Issue One Legislative Director Gideon Cohn-Postar named a top grassroots lobbyist of 2023

Issue One’s Legislative Director Gideon Cohn-Postar has been recognized as one of the year’s top grassroots lobbyists in Washington D.C., by The Hill in its annual list. This is Cohn-Postar’s first appearance on the list, and the fourth consecutive year that Issue One has been represented.

A former policy advisor to Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and a historian of 19th century election policy, Cohn-Postar expertly advanced Issue One’s legislative agenda throughout 2023.

Earlier this year, he helped lead a successful and poignant fly-in with two dozen current and former election officials from across the country to urge lawmakers and the Biden administration to secure our country’s critical election infrastructure and protect election workers in advance of the 2024 election and beyond. The advocacy event was part of Issue One’s Faces of Democracy program, a nationwide campaign lifting up the voices of election workers. Participants included the secretaries of state from Arizona, Nevada, Maine, and officials and poll workers from states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, and more. The delegation met with more than 50 congressional offices from both parties as well as key executive branch officials with the White House, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security.

Cohn-Postar has also led efforts to ensure that critical election security issues are at the forefront of congressional discourse by collaborating with local and state election officials to prepare and submit testimony for numerous election-related hearings in the House and Senate. In addition, he worked closely with champions in the Senate to support the development and introduction of bipartisan legislation to prevent the use of deceptive artificial intelligence-generated content from being used in political campaigns. He continues to work with Republican and Democratic members to strengthen federal protections for election workers who continue to be the target of horrifying threats and harassment.

Through our work with Faces of Democracy, the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity, the ReFormers Caucus, and the Council for Responsible Social Media, Cohn-Postar and Issue One have continued to work on building an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.

Cohn-Postar’s legislative and advocacy work will continue to play a critical role as Issue One unites Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to strengthen U.S. democracy, protect our elections, and combat the negative impacts of Big Tech and social media on our national security and vulnerable communities.