Election Administration

Green Bay City Clerk Resigns Amid State Investigation Into Election Fund Use

The resignation of a municipal official connected to a 2020 election grant program illustrates how disputes over private funding of public election administration continue to generate legal and...

The Congressional Times · August 11, 2026

Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys has resigned from her position amid an ongoing Wisconsin state investigation into alleged election law violations connected to private grants received by the city during the 2020 election cycle, according to a report published by RealClearPolitics on August 11, 2026. The specific statutory provisions under investigation were not identified in the source report; the Wisconsin Elections Commission or the Wisconsin Department of Justice would hold relevant investigative records that could clarify the legal basis of the inquiry.

The grants at issue are commonly referred to as 'Zuckbucks,' a term used in election-law debates to describe approximately $350 million in private funds distributed nationally by the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) during the 2020 election cycle, according to CTCL's publicly filed IRS Form 990 for fiscal year 2020. Green Bay was among Wisconsin municipalities that accepted CTCL grants. Wisconsin state records and contemporaneous reporting documented that Green Bay received approximately $1.6 million from CTCL in 2020, though the precise allocation and expenditure of those funds would be detailed in the city's financial disclosures and any audit records held by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

At least 27 states have enacted laws restricting or banning private funding of public election administration since 2020, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures' tracker of election legislation, current as of mid-2026. Wisconsin's legislature passed such a restriction, and disputes over compliance with that restriction and related 2020 conduct have generated multiple state-level reviews. The scope and current status of the specific investigation involving Jeffreys — including whether any charges have been filed or recommended — is not confirmed in the available source material. A formal charging document, grand jury proceeding, or Elections Commission enforcement action would be the public record that would answer that question.

Jeffreys served as Green Bay's city clerk, a position responsible for administering local elections. Her departure date and whether the resignation was voluntary or requested were not specified in the source report. The Green Bay city government's official personnel records or a public statement from the mayor's office would confirm those details. No statement from Jeffreys responding to the investigation's findings was available in the source material reviewed for this story.

What remains unknown: the specific alleged violations under investigation, whether any other city officials face scrutiny in connection with the same grant funds, and whether the state investigation will result in civil penalties, criminal referrals, or a finding of no violation. Wisconsin Elections Commission enforcement records, once finalized, would be the primary public document answering those questions.

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