Category: Election Officials

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Beyond the Ballot with Karen Brinson Bell: Leveraging Teamwork and Innovation in Elections

By Morgan Thomas, Policy Associate

Karen Brinson Bell is no stranger to public service. In 2019, she was selected as the North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director. Brinson Bell’s father was the mayor of her small, eastern North Carolina hometown when she was born and worked in government for most of his career, which inspired her to study political science and mass communications at the University of North Carolina Ashville. After college, she initially worked in journalism and nonprofits before becoming a trainer and recruiter for a regional real estate company.

Her training background prompted a friend to recommend she apply for a new temporary position working in elections with the North Carolina State Board of Elections. She applied for the position and was hired as a district elections technician, serving twelve counties in Western North Carolina from 2006-2011. The job became available because of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which provided states with funding to replace dated voting equipment. Karen’s position was focused on training staff on the new voting equipment and supporting the counties in whatever form they needed. 

“There was a county where the director’s husband had a massive heart attack the night before the election, and she only had a seasonal part-time worker,” said Brinson Bell. “That person got the election going, and I came in that night to help out. So, you know, whatever was needed is where I stepped in, and that prepared me to be a county elections director.”  

After her time as a district elections technician, Brinson Bell went on to serve as the election director for Transylvania County, a small county outside of Asheville, from 2011-2015. From there, she went on to work for a software elections vendor who provided software services for inventory management and poll worker assignments to counties while also consulting on ranked-choice voting election administration. Brinson Bell’s deep understanding and expertise in ranked choice voting election administration led to her involvement with the formation of the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. North Carolina was the first state to utilize statewide ranked-choice voting since the early 1900s in the 2010 runoff election. It was during this time, and assisting Hendersonville, NC, with ranked choice voting elections, that Brinson Bell established herself as a subject matter expert in this field. 

“There was a time when I was one of the most experienced election administrators in ranked-choice voting in the country,” she said.  

Shortly after her consulting work, Brinson Bell was appointed as the North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director in June 2019. As an election director, she serves as the chief election official in the state and has oversight of all 100 county boards of elections. This includes overseeing the conduct of elections, voter registration, election reporting, candidate filing and campaign finance. To streamline election information and campaign finance reporting across counties and the state, the North Carolina Board of Elections developed an in-house system called SEIMS beginning in 1998. Brinson Bell and her team set out to revamp and modernize SEIMS in the coming year thanks to recent funding aimed at updating the in-house system.  

“In 1998, our very own in-house development team developed a state election information management system, we call it SEIMS,” she said. “It was one of the first statewide voter registration systems, and it’s something that we have continued to build out. We essentially have 13 modules now provided to the counties so that all counties are linked through the SEIMS system.” 

Brinson Bell is the fourth elections director for North Carolina and the only elections director to have had first-hand experience at both the county and state levels. She credits her experience with the county for shaping her approach to training her team. 

“We call ourselves Team 101 because we have 100 county boards of elections and one state board all working together,” she said. 

One way Team 101 works together is through the “HUBS” program, an acronym that stands for “help us become successful.” Each hub is focused on a different area of election administration. 

“For example, there’s a hub for in-person voting and absentee voting by mail, and each hub is made up of subject matter experts within our agency who directly work in that subject area. We try to make sure there is a mix of experts from large and small counties to ensure we have varying perspectives coming to the table,” said Brinson Bell. 

Finding innovative ways to train and share knowledge amongst her colleagues at the state and county levels is one way Brinson Bell helps communicate updates or changes in the elections administration process. With over 19 years of experience in the elections space, she has witnessed many changes in the administration of elections. When asked about what changes she’s witnessed over the years, she noted technology as the most significant change.   

“When I worked in field support at the district level, I did not have a smartphone; we had to use a real map,” said Brinson Bell. 

“Once I moved to the county level, they still had two typewriters in the office, and I remember saying we have got to move forward. Now, we have electronic voting equipment, electronic voter registration database systems, and other electronic processes, and I’ve seen a positive progression of technology in that regard.” 

