Established Fact
Pennsylvania received approximately $25 million in CTCL grants, including exactly $10 million to Philadelphia and $2.2 million to Democratic-stronghold Delaware County — which ranked second in the state for per-capita CTCL funding at $3.77 per registered voter. The ten Biden-won counties receiving CTCL funds averaged approximately $5 per registered voter, versus roughly $1 per voter for the thirteen Trump-won counties that received grants. In Delaware County, CTCL-funded drop box deployment placed one box per four square miles and one per 4,000 voters; in the 59 Pennsylvania counties carried by Trump in 2016, the comparable figure was one drop box per 1,159 square miles — a geographic disparity of more than 280-to-one.
Citations
H.R. Rep. 118-509, p. 11 (House Comm. on House Administration, 118th Cong.): “Pennsylvania counties received $25 million in CTCL grants of which 10 of the 13 counties won by Biden received almost $21 million or over 80 percent of all CTCL grants in Pennsylvania. In stark contrast, only $1.73 million, or seven percent of all CTCL grants in Pennsylvania were received in 12 of the 54 counties won by Trump.” Available at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-118hrpt509/pdf/CRPT-118hrpt509-pt1.pdf.
Wisconsin Voters Alliance et al. v. Wolf et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-03791, Complaint, p. 9 (D.D.C. Dec. 22, 2020) (Amistad Project / Thomas More Society): “CTCL provided funds to 100% of the Pennsylvania counties carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016, including over $10 million to Philadelphia County.” Accord WHYY (May 28, 2021): “Philadelphia, which received $10 million from CTCL…” Available at https://whyy.org/articles/mark-zuckerberg-helped-some-pa-counties-survive-the-2020-election-right-wing-lawmakers-say-that-was-unfair/ . Complaint available at https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DC-WVA-20201222-complaint-1.pdf.
Broad+Liberty (Todd Shepherd, June 7, 2021), citing CTCL grant records: Delaware County “was awarded $2.2 million on Aug. 18” 2020. H.R. Rep. 118-509, p. 12: Delaware County ranked second in Pennsylvania for per-capita CTCL funding at $3.77/registered voter. Available at https://broadandliberty.com/2021/06/07/blue-southeast-pa-counties-had-head-start-on-election-grants/.
H.R. Rep. 118-509, p. 12: “The 5 biggest grants per capita in CTCL-funded counties all went to counties which Biden won: Philadelphia: $6.56, Centre: $5.46, Chester: $4.79, Delaware: $3.77, Lehigh: $2.04. In contrast, the largest per capita grant to a Trump won county went to Berks County at $1.10.” Accord WHYY (May 28, 2021): “Those [Trump-won] counties received, on average, about $1 per registered voter, while 10 counties Biden won received, on average, about $5 per registered voter.” Available at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-118hrpt509/pdf/CRPT-118hrpt509-pt1.pdf.
Wisconsin Voters Alliance et al. v. Wolf et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-03791, Complaint, p. 9 (D.D.C. Dec. 22, 2020): “In neighboring Democratic Delaware County, Pennsylvania one drop box was available for every 4,000 voters and one drop box was placed for every four-square-miles.” Available at https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DC-WVA-20201222-complaint-1.pdf.
Wisconsin Voters Alliance et al. v. Wolf et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-03791, Complaint, p. 9: “President Trump carried 59 of 67 Pennsylvania counties in 2016. CTCL contributed to 22% of those counties providing much smaller grants. There was one drop box for every 72,000 voters and every 1,159 square-miles in those counties.” Available at https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DC-WVA-20201222-complaint-1.pdf.
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans press release (Apr. 13, 2022): “Philadelphia and its surrounding counties received more than $18 million from CTCL in the 2020 Election, while other counties received significantly less. For example, Philadelphia received $8.83 per voter in CTCL funding in 2020. On the other side of the state, Venango County, with a Republican voter registration advantage, received only $.64 per voter in CTCL funding in 2020.” Available at https://www.pasenategop.com/news/senate-votes-to-ban-unsecured-ballot-drop-boxes-and-private-funding-of-election-operations/.