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John,
Issue One is off to a strong and busy start to 2024 as we continue our work to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.
Here are some highlights from February:
Protecting Our Elections:
- As part of our Faces of Democracy campaign, we’ve been featuring election workers from across the country to highlight the work they do on behalf of our democracy. Check out the latest installment of our Meet the Faces of Democracy series: a Q&A with Natalie Adona, the Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, CA!
- Three of our Republican Faces of Democracy members wrote an op-ed about the concerning trend of threats against the election administration community, and how there’s no place for violence in our political discourse.
- A bipartisan cohort of election officials, including members of our Faces of Democracy campaign, called on Congress to pass anti-doxxing measures ahead of the 2024 election.
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National Council on Election Integrity (NCEI) Co-chairs Zach Wamp (R-TN) and Tim Roemer (D-IN) wrote an op-ed in The Hill about the unique set of challenges facing the 2024 election and the role every American can play to help ensure the safety and integrity of elections.
- We issued a statement applauding the Federal Communications Commission's vote to ban deceptive AI-generated robocalls that could deceive voters.
Holding Big Tech Accountable:
- Major momentum this month for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) with the bill receiving 17 new cosponsors and undergoing new changes to further strengthen the bill. The bill now has 64 cosponsors in the Senate. Read our statement issued in response to the big news!
- January closed out with a Senate Judiciary hearing where CEOs from five major social media companies — Meta, TikTok, X, Snap, and Discord — testified about their failures to protect children from sexual exploitation online. Before and after the hearing, Council for Responsible Social Media (CRSM) member Kristin Bride appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and NBC News; CRSM Co-chair Dick Gephardt was quoted by Fast Company; and our analysis, “Social Media Platforms Assemble Influence Army in D.C.,” was cited by Fortune and Semafor.
- We hosted two virtual events this month. One brought together experts in national security, technology, and democracy to discuss how social media’s design radicalizes its users. The next event came on the heels of the Senate Judiciary hearing and featured a discussion between Facebook whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Arturo Béjar to unpack the hearing.
To stay in the loop all month long, make sure you check out IssueOne.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook!
Thanks for your support,
The Issue One Team
P.S. On March 6 at 4pm ET Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman will sit down with writer, designer, and media researcher Tobias Rose-Stockwell. The author of “Outrage Machine,” Rose-Stockwell unpacks how social media has evolved from a tool designed to connect society to one with unchecked influence on news, discourse, and democracy. Register now and tune in to hear a discussion on both the threats posed by social media and potential solutions.
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