Technology also played a significant role during the COVID-19 Pandemic, when many election processes had to move to an electronic platform and election offices nationwide had to incorporate virtual elements into their typical workflow. 

“Our counties started utilizing Teams and Zoom for meetings, training and conferences. We started having virtual huddles twice a month to keep officials apprised of new procedures, laws or court proceedings. We also had outside organizations like the EAC and CISA provide virtual training for us. That was really helpful,” said Brinson Bell.  

Another change she noted was how the complexity of elections has changed over time. The increasing use of technology in elections also necessitates complex cybersecurity requirements and a greater understanding of new voting equipment and election laws to better serve today’s voters. Today, Brinson Bell believes election administrators have to take on more roles than compared to the past. 

“There is just so much. The complexity of the laws, the technology and, in my state, the sheer volume of our registered voting population is more than 7 million voters now,” she said. “I also think elections becoming classified as critical infrastructure has just put elections in more of the spotlight now. We as elections officials need to be fluent in more complex procedures.” 

The complexity of election administration has presented challenges in the election space. Brinson Bell cited the increase in administrator turnover as one of the biggest challenges that North Carolina and many other states face. In particular, county election directors across North Carolina have seen the most turnover in recent years. 

“We have experienced a change in county election directors 60 times since January 2019. Some of that comes from harassment, hostility and the overall increased tension of working in elections,” said Brinson Bell. 

She believes that “more consistent funding across the board” could help states mitigate this issue. More funding would allow counties to hire more people to help implement new changes and help ease some of the stress for election officials.  

“Some of the turnover is due to a lack of adequate funding. Jobs are more technologically complex than election administration positions used to be. We need more funding to ensure we have enough people, tools and subject matter expertise to conduct elections as effectively and securely as possible,” said Brinson Bell.  

Conducting a federal election during a global pandemic was challenging. However, it also presented election officials with an opportunity to pivot and learn about emergency preparedness. 

“I recall telling the counties that we would need to wear another hat and become public health experts,” said Brinson Bell. “Here in North Carolina, we started having statewide exercises with the county emergency management and law enforcement team to work proactively and not reactively. We were able to build a good relationship with them, and in 2022, we developed a law enforcement guide for election laws, and in 2024, we started a course on elections for law enforcement.” 

Not only does North Carolina have a large, registered voting population, but it also has one of the largest military populations in the country. Although the state’s large military presence is not reflected in its smaller number of UOCAVA voters compared to the overall voting population. Nonetheless, Brinson Bell believes that it is crucial to ensure a smooth voting experience for military voters in her state. 

“It’s of utmost importance for us to ensure that military voters can exercise their right to vote, and that is what pushed us to create the UOCAVA portal on our state website,” she said. 

The UOCAVA portal is designed to make voting information, deadlines, forms and other voting materials more accessible to servicemembers and overseas citizens. North Carolina law allows for electronic transmission, so these voters can also use the portal to request and return their ballot. In addition to creating the portal, North Carolina has revised their website to be concise and straightforward by removing confusing election terminology. For example, using words such as military and overseas citizens rather than the term UOCAVA. Election officials in North Carolina also visit military bases to conduct in-person training on voting as a servicemember. Brinson Bell also noted that utilizing social media has not only helped reach domestic voters but also communicate voting information to UOCAVA voters as well. 

“We utilize social media campaigns and our website to help build voter confidence by giving them accurate and digestible information.,” said Brinson Bell.  

Not only does Brinson Bell serve North Carolina voters in her role as Executive Director, but she is also actively involved with many national organizations focused on elections. She serves as the incoming President of the National Association of State Election Directors and sits on the conference planning board for the Committee for Election Science Reform and Administration. She is also involved with the Election Assistance Commission and the Bipartisan Policy Center Elections Task Force. When she is not serving in one of her many roles, Brinson Bell enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and attending North Carolina State basketball and football games. 

