Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following statement in the wake of the news that the U.S. Supreme Court today unanimously affirmed that states can bind the votes of their Electoral College electors: “At a time when faith in government institutions is already dangerously low, it is a relief that the Supreme Court has affirmed that states can
Read MoreCampaign Legal Center and Issue One today sent a letter to recently confirmed FEC Chair Trey Trainor urging him to take action on the flood of secret or “dark” money flooding U.S. elections, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans. The letter is a response to a recent interview with Trainor where he dismissed the threat posed by “dark money”
Read More“So if a normal year of government spending justifies a multi-billion dollar lobbying industry, you can just imagine what happened when the CARES Act came into focus. It was a lobbyist’s dream buffet.” In March, lawmakers passed the CARES Act to assist with the crippling effects of COVID-19 on America’s economy. While this massive government stimulus package was an important
Read More“Let me give it to you straight: Over the last decade it has become commonplace in Washington for people who lobby the government to avoid registering as lobbyists, thus preventing the public from knowing who is paying them and for what purposes.” The influence industry looms large in policymaking in Washington, DC, and the big players are lobbyists. Because of
Read MoreIn response to the wave of protests by Americans shaken at the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer who pinned him to the ground and left him unable to breathe, Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman released the following statement: “The killing of yet another unarmed Black person by the police should
Read MoreWASHINGTON (May 27, 2020) – The Fulcrum, a nonprofit news platform covering the democracy reform movement, announces today the addition of a new financial supporter, Craig Newmark Philanthropies. The Fulcrum, which launched in June 2019, is staffed by award-winning journalists who report on the efforts to make our democratic republic less tribal, our elections more competitive, our politicians less beholden
Read MoreIssue One is pleased to announce that attorney Linda Willard and business executive Peter Staple have joined its board of directors. “Linda Willard and Peter Staple are passionate about political reform and will bring new experiences and ideas to our board of directors as we seek to unite Democrats, Republicans, and independents to fix our broken political system at this
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Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following statement in the wake of the Senate’s confirmation of Texas attorney Trey Trainor to serve on the Federal Election Commission, which ends the longest period in the agency’s history without the quorum necessary for it to do its job — nearly nine months. “We hope that Trey Trainor will faithfully uphold
Read MoreToday, the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation launched the Brewer Fellowship to Unite America — a new program to support leaders in the democracy reform space — in partnership with Cultivate the Karass and supported by the Unite America Fund. Issue One is proud to announce that our Founder and CEO Nick Penniman, as well as Nilmini Rubin, Managing Director and
Read More“Well, I think not only do we have a coronavirus crisis, we have a democracy crisis, because what’s going to happen, in my worst nightmare, my fear is that no one votes because they’re much more fearful of contracting a disease than they are of not voting.” That was Denise Merrill, Connecticut’s Secretary of the State, on her fear that
Read MoreCongress needs to act immediately to provide states with the emergency federal funding they need to run safe, secure and credible elections in November. The previous federal funding was an important down payment, but reports from state and local election officials indicate substantially more federal emergency assistance is needed as soon as possible. Issue One and many others are working to convince Senators to vote in July for more funding so that our November elections are safe, secure, and fair.
