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In 2020, Joe Biden secured 43% of 46,355 votes, compared to the 40% earned by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Support for Trump increased in Lowndes 15.3% in 2020.
Lowndes was one of 40 Georgia 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 Georgia areas that received funding from the CTCL rose 32.1% in 2020 from 2016.
Such support rose 32.4% in Georgia areas that didn’t receive any funding from the CTCL.
The Republican Party earned 15.3% more votes in Georgia districts assisted by the CTCL, compared to 20.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | Yes | 23.9 | 34.4 |
| Carroll | Yes | 24.8 | 30.3 |
| Chatham | Yes | 16.5 | 25.6 |
| Cherokee | Yes | 23.5 | 69.6 |
| Clarke | Yes | 13.3 | 21.5 |
| Clayton | Yes | 25 | 22 |
| Cobb | Yes | 8.2 | 38.5 |
| DeKalb | Yes | 13.4 | 22.6 |
| Douglas | Yes | 2.6 | 38.1 |
| Forsyth | Yes | 21.9 | 79.9 |
| Gwinnett | Yes | 13.2 | 45.5 |
| Henry | Yes | 5.5 | 46.7 |
| Newton | Yes | 14.1 | 35.8 |
| Rockdale | Yes | -3.5 | 34.4 |
| Jackson | Yes | 35.4 | 70.2 |
| Ware | Yes | 15.9 | 22.4 |
| Polk | Yes | 23.4 | 27.6 |
| Fulton | Yes | 16.5 | 28.3 |
| Floyd | Yes | 20.8 | 31.1 |
| Bibb | Yes | 10.6 | 18.2 |
| Bulloch | Yes | 21.8 | 21.4 |
| Charlton | Yes | 15.9 | 9.9 |
| Chattahoochee | Yes | 17.2 | -88.9 |
| Early | Yes | 6.7 | 12.4 |
| Lee | Yes | 12.8 | 43.8 |
| Lincoln | Yes | 15.2 | 12.7 |
| Lowndes | Yes | 18.7 | 33.5 |
| Lumpkin | Yes | 26.4 | 40.8 |
| Madison | Yes | 23.1 | 40.7 |
| Randolph | Yes | 9.4 | 4.6 |
| Richmond | Yes | 9.5 | 21.1 |
| Spalding | Yes | 15.4 | 25.9 |
| Troup | Yes | 15.2 | 19.2 |
| Twiggs | Yes | 16.5 | 3.7 |
| Wilkinson | Yes | 14.2 | 9.6 |
| Appling County | No | 18.8 | 24.1 |
| Atkinson County | No | 22.5 | 18.4 |
| Bacon County | No | 19.4 | 2.8 |
| Baker County | No | 15.7 | 0.3 |
| Baldwin County | No | 15.7 | 14.7 |
| Banks County | No | 27.1 | 36.3 |
| Bartow County | No | 26 | 47.2 |
| Ben Hill County | No | 9.9 | 13.9 |
| Berrien County | No | 18.4 | 21.2 |
| Bleckley County | No | 16.4 | 19.1 |
| Brantley County | No | 25.6 | 12.9 |
| Brooks County | No | 15.1 | 10.4 |
| Bryan County | No | 35.3 | 67.9 |
| Burke County | No | 20.2 | 10.1 |
| Butts County | No | 25.1 | 27.6 |
| Calhoun County | No | 11.2 | 6.9 |
| Candler County | No | 17.6 | 23.7 |
| Catoosa County | No | 20.6 | 45.3 |
| Chattooga County | No | 24.8 | 14.9 |
| Clay County | No | 12.5 | 13.3 |
| Clinch County | No | 21.9 | 8.9 |
| Coffee County | No | 10.3 | 10.2 |
| Colquitt County | No | 19 | 20.9 |
| Columbia County | No | 16.1 | 54.8 |
| Cook County | No | 17.3 | 17.5 |
| Coweta County | No | 21.1 | 46 |
| Crawford County | No | 21.8 | 13.7 |
| Crisp County | No | 9.6 | 5.3 |
| Dade County | No | 20.1 | 30.7 |
| Dawson County | No | 35.3 | 71.7 |
| Decatur County | No | 12.3 | 15.9 |
| Dodge County | No | 16.4 | 18.1 |
| Dooly County | No | 10.7 | 2.1 |
| Echols County | No | 24.7 | 7.1 |
| Effingham County | No | 30.7 | 59.1 |
| Elbert County | No | 17.6 | 13.4 |
| Emanuel County | No | 22.8 | 18.4 |
