Democracy Summit statement from Issue One CEO Nick Penniman

As the White House convenes leaders from around the world for their first-ever Democracy Summit aimed at galvanizing countries to defend against authoritarianism, Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman issued the following statement:

“Our democracy is under assault. President Biden’s emphasis on democracy abroad is important, but it is not enough. He must work with congressional leaders to strengthen our elections at home, protect voting access, and fix our rigged political system.

“At a time when commonsense proposals to address these mounting challenges stall in Congress, partisan politicians in states across the country are moving full steam ahead in a well-funded and well-organized effort to undermine our democracy, cast doubt on our elections, and strip local election officials of their power.

“We are witnessing a four-alarm fire in our own backyard — and the stakes could not be higher. It is critical that we protect our election officials and frontline poll workers, prevent election administration from partisan takeover, make it easier for voters to securely cast their ballots, end hyper-partisan redistricting, and provide consistent and sustained federal election funding to the states. If Washington continues to kick the can down the road on these much-needed reforms, we will rue the day we allowed our democracy to slip through our fingers.”