Drew Wilson
Ballard Partners has added Secure Democracy to its list of federal lobbying clients.
According to federal lobbying disclosures, firm founder Brian Ballard will work alongside lobbyist Rebecca Benn to advocate for “issues related to educating policy makers on ways to ensure safe and secure elections.”
Secure Democracy, based in Washington D.C., is a bi-partisan group that supports early voting and voting systems that leave a paper trail, among other things.
Per their mission statement: “There are common-sense steps that our elected leaders can take to safeguard our elections and Americans’ fundamental right to vote so that every legal vote is counted, while still ensuring the security and integrity of our systems.
“Voting should not be needlessly difficult for working families, military families, homebound seniors, students, and families that live in rural areas. We’re all better off when more Americans participate in voting. It makes our election results more representative of what the people actually want.”
Secure Democracy has taken to the airwaves recently, running ads on cable news channels opposing bills upping voting requirements for the sake of combatting so-called voter fraud.
Secure Democracy joins a growing roster of clients represented by Ballard Partners’ Washington, D.C. branch.
The past few weeks have seen Ballard Partners add another half-dozen clients, including Tampa General Hospital, Fidelity National Financial, Association of Dental Support, Millennium Physician Group, Laundrylux, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Some of those registrations specifically deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Fidelity National and Laundrylux both hired the firm to secure “designation as essential business in response to COVID-19 virus.”
The health care clients are seeking “healthcare and regulatory relief,” with the Tampa General Hospital registration also dealing with “Medicare and Medicaid policy regulation.”
DraftKings and FanDuel, both sports betting platforms, have hired the firm for “economic development and regulatory relief.”
Since expanding to the nation’s capital, the firm has quickly risen to the top on K Street thanks to Ballard’s ties to the Donald Trump administration. He chaired the Trump Victory organization in Florida during the 2016 presidential election.
Ballard Partners’ growth at the federal level hasn’t been to the detriment of their Florida operation. Newly filed lobbying compensation reports show Ballard Partners was the top-earning firm in the state last year, collecting nearly $20 million in fees from its 200-plus clients