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Beyond the Ballot with Wayne Bena: Flexibility is Key for Election Success

By Lexington Souers, Communications Associate

Wayne Bena likes to say his best friend’s daughter’s birthday party launched his career in elections. While at the party, Bena spoke to the then Sarpy County election commissioner, who was considering retirement, about her role in local elections. Pulling from his experience in the state legislature and private practice, Bena thought his skills would be the “right fit” for the role. In 2010, he was appointed Sarpy County election commissioner and has worked in elections ever since.

Sarpy County is Nebraska’s third-largest county and home to the Offutt Air Force Base. Having grown up in the area, Bena knew about some of the stress military families face.

“While not from a military background myself, I understood it by having a lot of friends who were in the military that moved frequently,” Bena said.  “When I got to my job in elections, I realized all the different protections and different things we did to help military families and overseas citizens with their vote. It was very important to me, especially being in a place where we had a big concentration of military members, even if they weren’t residents of our state. I knew if I took care of my folks, other states would take care of our folks that were there.”

Lessons learned from working at the county level were pivotal when, in 2017, Bena joined the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office as the deputy secretary of state for elections. In this role, he continued his support of military and overseas voters, due in large part to his belief that “there’s nothing more pure than getting a ballot out to those that need a little more assistance because of where they are.”

Through legislation, Bena helped expand access to National Guard members and utility workers who are working out of state for national disasters. Inspiration for the legislation came from Mississippi, a state where Bena learned from leaders to better understand what was possible from a legislative and practical standpoint.

The bill, LB 843 (2022), focuses on changes to Nebraska’s election laws, including revising Section 32-939 to extend UOCAVA protections to Nebraska National Guard members while out of state. Additionally, a new section was added to allow emergency response and utility workers to request an early voting ballot if they are working outside of Nebraska 45 days before an election.

This was just one example of the changes Bena implemented while in office. He said expanding audits after elections is important to increasing the transparency of elections with voters. Bena added that cybersecurity is an emerging challenge in election administration.

“While elections have always been secure — on state levels and going down to the locals — there’s an enhanced look at where some vulnerabilities could be and how we can work with our state, local and federal partners to fill in any gaps,” Bena said.

Additionally, Bena said voters are looking for more ways to cast their ballots, and that adaptations are needed to ensure laws remain flexible while maximizing the number of votes counted by election night, even with rising concerns about security.

“It is not as complicated as long as you have the laws in place to be flexible and allow your election officials enough time to count your ballots on election night and have as many votes counted as possible before the end of the night,” Bena said. “Because, the next day, that’s when everybody starts asking more questions — why are there more results? Each state is different on how ballots are counted, but if you can have laws that allow for flexibility in regard to the administration on the back end, you can get more done on election night to be able to count the most ballots as possible.”

To answer questions about voting safely during COVID-19, Bena and his team relied on the flexibility of both election laws and local election officials. They decided to send early ballot applications to registered voters while still offering in-person voting. Additionally, Bena made sure to provide poll workers and offices personal protective equipment and started the Step Up campaign to recruit new poll workers. This work resulted in the most ballots cast in the state’s primary history.

“Our laws allow that flexibility to be able to adjust regardless of how people voted to be able to have results,” Bena said. “Just having that election was a great accomplishment for the state, but to have the most ballots cast in the history of a primary was a kind of cherry on top.”

Bena attributed some of the success during COVID-19, and in other elections, to the commitment made through legislation, offering all voters early voting, recruiting new poll workers and providing personal protective equipment for those working in elections to assist all of Nebraska’s 93 counties. In 2020, Bena also helped implement a statewide election equipment update.

“We tried to find ways to level the playing field for counties that may not have the same type of funding as other counties for the same type of services,” Bena said.

Bena and the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office won the inaugural National Association of State Election Directors Innovators Award in 2019 for the state’s use of the Albert Network Monitoring and Management system, which protects voter registration systems used by state and local government entities from cyber threats.

“While the technology is not unique, how Nebraska deployed the technology was unique, and we were fortunate enough to get a little recognition for that,” Bena said.

