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In 2020, Joe Biden secured 12% of 2,699 votes, compared to the 11% earned by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Support for Trump increased in Rooks 4% in 2020.
Rooks was one of 25 Kansas areas where voting officials received money from the progressive Centre for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). A $350 million donation from Facebook founder Zuckerberg and his wife provided funding for the grants.
Grants from the organization, ranging from $5,000 to $19 million, were given to voting officials in exchange for specific conditions being followed. This included strategically targeting voters, creating ballots and developing what are known as “cure letters” to correct ballots at risk of being thrown out for discrepancies in signatures.
Democrat support across Kansas areas that received funding from the CTCL rose 28.3% in 2020 from 2016.
Such support rose 27.4% in Kansas areas that didn’t receive any funding from the CTCL.
The Republican Party earned 4% more votes in Kansas districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 14.8% in counties without similar funding.
The influx of private money on such a large scale was criticized throughout the contentious 2020 election.
The CTCL was sued by Louisiana’s Attorney General in October 2021 “to prevent the injection of unregulated private money...and protect the integrity of elections in the State.” The lawsuit wasn’t allowed to proceed by a State judge.
Criticism of the CTCL also stemmed from favoring “predominantly Democratic counties” and even gave them a headstart to apply for funding, according to emails obtained through Right-to-Know requests.
“Mark Zuckerberg is providing nearly as much money to this year’s election administration as the federal government,” Phil Kline with the Amistad Project said in a late October 2020 press release.
The US government, in the run-up to the 2020 election, was criticized for underfunding the electoral process at a critical time.
| Area | Received CTCL Funding? | % Change in Republican Support | % Change in Democratic Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | Yes | 15.5 | 9.6 |
| Atchison | Yes | 19 | 16.2 |
| Crawford | Yes | 16.5 | 18.8 |
| Dickinson | Yes | 18.2 | 28 |
| Douglas | Yes | 17.7 | 30.7 |
| Grant | Yes | 7.3 | 17.5 |
| Harvey | Yes | 17.5 | 33.1 |
| Hodgeman | Yes | 2.3 | 24.2 |
| Johnson | Yes | -22.9 | 16.2 |
| Marion | Yes | 24.7 | 39.9 |
| Reno | Yes | 18.9 | 30 |
| Saline | Yes | 13.7 | 30 |
| Sedgwick | Yes | 17.3 | 37.7 |
| Sumner | Yes | 16 | 24.6 |
| Cloud | Yes | 11.1 | 20.9 |
| Ford | Yes | -43.5 | 164.6 |
| Gray | Yes | 24.5 | 42.2 |
| Cherokee | Yes | 7.4 | 6.6 |
| Ellsworth | Yes | 5.6 | 19.6 |
| Morris | Yes | 19 | 22.1 |
| Rooks | Yes | 14.5 | 23.3 |
| Sherman | Yes | 10 | 13.8 |
| Thomas | Yes | 7.6 | 32.1 |
| Washington | Yes | 11.5 | 24.3 |
| Anderson County | No | 20.3 | 16.4 |
| Barber County | No | 8.9 | 1.7 |
| Barton County | No | 9.1 | 27.2 |
| Bourbon County | No | 13.5 | 15.3 |
| Brown County | No | 12.3 | 27.9 |
| Butler County | No | 18.7 | 39.7 |
| Chase County | No | 15.9 | 9.2 |
| Chautauqua County | No | 13.4 | 7.6 |
| Cheyenne County | No | 0.9 | 23.8 |
| Clark County | No | 9.6 | 19.2 |
| Clay County | No | 9.9 | 32.1 |
| Coffey County | No | 14.4 | 32.6 |
| Comanche County | No | 6.6 | 23.5 |
| Cowley County | No | 16.8 | 20.3 |
| Decatur County | No | 4.1 | 22.5 |
| Doniphan County | No | 14.2 | 16.9 |
| Edwards County | No | 10 | 27.8 |
| Elk County | No | 8.8 | 21.9 |
| Ellis County | No | 15.3 | 36.3 |
| Finney County | No | 14 | 35.4 |
| Geary County | No | 24.5 | 46.3 |
| Gove County | No | 13.2 | 11.4 |
| Graham County | No | 5.4 | 21.3 |
| Greeley County | No | 2.8 | -6 |
| Greenwood County | No | 13.1 | 17.3 |
| Hamilton County | No | -1 | 16.5 |
| Harper County | No | 8.6 | 17.3 |
| Haskell County | No | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| Jackson County | No | 14.7 | 24.4 |
| Jefferson County | No | 21.5 | 26.8 |
| Jewell County | No | 13.4 | 17.8 |
| Kearny County | No | 8.3 | 53.4 |
| Kingman County | No | 23.7 | 25.5 |
| Kiowa County | No | 8.9 | 36.8 |
| Labette County | No | 7.5 | 15.9 |
| Lane County | No | 6.1 | 8.5 |
| Leavenworth County | No | 22.5 | 36 |
| Lincoln County | No | 8.8 | 23.7 |
| Linn County | No | 16.2 | 21.7 |
| Logan County | No | 10.3 | 24.8 |
| Lyon County | No | 15.2 | 30.2 |
| Marshall County | No | 16.6 | 28.1 |
| McPherson County | No | 11.5 | 25.9 |
| Meade County | No | 7.6 | 25.2 |
| Miami County | No | 23 | 31.5 |
| Mitchell County | No | 8.5 | 17 |
| Montgomery County | No | 14.4 | 22.4 |
| Morton County | No | 3.9 | 2 |
| Nemaha County | No | 13.1 | 27.9 |
| Neosho County | No | 12.2 | 19.7 |
| Ness County | No | 9 | -8 |
| Norton County | No | 9.1 | 29.5 |
| Osage County | No | 18.2 | 21.8 |
| Osborne County | No | 11.6 | 20.6 |
| Ottawa County | No | 14.3 | 19.3 |
| Pawnee County | No | 7.4 | 11.1 |
| Phillips County | No | 8.3 | 6 |
| Pottawatomie County | No | 24.2 | 48.9 |
| Pratt County | No | 9.5 | 21 |
| Rawlins County | No | 3.4 | 31.3 |
| Republic County | No | 7.8 | 13.1 |
| Rice County | No | 15 | 38.8 |
| Riley County | No | 14.9 | 36.7 |
| Rush County | No | 12.8 | 26.6 |
| Russell County | No | 8.4 | 30.2 |
| Scott County | No | 8 | 26.7 |
| Seward County | No | 6.7 | 12.6 |
| Shawnee County | No | 12.5 | 26.8 |
| Sheridan County | No | 7.1 | 15.7 |
| Smith County | No | 6.1 | 13.1 |
| Stafford County | No | 10.4 | 17.4 |
| Stanton County | No | 24.8 | 28.7 |
| Stevens County | No | 10.1 | 7.7 |
| Trego County | No | 11.1 | 22.2 |
| Wabaunsee County | No | 19.9 | 24.2 |
| Wallace County | No | 6.8 | -4.3 |
| Wichita County | No | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| Wilson County | No | 13.1 | 21.7 |
| Woodson County | No | 13.5 | 7.7 |
| Wyandotte County | No | 19.8 | 22 |
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