Executives in mining industry form group to sway American cryptocurrency voters

A trio of top executives from leading cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States have come together to establish a non-profit organization aimed at educating voters about Bitcoin (
BTC
).
Jayson Browder, the senior vice president of government affairs at Marathon Digital Holdings, along with executives from Riot Platforms and CleanSpark, have joined forces to form the board of the Bitcoin Voter Project. The organization has been officially registered as a 501(c)(4) in the U.S.
Unlike a political action committee (PAC), groups registered under a 501(c)(4) are not allowed to primarily support a specific candidate or political party. The launch of the voter project occurred shortly after representatives from Marathon, CleanSpark, TeraWulf, and Riot met with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed his desire for all remaining Bitcoin mining to be done within the United States.
Browder revealed that the voter project had been in the works for a while and was intended to be unveiled before the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. He clarified that the meeting with Trump was not planned to coincide with the launch, emphasizing that the organization is nonpartisan and aims to reach out to voters who may not be familiar with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Their goal is to support lawmakers and policies related to digital assets in Congress.
At present, the Bitcoin Voter Project is not endorsing any specific candidates. Browder mentioned that the project has approximately $5 million earmarked for research and voter education, with the ultimate aim of mobilizing these voters to back candidates who support digital assets. Unlike Stand With Crypto, a PAC launched by Coinbase in 2023, the Bitcoin Voter Project’s website does not list any particular candidate or crypto-related legislation.
“We are taking a unique approach compared to Stand with Crypto, focusing on identifying potential voters, engaging with them, and educating them,” Browder stated. “Once we have educated and engaged with these voters, there is an opportunity to influence political elections, similar to what Coinbase and others are doing.”
While it is unlikely that single-issue crypto voters will make up a large portion of the electorate in 2024, their impact could be significant due to the Electoral College system in many U.S. states. This could potentially sway the outcome of an election by drawing votes from the major party candidates, namely Trump and President Joe Biden.
Various representatives from crypto advocacy groups, such as Perianne Boring from the Chamber of Digital Commerce and the Texas Blockchain Council, have expressed their support for the Bitcoin Voter Project. As of June 14, the organization reported that hundreds of individuals had signed up.
A debate between President Biden and Trump is scheduled for June 27, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the two since the 2020 election. Other potential presidential candidates in 2024 include Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Libertarian Chase Oliver.
In summary, crypto voters are already making waves in the 2024 election landscape, and this trend is expected to continue.