Nebraska has approximately 2,704 uniformed and overseas voters, who often experience difficulties receiving or sending election materials. Using technology such as email and the Voter Information Center allows election officials to transmit these materials to voters in a timely manner. Bena said Nebraska laws that enable the use of electronic ballot return help reduce the overall anxiety that overseas voters may feel about the voting process.

For example, a Nebraskan who was locked down overseas during the pandemic reached out to Bena’s office due to an inability to scan and return a document. Bena worked with the voter to ensure the ballot was returned by taking a picture with a tablet and sending it electronically.  

“It’s finding ways within the margins of the law to be able to get that ballot back in order to be counted,” Bena said. “Every way that we can figure out how to help somebody is very meaningful.”

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Beyond the Ballot with Stuart Holmes: Digital Native Leads State Elections into New Era

By Morgan Thomas, Policy Associate

Before serving as Director of Elections for Washington, Stuart Holmes grew up surrounded by technology. His mother worked as Benton County, Washington’s IT Director, exposing him to technology at a young age. “I remember the days of figuring out dial-up and AOL with her,” Holmes recalled. “Growing up around computers, I figured I would follow the same career path as my mom.”  

Stuart Holmes set out to follow in his mother’s footsteps and attended Columbia Basin College, where he studied Network Administration. In May 2005, Holmes’ began working as an archival specialist for the Benton County Auditor’s office where he oversaw digitizing various records. During his time there, Holmes had a front-row view of all the behind-the-scenes work election officials had to do.  

“I was sitting there scanning documents and watching them do their jobs and was just fascinated by it,” Holmes said.  

Technology slowly made its way into elections, resulting in the creation of a full-time election assistant position at the Benton County Auditor’s office. As modern voting equipment was being introduced, Holmes embarked on this opportunity to combine his background in technology with his newfound passion for elections. At the auditor’s office, Holmes became an election specialist in 2007 and then an election supervisor in 2009. Establishing himself in elections work, Holmes was then promoted to election administrator after becoming a certified election and voter registration administrator through the National Association of Election Officials. Today, Holmes serves as the Director of Elections under the Washington Secretary of State.  

With over a decade of experience in elections, Holmes has witnessed many transitions in the elections space. One of the most significant changes that he echoes, along with many election officials, is the evolution of security concerns.  

“Cybersecurity has been an area of focus since roughly 2005. However, we’ve entered this new era where the risk matrix is changing, and we need to keep up with that. Every few months, a new security concern arises. It could be cybersecurity today, physical security tomorrow, and something else down the line. Right now, it’s battling misinformation. That’s what makes the job fun! It’s never boring, and we must keep up with the flow.”  

Rising security concerns have challenged election officials across the country. Many offices struggle to retain election administrators due to the high pressure and high burnout environment of the field. “In elections, you’re either going to get in or get out real quick. It’s not for everyone.,” said Holmes.  

When asked about how to help mitigate some of these security concerns, he listed funding and more in-person interactions as two essential pieces.  

“Funding is super important. There’s a lot of funding currently focused on cybersecurity efforts. Still, we also need funding for technology hardware, physical security, and finding more ways to collaborate and share solutions to common problems.”  

He also suggests more in-person interactions as a tool to help combat misinformation and disinformation about elections.  

“Everything is virtual now. We live stream, post on social media and communicate primarily through technology. A lot goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t get the chance to see. I think we need to coordinate more office tours, for example. Coordinating communication with county partners to come to observe in person what really occurs during a typical election operation. Showing people all the work that goes into an election and all the people working to ensure their vote is secure could help build trust in elections.” 

However, Holmes identified one topic that has prevailed over the years: paper-based voting. He noted that “having a physical record of the voters’ choices has not changed along with everything else around that like accountability, auditability and transparency, which are all steadily being improved.”  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has become a crucial part of elections. More and more voters rely on the internet, news sources and social media to get election information. Technology has made it easier to capture multiple languages, create accessible voting for people with disabilities and help increase communication between election offices and voters. “People just expect technology to be a part of their lives at this point,” said Holmes. However, he noted that while we “should embrace technology”, he also believes we need to “embrace its constraints” as well. 

