Staff Reports
Left-wing nonprofit Vot-ER is teaming up with federally funded health centers to register voters in low-income communities, a move that is part of President Biden’s initiative known as “Bidenbucks.” The goal of this initiative is to use federal agencies to increase voter registration across the country. While Vot-ER claims to be non-partisan, conservative think tank Heritage Foundation discovered that the majority of its party affiliations lean towards the Democratic Party.
Critics refer to President Biden’s Executive Order 14019 as “Bidenbucks,” a term drawing parallels to “Zuckerbucks,” funds from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg allegedly used to boost Democratic turnout in the 2020 election. The executive order aims to promote voter registration and participation within federal agencies, including enlisting third-party organizations to offer voter services on agency premises.
Leftist nonprofit, ‘Bidenbucks’ pushing voter registration of low-income patients at health centers https://t.co/cqXjVXLiGE via @JustTheNews
— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) May 15, 2024
Controversy surrounds private funding in elections after the 2020 election, with concerns that the imbalance in fund allocation favored Democratic-leaning areas, potentially influencing the election outcome. Several states and counties have since restricted or banned the use of private funds in elections to address these concerns.
During a Department of Justice meeting in July 2021 regarding “Bidenbucks,” Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project uncovered that the majority of participating non-governmental organizations were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Vot-ER, one of the NGOs present, describes itself as a nonpartisan organization working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare, but its founder has donated exclusively to Democratic candidates.
Vot-ER’s programs include initiatives to enhance civic engagement within healthcare settings, such as voter registration drives and the Civic Health Fellowship aiming to train healthcare providers on voter engagement. Despite claims of non-partisanship, guidelines suggest precautions to avoid appearing biased when promoting voter registration to patients.
Editorial: It is concerning that a left-wing nonprofit like Vot-ER is involved in voter registration efforts in federally funded health centers. This raises questions about the potential for partisan influence in voter registration drives within low-income communities. Measures must be in place to ensure that voter registration initiatives remain unbiased and uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
