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

project

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…

project

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

See All

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

See All

Feb 20, 2024

Op-eds

Portland Press Herald: There is no place for violence in American politics

Op-ed by Faces of Democracy members Carly Koppes, Tonya Wichman, and Wesley Wilcox...

Feb 20, 2024

Op-eds

The Hill: A unique set of challenges could cause turmoil in 2024 — but here’s why we can trust the vote

Op-ed by National Council on Election Integrity Co-chairs Zach Wamp and Tim Roemer...

Feb 20, 2024

Analysis

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Natalie Adona

Elections administrator and kung fu movie enthusiast in northern California shares her insights about combating threats and election-related lies...

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…

Feb 14, 2024

In the media

The Hill: Gaps in AI robocall ban boost pressure on Congress, election officials

Issue One CEO Nick Penniman quoted...

Feb 09, 2024

Press releases

Issue One responds to Rep. Stefanik’s “anti-democratic,” “dangerous” comments regarding 2020 election

In response to inaccurate comments made last night by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) regarding the 2020 presidential election and the role of the vice president when counting the electoral votes,…

Feb 08, 2024

Press releases

Issue One applauds FCC vote banning deceptive AI robocalls, calls on Congress to take decisive action to protect voters and elections

In response to today’s vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban AI-generated robocalls that could deceive voters, Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman issued the following statement:…

Feb 07, 2024

Press releases

Issue One’s NCEI co-chairs call on Congress for renewed investments in U.S. elections ahead of November

In a new letter, co-chairs of Issue One’s bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity (NCEI) called on Congress to provide regular and consistent funding to support our nation’s critical election…

Feb 06, 2024

Press releases

Former President Trump’s false allegations about U.S. elections “mirrors the playbook of our adversaries,” say NCEI Co-chairs

In response to false allegations made by former President Trump that U.S. elections are “unsafe,” and “not free and fair,” the co-chairs of Issue One’s bipartisan National Council on Election…

Jan 17, 2024

Analysis

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Wesley Wilcox

Florida Republican talks about his love of running elections, tackling cybersecurity challenges, and solving Rubik’s Cubes...

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. Wesley…

Jan 13, 2024

In the media

CNN: Not MAGA enough: 2020 election skeptic quit his job after facing blowback from angry election deniers

Issue One's "High Cost of High Turnover" report cited...