New technology means more technological expertise is required, according to Holmes.  

“We get very reliant on these intricate systems that require a subject matter expert, and when those individual leaves, all of a sudden, you’re like, holy smokes! How do we use this system we’ve come to rely on without that expert? We need to do a better job of making sure we also come up with analog solutions.”   

Technology has also allowed for greater communication and outreach to voters covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Reaching UOCAVA voters and ensuring they have all the information needed to cast their vote comes with its own set of challenges, and the state of Washington has roughly 85,000 registered UOCAVA voters. 

“One of the main challenges we face is getting an accurate mailing address (for a UOCAVA voter). Even with an accurate mailing address, it can be difficult to know if the ballot actually made it to the voter. Electronic ballot submission has been really helpful in combating this. With so many bases, we try to develop strong partnerships with the voting assistance officers at each base to ensure they relay accurate voting information,” said Holmes. 

A large UOCAVA population also means there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to effective communication. Holmes noted that “trying to reach younger military personnel in particular can be difficult in one fail swoop.” To help identify preferred communication methods for different voting populations, Holmes and his staff actively seek out opportunities to reach these voters.   

“I have a staff member whose job is primarily dedicated to reaching out to younger voters, UOCAVA voters, voters with disabilities and even voters who might need information in different languages.” 

Additionally, Holmes’ office has a Community Engagement Program that actively works with underrepresented communities to teach them about elections and voting as well as how to interact with the government.  

“Not only is it important to talk about elections, but people also need to understand how city councils and school boards work,” said Holmes.  

The Community Engagement Program was established in July 2022 and facilitates tours for election offices and military bases. The office recently completed its first major community project, commissioning murals in three major cities throughout the state. The murals are centered around educating community members on the restoration of voting rights. 

2020 was a significant election year for election officials across the country. One of Holmes’ key takeaways from the election was, “to spend a lot more time planning and coordinating for the unexpected.” As we enter another election year in 2024, Holmes re-emphasized the importance of safety for election officials.  

“The ability to feel safe when you perform your job during an election is so important. Something positive that did come out of 2020 was state legislatures also acknowledging the importance of safety for election officials. Going into 2024, we need to prepare for anything and everything while also focusing on execution.”  

Aside from working in elections, Holmes makes time for hobbies as well. He enjoys photography, watching movies, hiking and trail running with his dog, Charlotte. When asked if he could give any advice to those interested in working in elections, he said to start with a goal in mind. 

“Set a long-term goal for where you want to go. It took me ten years to get to the Secretary of State’s office. Take the appropriate steps to get to your goal and be ok with being turned down for positions. I was turned down for deputy director twice. Having a goal will keep you moving in the right direction.”

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Beyond the Ballot with Natalie Adona: Despite Challenges, Work in Elections is the “Best Job in the World”

By Morgan Thomas, Policy Associate

Driven to serve, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona started off her career in elections as a poll worker while pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley. Then, she heard that the City and County of San Francisco had temporary positions for voter registration processers. Deciding to further pursue work in elections, Adona applied.

At her interview, Adona was asked about her interest in elections. She described her experience as a poll worker and her work as a research assistant on poll worker training with the Election Administration Research Center at the UCB campus. Although she applied to be become a voter registration processer, the election’s manager offered an alternative suggestion.

“They said well, you did all this research didn’t you? Why not train poll workers?”, Adona said.

 She accepted the position and went on to begin her first foray into election administration.

“Something clicked in my mind that said oh, I get it now. This is cool! I think I’ve found what I want to do,” Adona said. 

The excitement came to a sudden halt when the housing crisis of 2008 started to affect local government offices. Many county offices started downsizing, eliminating the possibility that Adona’s position could become permanent. This led Adona to pursue internships in elections research with nonprofits, such as Project Vote and Maplight.org. Adona went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law in 2014, her Master of Public Administration from the American University’s School of Public Affairs in 2015, and began working with Democracy Fund in Washington, D.C.

