Free & Fair Elections

Election Protection

Our peers and neighbors are the election officials and poll workers that keep our elections free and fair, but they need regular, predictable, and sufficient funding to protect and modernize America’s election infrastructure. In addition, those serving on the frontlines of our democracy need legal protection from harassment and intimidation. Learn about our work to elevate the voices of election officials and workers in the policy debate through our Faces of Democracy campaign.

Featured Work

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Building Confidence in 2024 Elections

Issue One is at the forefront of crucial efforts to support election officials, combat false election information, and educate voters about how elections work. Our mission is to ensure that…

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Faces of Democracy

A campaign of election officials and poll workers to strengthen U.S. elections

Analysis

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Julie Wise

Nonpartisan head of elections in Seattle shares how “radical transparency” measures like webcams and Plexiglass walls help build trust in elections...

Julie Wise, who is not registered with any political party, has more than 24 years of election administration experience. Since 2000, she has worked for the board of elections in…

Press releases

More than 50 bipartisan election officials, national security experts, technologists, and former members of Congress call for safeguards to protect U.S. elections against threats posed by AI

A bipartisan coalition of more than 50 election officials, national security experts, technologists, and former members of Congress are calling for the enactment of federal legislation to protect our democracy…

Press releases

New report from Issue One highlights the high cost of high turnover as election officials leave their positions in record numbers

New research from Issue One shows that the turnover rate among local election officials since November 2020 is far higher than what would normally be expected, especially in battleground states…

Event Recaps

Issue One and Public Citizen host bipartisan event on threats posed by AI on democracy

Issue One recently partnered with Public Citizen to host a virtual event that brought together a bipartisan group of congressional leaders and election officials to discuss the threats posed by…

Featured Press

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The New York Times: Elections Officials Battle a Deluge of Disinformation

Faces of Democracy members Tate Fall, Justin Roebuck, and Adrian Fontes interviewed...

The Hill: To preserve the integrity of our elections, language matters

Op-ed by National Council on Election Integrity members Donna Brazile and Michael Steele...

The Guardian: Trump allies push bill to bar non-citizen voting, even though it’s already illegal

Issue One Director of Election Protection Carah Ong Whaley quoted...

C-SPAN: Nick Penniman on Election Security and Integrity

Issue One CEO Nick Penniman talks election security on C-SPAN's Washington Journal...

The Latest on Election Protection

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Apr 09, 2024

In the media

C-SPAN: Nick Penniman on Election Security and Integrity

Issue One CEO Nick Penniman talks election security on C-SPAN's Washington Journal...

Apr 08, 2024

In the media

USA Today: Election offices say they need more funding. Advocates are calling on Congress to help

Issue One Legislative Director Gideon Cohn-Postar quoted...

Mar 21, 2024

Press releases

Issue One, NCEI co-chairs, and Faces of Democracy member commend Congress for investing in our critical election infrastructure

In response to today’s major government funding bill, which included $55 million in federal election grants for local and state officials, Issue One’s Director of Election Protection Carah Ong Whaley…

Mar 20, 2024

Analysis

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Bruce Brown

Virginia Republican and former State Department employee discusses running elections and boosting confidence among voters with questions about election integrity...

Editor’s note: More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy. Since…

Mar 17, 2024

In the media

NBC News: Experts war-gamed what might happen if deepfakes disrupt the 2024 election. Things went sideways fast.

Issue One CEO Nick Penniman quoted...

Mar 13, 2024

Press releases

Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign welcomes new election officials

In commemoration of Women’s History Month, Issue One is proud to welcome three new election officials to the growing Faces of Democracy campaign — a bipartisan group of nearly 50…

Mar 12, 2024

Press releases

Members of Issue One’s Faces of Democracy testify before Congress about challenges facing U.S. elections

In today’s Senate Rules Committee hearing, state and local election officials from both parties testified about a wide range of challenges facing the election administration community, from generative AI and…

Mar 01, 2024

Press releases

Following Issue One report, Dept. of Education clarifies Federal Work Study guidelines permitting election offices to hire college students

This week, 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. These students’…

Feb 29, 2024

Press releases

Two dozen current and former election officials urge Congress to pass anti-doxxing legislation ahead of 2024 election

In a new letter sent to the leadership of the Senate Rules and House Administration Committees today, nearly two dozen current and former election officials from Issue One’s Faces of…

Feb 26, 2024

Press releases

NCEI co-chairs respond to reports of foreign interference, call on Congress to bolster election infrastructure

In response to reporting that Russia has begun to spread disinformation ahead of the 2024 presidential election, National Council on Election Integrity (NCEI) Co-chairs Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Zach Wamp…