More than 100 former U.S. Senators, Members of Congress, Governors, and White House officials from both parties and top-ranking military veterans have issued a joint statement affirming the critical importance of trust in America’s elections and the peaceful transfer of power.
This historic statement, released by two leading bipartisan organizations – Issue One and More Perfect – asserts the crucial role of fair and secure elections in upholding America’s tradition of self-governance.
In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and as our country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, the statement highlights the importance of standing behind our election officials, poll workers, and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure free and fair elections.
“Americans value their freedoms and ability to elect their leaders. That’s why our elections are held to such a high standard,” said John Bridgeland, CEO of More Perfect. “Senators, Members of Congress, Governors, White House officials, and top-ranking military leaders stand together today to honor our system of elections, to support those courageous Americans who administer them, and to reinforce the importance of the peaceful transfer of power.”
The statement also emphasizes that the strength of American self-government depends on public confidence in the electoral process. Moreover, the peaceful transfer of power ensures stability in governance, trust in our social, economic, and political institutions, and preserves credibility with other nations.
“For nearly 250 years, freedom has been the cornerstone of our country’s identity — a stone laid by individuals who believed in our ability to sustain democracy through the electoral process and the peaceful transfer of power,” said Nick Penniman, CEO of Issue One. “Without confidence in elections and the peaceful transfer of power, Americans risk losing the freedoms that make this country truly great.”
The full statement and list of signatories can be found here.
About More Perfect
More Perfect is an initiative of over 34 Presidential Centers, the National Archives Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia, and more than 100 organizations that have chosen to unite around the advancement of five Democracy Goals.
Our five Democracy Goals are designed to drive collective action for democratic renewal, just as the Millennium Development Goals and the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals transformed a highly fragmented approach to major global challenges into a more integrated strategy across sectors, stakeholders, and countries. The five goals are: 1) Universal Civic Learning; 2) Expanding National Service and Volunteering; 3) Bridging Divides; 4) Trusted Elections and More Representative and Responsive Governance; and 5) Access to Trusted News and Information.
The mission of More Perfect is to channel and further empower the potential impact of organizations working to strengthen democracy by facilitating partnerships across sectors, and serving as a collaborative nerve center to attract and direct greater attention, energy, and resources to the cause.
About Issue One
Issue One is a cross-partisan political reform group in Washington, D.C. working to advance commonsense solutions to improve government and its responsiveness to “we the people.” We unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.