Following her grandfather’s death in 2019, Adona moved back home to Nevada County, California, where she assumed a new role as an Assistant Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters under Greg Diaz. In the last years of his tenure, Diaz tried to convince Adona to run for office as the Nevada County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters.

 Adona repeatedly said she was “not the running type.” But given the challenges to election administration and the loss of institutional knowledge in the state, Adona filed to run anyway.

After a grueling campaign, Adona was elected on June 7, 2022. Running for office “was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done,” Adona said.

After years of working in the election space, Adona witnessed many changes, including the implementation of a statewide voter registration database in California. “While most states use a top-down method, where the state filters voter registration information to the counties, California is a bottom-up state, where counties keep a local voter registration database that filters up to the state level,” Adona Said. 

As a result, “there is a constant flow of data, meaning that we have to focus on synchronization to ensure the data is the same between the counties and the state,” Adona said.

Another change was the addition of same-day voter registration — both in-person and online. Allowing for online same-day voter registration expanded access to UOCAVA voters who often face unique voting challenges abroad.  

“It didn’t seem fair that our UOCAVA voters couldn’t register the same day simply because they couldn’t physically do so in person,” Adona said. “That big adjustment had a very positive impact.” 

Coming from a military family, Adona believes it is essential to ensure that overseas voters are granted the same opportunity to vote. However, reaching overseas voters can be challenging for small offices. 

“My county has about 500 registered UOCAVA voters and although that’s not a large number, it’s still difficult to determine what exactly they need,” Adona said. “Currently, we are trying to make a trifold that includes information on ballot tracking and other voting information to include in their voting materials that get sent out.”

Adona noted the increased difficulty in communicating voting requirements to overseas voters.

“It’s already difficult explaining the rules to domestic voters, so we’re hoping that condensing down the information will help ensure that our UOCAVA voters know what’s available to them,” Adona said.  

Another adjustment that Adona, and many election officials, have observed over the years is the increased complexity of elections. Upon returning to California, Adona noted changes to the primary system, as well as in the voting equipment and technology that were used.

“Elections have become more complex and, thus, require more technical expertise than they used to,” Adona said. 

While some might see these changes as negative, Adona views them in a positive light.

“With new equipment comes new system certification standards, new regulations for conducting elections and new training,” Adona said. “Our election officials and poll workers are becoming more and more knowledgeable, which adds to the enhanced security of elections over the years.” 

In recent years, elections have been bombarded by misinformation and disinformation campaigns, leading to distrust in elections and election officials. As professionals and experts in their field, election officials are tasked with reassuring the public that voting equipment and technologies are secure despite the claims leveled against them.

“If I could put something on a list of things I never thought would happen, it would be California becoming a hotbed for misinformation and disinformation,” Adona said. “I never imagined misinformation and disinformation would have such a negative impact on elections in my state and across the country.”

Combating misinformation and disinformation can be challenging for any election office. Offices have struggled in recent years with worker retention due to increased concerns regarding their personal safety, which is one of the negative, downstream impacts that false information has had on elections.

“My office is very small; we only have three full-time staff and around fifteen temporary staff,” Adona said. “When misinformation and disinformation hits our office, it really puts a strain on the staff and our daily operations.”

Adona said funding is the number one resource to help address the challenges associated with worker retention and election safety. 

“Funding, funding, funding! Misinformation and disinformation have riled people up in such a way that it’s becoming more and more dangerous,” Adona said. “Funding is critical to help address not only physical safety but also the safety of the ballots and the overall well-being of the workers themselves. Elections are a fundamental element of democracy and need to be treated as critical infrastructure which requires money.” 

Although there are many challenges that come with her position — security, tackling misinformation and disinformation, and high worker turnover — Adona still speaks fondly about elections. 

“I have the best job in the world!” Adona said. “Seeing how excited people are to tell me that they voted brings me so much joy. Elections are one of the greatest and most important jobs in the world. Even on my worst day, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.” 

