Issue One statement on Senate Intelligence Committee report and the need to stop foreign interference in U.S. elections

In response to a report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee which unanimously found after a three-year review that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections, Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee released the following statement:

“The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has confirmed what the intelligence community and democracy advocates have been saying all along: foreign adversaries seek to destabilize and interfere in our elections. It is reasonable to expect that these efforts will be made again especially in light of the current COVID-19 crisis. While Congress is appropriately focused on protecting our nation’s economic and public health, it is also important to members of Congress to take bipartisan action to protect our elections.

“The question we face as a country is not ‘Who do they want to win?’ It is: ‘How do we stop these bad actors from attacking our elections in the first place?’ Russia, China, Iran, and others don’t favor a particular political party. They favor chaos and creating distrust in our system of government. And we can be sure that they are already working to make 2020 even more divisive. 

“We don’t have to stand by and let this happen. It is our continuing duty as Americans to fight back by adopting an array of tough, bipartisan measures to combat their work in the shadows, including the widely-supported Honest Ads Act. 

“In anticipation of what is already sure to be a logistically-challenging election season, Congress should also find time to act decisively to prevent any further delegitimization of our most cherished democratic institutions.”