Facebook is discouraging get out the vote information. It’s wrong.

I am a citizen of Des Moines, Iowa. Last week I tried to share information about voter registration content on Facebook. It was blocked. No explanation. No appeal. Just gone — as if helping a fellow American learn how to vote is something that needs to be silenced. I am not alone. This is happening to citizens, journalists, and civic organizations across the country. And I am writing to you today to demand that you tell me — in writing, within 30 days — what you intend to do about it. Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — has repeatedly and demonstrably blocked voter registration content, silenced get-out-the-vote campaigns, and suspended the accounts of nonpartisan civic organizations whose only purpose is to help Americans exercise their most fundamental constitutional right: the right to vote. Blocking that information is not a technical error. It is a threat to democracy. And under the First Amendment, civic speech — especially speech about how to participate in elections — deserves the strongest possible protection. I am not making an allegation. I am reporting documented facts. What Facebook Has Done — The Documented Record In October 2024, Facebook deleted a post by the Kansas Reflector — an independent news outlet — containing nothing more than a simple explanation of how Kansas residents could register to vote before the October 15th deadline. Facebook's automated system labeled it misleading. The appeal went unanswered. The information never reached its readers. (Source: Kansas Reflector, October 2024)   Facebook suspended the page of the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County, Kansas — a nonpartisan organization that has helped Americans vote for over a century — with no specific explanation and no restoration path. According to the League of Women Voters national organization, at least eight local chapters across the country have had their Facebook pages suspended close to election dates. (Source: Kansas Reflector, 2024)   The Kent, Ohio chapter of the League of Women Voters had its Facebook page disabled on the eve of the March 19, 2024 primary election. Meta provided no specific explanation. Shannon Augustus, LWV press secretary, stated: "It is troubling that local League Facebook pages have been suspended so close to elections, which harms the voters looking for accurate election information." (Source: News5Cleveland, April 2024)   Meta has deployed artificial intelligence systems that arbitrarily remove legitimate civic content without human review. Appeals go unanswered, leaving civic organizations with no recourse while elections proceed. (Source: Kansas Reflector, 2024) Your Colleagues Have Already Raised the Alarm — It Is Time to Act This is not a new concern. In September 2024, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mark Warner wrote directly to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging decisive action on election-related content and the AI systems managing it. Senator Klobuchar, as former Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee with direct oversight of federal elections, has repeatedly introduced legislation — including the Freedom to Vote Act and the Protecting Election Administration from Interference Act — to protect Americans' right to participate in democracy. Senator Warner has co-authored the Honest Ads Act and the Preventing Election Subversion Act toward the same end. The groundwork has been laid. What is missing is the political will to act. That is what I am asking you to provide. This Is a First Amendment Issue Facebook is not a neutral platform. It is the primary public square of American civic life — and it is using that position to silence speech about how to vote. Civic participation information is among the most protected forms of speech in a democracy. When a corporation that controls the dominant communications platform of our time systematically blocks that speech, it undermines the constitutional guarantee of free expression and the fundamental right of every citizen to participate in their own government. As youth voting advocate Davis Hammet has stated: "When they are deprived of that opportunity to get registered, to get engaged, they are less likely to participate — not just in elections, but in civic life in general for the rest of their life. Voter registration suppression causes irreparable harm, not just to young voters but to our entire country and to the idea of democracy." What I Am Asking You To Do — And By When I am asking you to take the following specific actions. I expect a written response within 30 days telling me which of these you will pursue and on what timeline: 1.  Introduce or co-sponsor legislation explicitly prohibiting social media platforms from blocking, removing, or reducing the reach of voter registration content, get-out-the-vote campaigns, or content from certified nonpartisan civic organizations such as the League of Women Voters. 2.  Hold public congressional hearings requiring Meta's leadership to testify under oath about the scope of this problem, the AI systems responsible, and what accountability measures exist. 3.  Require all major social media platforms to maintain a transparent, human-reviewed appeals process for any civic content that is flagged or removed, with mandatory restoration timelines before elections. 4.  Establish meaningful penalties for platforms that block or limit civic participation content within 90 days of any federal, state, or local election. This Is Not Partisan. This Is American. The right to vote is not a Democratic value or a Republican value. It is the cornerstone of this republic. Any corporation that uses its control of the public square to prevent citizens from learning how to cast their ballot has assumed a public responsibility it is dangerously failing to meet. The midterms are coming. Make sure you are registered to vote — search your state's official Secretary of State website or simply search "voter registration" on any search engine. vote out every legislator who has sold their seat to the highest bidder. I am your constituent. I pay taxes. I vote. I am watching what you do about this — and so are many others. Silence on this matter will itself be an answer, and I will share that answer publicly.