M ac ac : press@techandciviclife.org ​M a c ac : ​David J. Becker ​media@electioninnovation.org PRISCILLA CHAN AND MARK ZUCKERBERG COMMIT $300 MILLION DONATION TO PROMOTE SAFE AND RELIABLE VOTING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC Se e be 1, 2020 WASHINGTON, DC​ ​-- The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) and The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) announced toda that Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg have committed $300 million to promote safe and reliable voting in states and localities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chan and Zuckerberg have committed $250 million to CTCL, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organi ation dedicated to creating a more engaged democrac , hich ill regrant funds to local election jurisdictions across the countr to help ensure that the have the staffing, training, and equipment necessar so that this November ever eligible voter can participate in a safe and timel a and that their vote is counted. Chan and Zuckerberg have also committed $50 million to CEIR, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organi ation hose mission is to assist state and local election officials to ensure elections are secure, voters have confidence in election outcomes, and democrac thrives as civic engagement gro s. "We all depend on election officials to provide safe and secure voting options to the public. Unfortunatel , election departments face unprecedented challenges in 2020 due to COVID-19, said Tiana Epps-Johnson, E ecutive Director of ​Center for Tech and Civic Life​. "This e pansion of our COVID-19 Response Grant program provides our countr 's election officials and poll orkers ith the critical resources the need to safel serve ever voter." State election officials are facing unprecedented challenges during this election season. The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in election options and procedures different than voters have ever seen, hile the threat of disinformation could greatl diminish voters confidence in democratic process, said David Becker, E ecutive Director of The Center for Election Innovation & Research. This donation ill greatl assist election officials as the seek to inform voters about their voting options and an changes, educate them about ho the can successfull ensure their ballot is received and counted, and bolster transparenc and legitimac . Due to the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 ill have on voting across the countr , election officials are orking around the clock to make sure that ever voter has the abilit to participate safel and have their vote counted, said Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg. Man counties and states are strapped financiall and orking to determine ho to staff and fund operations that ill allo for ballots to be cast and counted in a timel a . These donations ill help to provide local and state officials across the countr ith the resources, training and infrastructure necessar to ensure that ever voter ho intends to cast a ballot is able to, and ultimatel , to preserve the integrit of our elections. As 150 million Americans vote during a global pandemic, there are a lot of things that are going to be different than previous elections, said Jocel n Benson, Michigan Secretar of State. This grant ill be of tremendous assistance as e ork to get the ord out to voters, and help them plan for a successful voting e perience. In a time hen so much is changing around us, Americans need to kno no more than ever ho to make their voice heard in this fall s election, said Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretar of State. That requires getting them the information the need from trusted sources, and these dollars are going to go a long a to making that happen. This investment is critical for election departments, hether the are large, small, urban, or rural. CTCL orks ith, and understands, jurisdictions of all t pes, and the COVID-19 response grant program is another e ample of their developing plans that meet election officials' most urgent needs, said ​Pam Anderson, E ecutive Director of the Colorado Count Clerks Association. BACKGROUND ON THE CTCL DONATION FOR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS The $250 million CTCL donation ill be used specificall to support a variet of efforts b local jurisdictions to e pand voter access, including: Poll orker recruitment, ha ard pa , and training Polling place rental Temporar staffing support Drive-through voting Equipment to process ballots and applications Personal protective equipment (PPE) for poll orkers Nonpartisan voter education from cities and counties Launched in 2015, CTCL is focused on connecting Americans ith the information the need to become and remain civicall engaged and ensure that U.S. elections are more professional, inclusive, and secure b educating voters and supporting local election administration. CTCL orks to collect and standardi e the information that all eligible citi ens need to be able to vote and to ensure that local election officials have the tools and trainings the need to conduct more trust orth , inclusive elections, and troubleshoot problems ahead of Election Da . This ne donation ill allo CTCL to scale its efforts to support election infrastructure and local election officials nation ide. CTCL ill issue an open call to local election officials in all states, offering support on the initiatives listed above to help ensure Americans across the countr can rel on a strong electoral s stem this November and kno that their votes ill be counted. Efforts ill be made to ensure that a diverse set of counties are included: urban, suburban, e urban and rural. Jurisdictions that appl ill be a arded funding based on their population. Additionall , in states here CTCL is alread active, funds ill be allocated at the count and municipalit level to support ork alread in progress. This encompasses urban and rural counties in ever corner of America. The list of counties and states ill gro across the countr as other counties and municipalities appl for assistance. BACKGROUND ON THE CEIR DONATION FOR STATES AND LOCALITIES CEIR as founded b David Becker in 2016, after orking for t o decades in elections, leading Pe s efforts to improve elections, and serving as a voting rights attorne in the Justice Department under both Democratic and Republican administrations. CEIR has a proven track record of orking in a nonpartisan manner ith election officials from around the countr and from both sides of the aisle, building voter trust and confidence, increasing voter participation, and improving the efficienc of election administration. CEIR has orked for ears to combat the threat of foreign interference that seeks to further divide our nation and depress citi en engagement, and strengthen election infrastructure against potential attacks. As the pandemic further challenges voter confidence and engagement, CEIR has been orking ith election officials of both parties to engage in more effective civic outreach to adapt processes to our ne realit , combat disinformation, and inform voters of their options to vote this fall and changes from previous elections. This donation ill enable CEIR to further scale up this ork, helping election officials across the nation reach their voters ith critical information about voter registration, mail voting, earl voting, polling locations and hours, and the vote-counting process to make participating in this election convenient and secure for all eligible voters. ###