Congress right now has a historic opportunity to build a more inclusive democracy that works for all Americans. The Freedom to Vote Act takes concrete action to strengthen our elections, protect voting access, and fix our broken political system. Issue One Action CEO Nick Penniman says:

"We've reached an inflection point in the history of our democracy, and the stakes couldn't be higher. We need Congress to take action now. The Freedom to Vote Act includes many vital bipartisan proposals that will solve some of the most pressing threats facing our democracy today, and we applaud Senator Manchin and his colleagues for seeking input from both sides of the aisle and producing this strong compromise bill."

This isn’t a partisan perspective. The National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan project of Issue One, has also come out in support of the bill saying:

“The Freedom to Vote Act is an important piece of legislation that would protect the integrity of our elections. By including provisions widely supported by voters across the political spectrum — such as early voting, vote by mail, improved cybersecurity, and voter ID requirements — the bill will bring our election systems into the 21st century and take vital steps to rein in the corrosive influence of money in politics and end partisan redistricting.

“Senator Manchin should be applauded for reaching out to his Republican colleagues in an effort to strike a commonsense deal that both sides of the aisle can agree to. We hope our elected leaders in Congress will consider this bill and do what needs to be done to safeguard and strengthen our political system. Inaction at this consequential time in our history would be harmful and detrimental to the country and to all voters regardless of political affiliation.”

The bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity, a project of Issue One, is composed of nearly 40 former elected officials, former Cabinet secretaries, retired military officials, and civic leaders. The council works to defend the legitimacy of our elections and protect our democratic norms and sacred institutions.