Faces of Democracy

A campaign of election officials and poll workers to strengthen U.S. elections


Election officials and poll workers are our neighbors and friends – and they make our democracy work. Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign, powered by election workers themselves, aims to strengthen our country’s critical election infrastructure by winning sufficient, regular, and predictable federal funding for state and locally-administered elections, bolstering protections for election workers and facilities, and building trust in our system of free and fair elections.


Here are some facts:
  • Nearly 3 in 4 election officials report an increase in threats against election officials in recent years.
  • Over 50% of local election officials are concerned about political interference in how election officials do their jobs.
  • 1 in 5 election officials will be serving for the first time in the 2024 elections.
  • 7 in 10 Americans believe the federal government should be equally, if not more, responsible for funding elections than state governments and local municipalities.

Sources: 2023 polls by Brennan Center and Issue One


Principles:

The Faces of Democracy campaign is informed by the experiences of its members – election officials and poll workers from red and blue states, rural and urban communities, and all levels of election administration. The campaign is guided by the following principles:

  • Elections are critical infrastructure for our democracy and Congress should provide states and localities with regular, predictable, and sufficient funding to ensure the security and modernization of our elections.

  • All eligible voters should have access to a safe, secure, and accessible voting process.

  • Election officials and poll workers should uphold the highest ethical and professional standards and follow all federal, state, and local laws.

  • Election officials and poll workers should carry out their job duties in a nonpartisan manner.

  • Election officials and poll workers should not face political pressure, threats, or intimidation for doing their jobs and protecting the integrity of our elections.


Solutions:

To address increasing threats against election officials and continue to ensure the integrity of our elections, Congress should:

  1. Authorize significant and regular investment in America’s election infrastructure to ensure our elections are adequately funded;
  2. Provide new funding streams that election administrators and their staffs can utilize specifically for threat monitoring, safety and doxxing training, privacy services and home security;
  3. Enhance information sharing and coordination about threats against election officials between federal, state and local law enforcement entities;
  4. Clarify and expand existing federal protections against threats and intimidation to include authorized election agents, contractors, vendors, and volunteers; and
  5. Increase privacy protections for election workers and their families to protect against doxxing and harassment.


Meet the Faces of Democracy

Natalie Adona

Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, CA

Cisco Aguilar

Nevada Secretary of State

Aaron Ammons

Champaign County Clerk, IL

Shenna Bellows

Maine Secretary of State

Jocelyn Benson

Michigan Secretary of State

Dave Bjerke

Director of Elections & General Registrar of Voters for the City of Falls Church, VA

Karen Brinson Bell

Executive Director of the NC State Board of Elections

Bruce Brown

Secretary and Lead Member of the City of Alexandria Electoral Board

Barb Byrum

Ingham County Clerk, MI

Leigh Chapman

Former Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of PA

Virginia Chau

Poll Worker in Denver, CO

Jim Condos

Former Vermont Secretary of State

Kristin Connelly

Contra Costa County, CA Clerk-Recorder-Registrar

Nedra Cooper

Poll worker trainer for the Clark County, NV Elections Department

Isaac Cramer

Executive Director of the Charleston County, SC Board of Voter Registration and Elections

Nick Custodio

Deputy Philadelphia City Commissioner

Dustin Czarny

Onondaga County, NY Election Commissioner

Josh Daniels

Former Clerk of Utah County, Utah

Cathy Darling Allen

County Clerk and Registrar of Voters in Shasta County, CA

Lisa Deeley

Philadelphia City Commissioner

Tate Fall

Director of Elections for Cobb County, GA

Adrian Fontes

Arizona Secretary of State

Bill Gates

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, AZ

Ken Hamm

Poll worker in Las Vegas, NV

Neal Kelley

Former Registrar of Voters for Orange County, CA

Carly Koppes

County Clerk and Recorder in Weld County, CO

Brianna Lennon

County Clerk for Boone County, MO

Edward Lindsey

Georgia State Board of Elections member

Amber McReynolds

Former Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver, CO

Denise Merrill

Former Connecticut Secretary of State

Spenser Mestel

Poll worker in Brooklyn, NY

Roxanna Moritz

Former Auditor and Commissioner of Elections for Scott County, IA

Kathy Placencia

Director of Elections for Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore

Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State

Stephen Richer

Maricopa County Recorder, AZ

Rob Rock

Rhode Island Deputy Secretary of State

Justin Roebuck

County Clerk for Ottawa County, MI

Omar Sabir

Philadelphia City Commissioner

Al Schmidt

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Shane Schoeller

County Clerk for Greene County, MO

Steve Simon

Minnesota Secretary of State

George Stern

Former County Clerk and Recorder in Jefferson County, CO

Natalie Tennant

Former West Virginia Secretary of State

Maggie Toulouse Oliver

New Mexico Secretary of State

Tonya Wichman

Director of the Board of Elections in Defiance County, OH

Wesley Wilcox

Supervisor of Elections for Marion County, FL

Julie Wise

Director of King County Elections, WA

Claire Woodall

Executive Director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission


“Faces of Democracy: How Our Elections Work and the Challenges Ahead”

Download the booklet

 

To learn more about Faces of Democracy, email Liz Cassin at ecassin@issueone.org.

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