Natalie Adona
Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, CA
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:
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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.
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All eligible voters should have access to a safe, secure, and accessible voting process.
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Election officials and poll workers should uphold the highest ethical and professional standards and follow all federal, state, and local laws.
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Election officials and poll workers should carry out their job duties in a nonpartisan manner.
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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:
- Authorize significant and regular investment in America’s election infrastructure to ensure our elections are adequately funded;
- 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;
- Enhance information sharing and coordination about threats against election officials between federal, state and local law enforcement entities;
- Clarify and expand existing federal protections against threats and intimidation to include authorized election agents, contractors, vendors, and volunteers; and
- Increase privacy protections for election workers and their families to protect against doxxing and harassment.
Meet the Faces of Democracy
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
Derek Bowens
Durham County, NC Director of Elections
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
Amy Burgans
Clerk/Treasurer for Douglas County, NV
Barb Byrum
Ingham County Clerk, MI
Leigh Chapman
Former Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of PA
Virginia Chau
Former 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
Former County Clerk and Registrar of Voters in Shasta County, CA
Lisa Deeley
Philadelphia City Commissioner
Shauna Dozier
Elections Director of Clayton County, GA Board of Elections and Registration
Tate Fall
Director of Elections for Cobb County, GA
Adrian Fontes
Arizona Secretary of State
Jordan Fuchs
Georgia Deputy Secretary of State
Bill Gates
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, AZ
Tommy Gong
Deputy County Clerk-Recorder for Contra Costa County, CA
Ken Hamm
Poll worker in Las Vegas, NV
Toya Harrell
Village Clerk of Shorewood, WI
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
Former 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
Lorena Portillo
Registrar of Voters for Clark County, NV
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
Wendy Sartory Link
Palm Beach County, FL Supervisor of Elections
Shane Schoeller
County Clerk for Greene County, MO
Karen Sellers
Executive Director of the Kentucky State Board of Elections
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
“Faces of Democracy: How Our Elections Work and the Challenges Ahead”
To learn more about Faces of Democracy, email Angelina Clapp at aclapp@issueone.org.
Featured Work
Members of Issue One’s Faces of Democracy testify before Congress about challenges facing U.S. elections
In today’s Senate Rules Committee hearing, state and local election officials from both parties testified about a wide range of challenges facing the election administration community, from generative AI and…
Two dozen current and former election officials urge Congress to pass anti-doxxing legislation ahead of 2024 election
In a new letter sent to the leadership of the Senate Rules and House Administration Committees today, nearly two dozen current and former election officials from Issue One’s Faces of…
Featured Press
Portland Press Herald: There is no place for violence in American politics
Op-ed by Faces of Democracy members Carly Koppes, Tonya Wichman, and Wesley Wilcox...
Ms. Magazine: Election Officials Are Leaving Their Jobs in Startling Numbers — And That’s Bad for Democracy
Op-ed by Faces of Democracy member Carly Koppes...
MSNBC: As threats to elections and election workers continue AZ sec. of state calls for ‘accountability’
Faces of Democracy member AZ SOS Adrian Fontes cites Issue One's "The High Cost of High Turnover" report...
The Washington Post: We asked election workers about election denialism
Faces of Democracy members interviewed...
The Latest
Analysis
Meet the Faces of Democracy: Barb Byrum
Former hardware store owner-turned-county clerk talks running elections...
Editor’s note: More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series published each month that highlights the election heroes who are the…
Analysis
Meet the Faces of Democracy: Tonya Wichman
Ohio Republican discusses the joy of bringing democracy to voters and the importance of additional protections for election workers...
Editor’s note: More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy. Tonya…
Press releases
Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity applauds election officials following another free and fair election cycle
In reaction to last week’s elections, Issue One’s bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity issued the following statement applauding our nation’s election officials for administering another safe and secure election,…
Op-eds
Ms. Magazine: Election Officials Are Leaving Their Jobs in Startling Numbers — And That’s Bad for Democracy
Op-ed by Faces of Democracy member Carly Koppes...
In the media
USA Today: Disinformation, AI and poll-worker problems: How elections this week could preview 2024
Issue One's "The High Cost of High Turnover" report cited; Faces of Democracy members quoted...
In the media
CNN: A tide of election worker resignations raises alarms ahead of 2024
Issue One's "The High Cost of High Turnover" report cited...
TV appearances
MSNBC: As threats to elections and election workers continue AZ sec. of state calls for ‘accountability’
Faces of Democracy member AZ SOS Adrian Fontes cites Issue One's "The High Cost of High Turnover" report...
Event Recaps
Current and former election officials discuss high turnover rates and ongoing threats to elections
Issue One convenes election officials for webinar on the impact of high election administrator turnover on 2024, as Faces of Democracy members testify before the Senate about threats to elections...
Yesterday, Issue One hosted a virtual event with current and former election officials providing further insights from our recent “High Cost of High Turnover” report, which revealed an alarming trend:…
Analysis
Meet the Faces of Democracy: Brianna Lennon
Missouri county clerk discusses why she launched the High Turnout Wide Margins podcast and why now is a great time to become an elections administrator...
Editor’s note: More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy. Since…
Testimonies & comments
Issue One calls on the FEC to prevent the use of deceptive generative AI in political campaign ads
Today, Issue One submitted a public comment to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) urging the agency to clarify regulatory rules to prevent the use of deceptive generative artificial intelligence (AI)…