In 2020, we saw Mark Zuckerberg, pour ‘Zuck Bucks’ into local election operations across the country.” An action that funds the control of information and manipulates the opinion of voters.
Furthermore, Noem stated that, “Elections should be funded by the government, and we will not risk creating avenues for big-tech billionaires to unfairly influence our free and open elections.”
Citing the growing trend of election integrity bills across the nation, Gov. Noem mentioned that “Republican states” are passing laws like South Dakota’s Senate Bill 122. In her opinion, “liberal run states” are antagonistic to legislation that ensures the honesty of elections. The governor stated that Democrats like to “weigh in” and “influence elections where it would be improper.”
Noem told the press that South Dakota counties did receive “dollars” from Mark Zuckerberg and that she believes “Zuck Bucks” had a negative impact on the state’s election system.