| Evans County | No | 20.1 | 17.2 |
| Fannin County | No | 26.3 | 33.7 |
| Fayette County | No | 8.3 | 42 |
| Franklin County | No | 28.6 | 28.2 |
| Gilmer County | No | 28.2 | 49.2 |
| Glascock County | No | 13.6 | 12.3 |
| Glynn County | No | 19.1 | 34.9 |
| Gordon County | No | 27.7 | 37.8 |
| Grady County | No | 16.2 | 20.1 |
| Greene County | No | 28.7 | 27.8 |
| Habersham County | No | 26.1 | 43.5 |
| Hall County | No | 24 | 54.7 |
| Hancock County | No | 37.5 | 10.5 |
| Haralson County | No | 28.6 | 21.5 |
| Harris County | No | 20 | 33.6 |
| Hart County | No | 29.9 | 22.1 |
| Heard County | No | 34 | 10.9 |
| Houston County | No | 17.2 | 42.9 |
| Irwin County | No | 15.4 | 13.1 |
| Jasper County | No | 33.5 | 14.1 |
| Jeff Davis County | No | 14.4 | 14.1 |
| Jefferson County | No | 15.5 | 6.3 |
| Jenkins County | No | 14 | 12.7 |
| Johnson County | No | 13.1 | 7.6 |
| Jones County | No | 20 | 23.4 |
| Lamar County | No | 22 | 15.2 |
| Laurens County | No | 16.8 | 19.6 |
| Liberty County | No | 29.8 | 37.1 |
| Long County | No | 34.3 | 49.5 |
| Macon County | No | 15.8 | 5.6 |
| Marion County | No | 18.4 | 8.1 |
| McDuffie County | No | 13.6 | 12.7 |
| McIntosh County | No | 15.2 | 13.4 |
| Meriwether County | No | 24.9 | 12.7 |
| Miller County | No | 9.3 | 20.2 |
| Mitchell County | No | 15.3 | 14.4 |
| Monroe County | No | 25.2 | 22.8 |
| Montgomery County | No | 10.9 | 15.6 |
| Morgan County | No | 25.5 | 26 |
| Murray County | No | 25.2 | 27.9 |
| Oconee County | No | 23.6 | 46.2 |
| Oglethorpe County | No | 20.9 | 33 |
| Paulding County | No | 22.1 | 64.8 |
| Peach County | No | 20.1 | 16.1 |
| Pickens County | No | 20.8 | 41.9 |
| Pierce County | No | 25.3 | 21.8 |
| Pike County | No | 25.4 | 21.4 |
| Pulaski County | No | 15.1 | 10.2 |
| Putnam County | No | 26.7 | 25 |
| Quitman County | No | 5 | 7.8 |
| Schley County | No | 22.3 | 15.2 |
| Screven County | No | 18.5 | 15.7 |
| Seminole County | No | 11.3 | 5.5 |
| Stephens County | No | 21.9 | 29.8 |
| Stewart County | No | -0.5 | -3.3 |
| Sumter County | No | 8.6 | 14.5 |
| Talbot County | No | 16.4 | 5.6 |
| Taliaferro County | No | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Tattnall County | No | 18.8 | 22.6 |
| Taylor County | No | 17.2 | 7 |
| Telfair County | No | 15.3 | 13.3 |
| Terrell County | No | 6.9 | 4.8 |
| Thomas County | No | 15.4 | 21.9 |
| Tift County | No | 12.5 | 22.4 |
| Toombs County | No | 19 | 25.7 |
| Towns County | No | 18.6 | 28.1 |
| Treutlen County | No | 16.1 | 10.4 |
| Turner County | No | 12.1 | 13.2 |
| Union County | No | 28.4 | 42.7 |
| Upson County | No | 18 | 20.9 |
| Walker County | No | 22.3 | 36.9 |
| Walton County | No | 21.6 | 52.9 |
| Warren County | No | 17.7 | 11.8 |
| Washington County | No | 12.4 | 12.6 |
| Wayne County | No | 22.5 | 31.7 |
| Webster County | No | 18.7 | 35.1 |
| Wheeler County | No | 11.4 | 6.7 |
| White County | No | 25.2 | 44 |
| Whitfield County | No | 19 | 34.4 |
| Wilcox County | No | 14.6 | 1.2 |
| Wilkes County | No | 9.8 | 16.9 |
| Worth County | No | 11 | 18.6 |
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