Faces of Democracy Fly-In 2023

In early June 2023, two dozen nonpartisan and bipartisan election officials and poll workers from Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign traveled to Washington, D.C. to sound the alarm about the 2024 elections. Their concerns: Lack of funding. AI powered disinformation. Death threats. Stalking. PTSD. Restrictive state laws. Floods of records requests. Denier-dominated election boards. And the misguided push toward hand counting.

They urged federal lawmakers and the Biden Administration to act swiftly to secure our country’s critical election infrastructure and ensure the safety of election workers ahead of 2024.

In meetings with the White House, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and nearly sixty Republican and Democratic congressional offices – including 36 senators and members of Congress – our country’s election administrators called on the federal government to do more. They demanded a “zero tolerance” policy on threats against them for doing their jobs, called for an anti-doxxing law that protects their personal information from the public, similar to protections that exist for federal judges, and asked for a predictable stream of federal resources to meet the demands of U.S. elections today.

Some of the stories we heard from these election officials and poll workers during their visit were difficult and disheartening. But their unwavering commitment to American voters and our democracy shined through at every step, and it was nothing short of inspiring.

Issue One is proud to partner with the dedicated public servants who sacrifice day in and day out as frontline defenders of our democracy. We will continue to stand with them and ensure they receive the support they need.