Crypto think tank launches voting project to support ‘right candidates’

Turner Wright6 hours agoCrypto think tank launches voting project to support ‘right candidates’The Digital Future project did not endorse specific candidates or political parties, but its CEO ran as a Republican in a 2022 congressional campaign associated with FTX.1863 Total views2 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsOwn this piece of crypto historyCollect this article as NFTJoin us on social networksMichelle Bond, CEO of a crypto-focused think tank in Washington, DC and the partner of former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, announced the launch of an initiative “to boost voter registration and crypto education” in the United States.

In a July 24 notice, crypto think tank Digital Future said it would initially target US voters in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as part of Project Swing. According to Digital Future, the voter project aims to “activate support for pro-crypto candidates” ahead of the 2024 election season, which is already in full swing nationwide.

Bond said in an X post that the project would help “ensure the right candidates are elected” related to policies on financial freedom. Cointelegraph reached out to Digital Future for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Though the initiative did not explicitly name any pro-crypto candidates or political parties, it said it would target “like-minded voters” in “crucial” swing states, likely referring to views on crypto and blockchain. In 2022, Bond ran as a Republican to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District, but her campaign did not continue after the party’s primary.Connected to FTX collapse

Salame, Bond’s partner and father of her eight-month-old child, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business in 2023. He allegedly contributed to Bond’s congressional campaign on behalf of a corporation, violating US law. In May, a judge sentenced Salame to 90 months in prison, for which he is scheduled to report on Aug. 29.

Following his sentencing hearing, Salame returned to X to make various posts about FTX and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and question US voter ID laws. Since US President Joe Biden announced he would not be running for reelection in 2024, Salame made a misleading post about how Biden’s campaign funds were being used to support presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Related:Democrats have ‘huge opportunity’ to win back the crypto vote

Bond helped launch Digital Future in June — one of her first professional endeavors following the collapse of FTX in 2022. She previously served as the CEO of the Association for Digital Asset Markets and as counsel for the US Senate Banking Committee.

With 103 days until US Election Day, the entire political landscape in the country has been shifting since President Biden announced that he would end his campaign. Some US states have already held party primaries to determine which candidates will be on the ballot in November, with crypto being on many voters’ minds this election season.

Magazine:Crypto voters are already disrupting the 2024 election — and it’s set to continue# Politics# Business# United States# Voting# Elections# FTXAdd reaction