Hi, John.

What a year. We fought a lot of battles… and we won a few!

You’ve heard plenty about our biggest wins — including ensuring a safe, secure election through our $15 million Count Every Vote campaign. But, given the tumult of this crazy year, you might have missed hearing about some of our regular work: watchdogging Congress and the president, advancing money-in-politics legislation, and winning new allies in the fight for democracy reform.

I’ve collected a few things to share with you to celebrate and enjoy over the holiday season:

Celebrate

• A new win: This week, the House decided to renew the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This is GREAT news. The committee, which we played a key role in establishing, is generating bipartisan support for 97 reforms (and counting) that will make Congress more accessible, transparent, representative, and effective.
• Congratulations! Issue One’s Meredith McGehee and Elise Wirkus were named among the top grassroots lobbyists of 2020 by The Hill for Issue One’s election protection and lobbying reform work.

Listen

• “Conversation with Nick Penniman.” Swamp Stories host Weston Wamp, a millennial conservative, asked me about democracy’s future and the big questions facing our movement.
• “Whistleblowers.” Be re-inspired by our incredible ReFormers Caucus — the largest group of its kind ever assembled to advocate for reform.

Watch

• “People of Faith: Engage 2020” and “Where Do We Go From Here?,” Issue One’s virtual summits on the intersection between Christian faith and politics, which attracted thousands of participants and hundreds of faith leaders.

Read

• Can you spot the gerrymandered congressional district? (The Fulcrum’s pop quiz!)
• 110 bipartisan leaders: Congress needs to reform itself in the wake of the coronavirus (USA Today)
• This year, three senators raised more than $95,000 per day. That’s just one of seven numbers to know about the campaign money that flowed into House and Senate members in 2020.
• 12 numbers to know about the money in the 2020 presidential election.

Happy holidays. Stay safe and take care.

Cheers,
Nick