Ottawa County clerk declines $1.5M grant opportunity, cites private funding concerns
OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa County Clerk's Office announced Tuesday it was withdrawing from a nationwide initiative aimed at helping local election offices ensure election integrity.
More:Ottawa County recognized for election integrity, excellence
In November, Clerk Justin Roebuck announced Ottawa County was a finalist in the "Centers for Election Excellence," an initiative of the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence.
On Jan. 31, Roebuck walked that back, saying after the finalist announcement, the Alliance began releasing grant information indicating it intended to award significant private grant dollars directly to participating election offices.
Upon learning that Ottawa County would receive $1.5 million it didn't ask for — funded through private monies — Roebuck requested his office be withdrawn from consideration.
"Some of the stuff we were talking about was really exciting and I applaud them for doing it," Roebuck told The Sentinel.
Ultimately, Roebuck said he felt more comfortable receiving funding for initiatives if there was a need. He cited the example that the county's election results website could be more user-friendly.
"But $1.5 million just seemed excessive," Roebuck said. "We didn't ask for that. Honestly, we were very surprised and we want people in it for the right reasons."
The U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, launched in 2022, is a five-year $80 million nonpartisan program that brings together election officials, designers, technologists and other experts to "envision, support and celebrate excellence in U.S. election administration," according to its website.
Its goals are to connect elections offices around the country with a bipartisan group of election officials to support each other and sharpen their skills as they collaborate on ideas that ensure the integrity and accessibility of elections.
However, the ultimate source of funding for the organization's grants has been a point of contention with political groups.
The Alliance for Election Excellence is primarily a project of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, or CTCL, which distributed $350 million in grants from a foundation run by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to 2,500 election departments across 47 states.
Critics say the money, coined "Zuckerbucks," primarily benefited Democrat turnout in the 2020 election.
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“While I value the overall stated goals of the Alliance, I firmly believe that funding for election administration must come from federal, state and local governments,” Roebuck in a prepared statement.
“Election administration is critical government infrastructure and when private individuals seek to fund election operations, it casts a shadow over public trust in the process, particularly when the resources can be tied to individuals or groups who may have also contributed to political parties or candidates.”
Roebuck indicated that, while his office will not be participating with the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, his emphasis will continue to be on providing excellence in election administration.
“Public trust is at the heart of our mission, and we will maintain our focus on providing excellent customer service and access for all our voters, while also delivering robust measures to ensure the integrity of our elections.”
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County clerk declines $1.5M grant opportunity, cites private funding concerns
