Issue One Statement on National Security Council Meeting on Election Security

As President Trump and the White House prepare to convene the National Security Council to discuss election security, Issue One CEO Nick Penniman issued the following statement:

“Election security should include efforts to increase transparency in our political system. The Honest Ads Act, which would do just that for online political advertising, is waiting for more leadership and attention. We urge President Trump and the the National Security Council to include it in their considerations.

It’s clear to all that Russia — and others — will continue to attempt to manipulate and hack our elections. We must put every provision in place to discourage foreign governments and rogue actors from undermining our democracy. One simple, yet essential, measure is to shine a light on who’s creating and purchasing political ads.

The Honest Ads Act is championed by Republicans and Democrats, in both chambers of Congress; more than 100 former members of Congress; national security experts; and a host of tech companies, including including Twitter, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft.

It’s a shovel-ready, inexpensive effort that deserves to be part of the slate of solutions. We hope the president and the National Security Council will give it the attention it deserves.”