About Us

Fixing our political system and building a democracy that works for everyone

Issue One is the leading crosspartisan political reform group in Washington, D.C.

We unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.

Our mission is more critical than ever: Our democratic republic is under greater stress than it has been in generations, as the fates of democracies all over the world face uncertain futures.

We educate the public and work to pass legislation on Capitol Hill to bolster U.S. elections, build a healthier digital information environment for our democracy, strengthen ethics and accountability, increase government transparency, and reduce the corrosive influence of big money in politics.

No major political reform has passed Congress without support from both political parties in the past 70 years. That’s why we work in a crosspartisan manner — inside and outside of Congress — on all of our priorities.

Our work is powered by our ReFormers Caucus of nearly 200 former members of Congress, governors, and Cabinet officials, the largest bipartisan coalition of its kind ever assembled to advocate for our democracy. Our National Council on Election Integrity is the leading bipartisan voice on protecting elections and combating efforts to undermine our democratic process.

Since our founding in 2012, Issue One has had an outsized impact.

  • We helped establish the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and win House adoption of more than 30 reforms to improve Congress.
  • Working with our partners, we helped win $825 million in federal funding to help states improve their cybersecurity and manage their elections amid the pandemic.
  • We built the National Council on Election Integrity and led its $15 million Count Every Vote campaign to defend the integrity of the 2020 elections and push back against attempts to undermine faith in our democratic process.
  • We helped lead the congressional push to establish a 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
  • Our dozens of investigative reports and analyses have driven conversations about dark money, ethics, and congressional reform.
  • We have created multiple coalitions and additional organizations to broaden and strengthen the phalanx for political reform, including The Partnership for American Democracy, The Fulcrum and Fix the System.

To learn more about our affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy arm, visit IssueOneAction.org.

 

Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman addresses the crowd at an event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia
Issue One staff leafletting Capitol Hill to raise awareness about our "Don't Mess With US" election foreign interference campaign.
Board member Mike Peabody greets former Gov. and ReFormers Caucus member Deval Patrick (D-MA) at an Issue One event
Issue One staff and ReFormers Caucus members at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
Members of Issue One's ReFormers Caucus with current members of Congress at an Issue One event.
ReFormers Caucus Co-chair Zach Wamp speaks with the press.

Issue One in action

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