Faces of Democracy

The challenge. Since 2020, election officials have faced threats, harassment, and false claims of fraud, along with chronic federal underfunding. Many have quit.

What Issue One did. We launched Faces of Democracy in 2022 so the people who run our elections could speak for themselves. More than 70 election officials from across the political spectrum now take part.

• Members have testified before Congress and pressed for steady, reliable federal election funding.
• Our Q&A series has profiled more than 20 Republican, Democratic, and nonpartisan election officials. Each profile appears in The Fulcrum and shows the people behind the process.
• In 2026, 60 election officials signed a letter that helped stop the SAVE Act in the Senate, and 16 urged Congress to demand answers about federal efforts to access sensitive voter data.
• Our Turning the Tide on Turnover report documented the loss of local election officials and offered solutions.

The result. Election officials are now trusted, bipartisan messengers on Capitol Hill. In February 2026, we supported $45 million in new election security grants for states.

Why it matters. Election officials and poll workers are our neighbors and friends – and they make our democracy work. People who run elections in red, blue, and purple counties are among the most credible defenders of free and fair elections.

Principles:

The Faces of Democracy campaign is informed by the experiences of its members – election officials and poll workers from red and blue states, rural and urban communities, and all levels of election administration. The campaign is guided by the following principles:

• Elections are critical infrastructure for our democracy and Congress should provide states and localities with regular, predictable, and sufficient funding to ensure the security and modernization of our elections.

• All eligible voters should have access to a safe, secure, and accessible voting process.

• Election officials and poll workers should uphold the highest ethical and professional standards and follow all federal, state, and local laws.

• Election officials and poll workers should carry out their job duties in a nonpartisan manner.

• Election officials and poll workers should not face political pressure, threats, or intimidation for doing their jobs and protecting the integrity of our elections.