2024 is shaping up to be a busy year here at Issue One 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 March:
Protecting Our Elections:
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we held an event with women from our Faces of Democracy campaign to hear about their experiences as election officials and the important role they play in our democracy. Watch the event recording!
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 Q&A series — a conversation with Bruce Brown, a member of Alexandria, VA’s electoral board!
We’re proud to welcome four new election officials to our Faces of Democracy campaign: Maggie Toulouse Oliver, NM Secretary of State; Kathy Placencia, Director of Elections for Rhode Island; Tate Fall, Director of Elections for Cobb County, GA; and Kristin Connelly, County Clerk for Contra Costa County, CA.
During a Senate Rules Committee hearing this month, two Faces of Democracy members, MI Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Executive Director of the Charleston County, SC Board Of Voter Registration and Elections Isaac Cramer, testified about a wide range of challenges facing the election administration community, from generative AI and social media disinformation to threats against officials and the need for increased funding.
This month, the Department of Education issued a clarification that permits Federal Work Study (FWS) funds to be used to hire college students to work in election offices. This announcement follows an Issue One report published last year which made the case that FWS funds could be used for this purpose.
We published a statement in response to the recent government funding bill, which included $55 million in federal election grants for local and state officials. Listen to Issue One Legislative Director Gideon Cohn-Postar discuss the need for federal election funding with Faces of Democracy member Brianna Lennon on her High Turnout Wide Margins podcast.
Our National Council on Election Integrity (NCEI) co-chairs issued a statement calling on NBC to reconsider its decision to hire former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel because of her contributions to spreading election lies. As a result of pressure, NBC rescinded the contract. Additionally, the co-chairs also issued a statement in response to reporting that job applicants at the RNC are being asked during interviews if they believe the 2020 election was stolen.
Holding Big Tech Accountable:
Check out the statement we released following the State of the Union, during which President Biden defended democracy and called on Congress to pass bipartisan social media reforms to protect children online. Nick Penniman, our founder and CEO, also wrote up his thoughts after the speech that included reflections on the need for action to protect kids online and build a healthier information environment.
Issue One's Legislative Manager on Technology Reform Jamie Neikrie wrote an analysis about Murthy v. Missouri where he reflected on the case and the pivotal role it could play for election integrity and national security.
Issue One CEO Nick Penniman commended the House of Representatives for unanimously passing H.R. 7520, a bill that would prevent the sale of sensitive American data to foreign adversaries. However, he was clear that this bill is no substitute for comprehensive data privacy protections, and that Congress should apply the same standards to American platforms that it does to foreign actors.
We hosted an event that brought together a panel of experts and researchers to discuss the negative impact of social media on boys and the ways they get hurt by platforms’ business models that value profits over people. Watch the event recording.
P.S. Subscribe to our new Substack, The Reform Compass, for commentary from the Issue One team on major issues impacting American democracy — from strengthening our nation's critical election infrastructure to reining in Big Tech.
Issue One is the leading crosspartisan political reform group in Washington. We unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system.