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Beyond the Ballot with Paul Pate: Election Official’s History of Public Service, Business and Political Success Led to Transforming Secretary of State Role

By Lexington Souers, Communications Associate

Raised in a family focused on giving back, and pulling from a successful career in business, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate recognized the power of government action.

At age 29, Pate became the youngest member of the Iowa Senate and embarked on a path toward his current role. Following the conclusion of his first of two spells as secretary of state in 1998, Pate continued his service to Iowans as mayor of Cedar Rapids and president of Iowa’s League of Cities. He also served at the national level with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, with a specific focus on housing.

“I was raised in a family where my folks really underscored public service and giving back,” Pate said. “If you’re going to be fortunate enough to do well in life, you need to give back. We live in great communities and great states, but not everybody has the same successes, and you want to try to bring some of that back to them.”

Throughout Pate’s tenure in each role, he saw the impact that he and his staff were making. Similar to his broad reach as secretary of state, his role as president of Iowa’s League of Cities allowed him to be a difference maker for the residents, he represented in more than 900 Iowa cities.

“That was an eye opener,” Pate said. “You’re talking about towns as small as a couple of 100 people compared to our larger cities, and trying to balance out how we help all those communities have the resources and knowledge they need to be competitive.”

Nearly eight years ago, Pate returned to the Iowa Office of the Secretary of State. This time, he entered with increased attention on elections due to rapid changes in technology. According to Pate, he needed “jumpstart” those effort in the office, especially given the rise of social media and voting by mail.

Pate stressed the need for a trusted source for elections, whether it through his office or the local elections commissioner.

“The big concern I had then, and I have today even more so, is if the public loses confidence in the integrity of our election for whatever reason — whether it’s foreign interference or even local — then our republic has fallen,” Pate said. “And they wouldn’t have done it without firing a single shot. That’s alarming to me.”

Pate promotes a “trusted source” approach, which includes voter I.D. laws, random audits of elections and public pretesting of tabulators. While he said there are still hurdles, being transparent has led to increased trust and support by the public.

Increasing overseas voting and the role of military voters was also an important goal for Pate, who promoted a 120-day extension for certain service members. He added auditing occurs for military members requesting absentee ballots, accounting for how military service has changed. Included among these members are an influx of reservists and guardsmen who have been posted overseas.

“They are voters. They have a lot of involvement and commitment to their local communities because they know the candidates in their town,” Pate said. “They still want to stay in touch with that. We work hard with the local command and make sure those folks have what they need. I’m not going to just count on somebody handling it from the military or the Department of Defense. I want to do what we can on the local level to give them that information.”

Iowa Safe at Home is another program endorsed by Pate, offering address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence and other crimes. Through the program, victims can register their addresses with the Office of the Secretary of State, protecting what would otherwise be public information from potential bad actors.

“I can report now that we’re seeing a significant uptick of folks who are survivors of very unfortunate situations that have come out of the dark to rejoin their communities and are stepping up and voting again,” Pate said. “I think Safe at Home is a big part of that.”

Iowa has one of the highest voter turnouts in the country, which Pate attributes to Iowa’s community and length of life as well as a civically minded culture. Pate said he supports a curriculum for students to understand the importance of Iowa’s caucus system. Students, in turn, help educate their parents. Teachers can also use an Elections 101 curriculum to provide modules showing the importance of elections.

Before the formal election, youth from across the state participate in a youth straw poll. The Office of the Secretary of State provides a digital copy of the official ballot or students can vote using an online poll. Results are reported in real time.

“I find the straw poll very intriguing because we do it ahead of the adult election and these young people across the state are pretty darn close to being on the mark of what the results will be,” Pate said. “When we dug a little deeper, we found out you can attribute it to — believe it or not — people still talk over the dinner table. This shows me that the parents and kids are talking about it.”

Education outside of the classroom became a key component of Pate’s role as secretary of state, especially given the rise in misinformation. Pate said it is not his role to censor free speech, but instead ensure Iowans know when and where to vote, among other key points. This is done through voter ready websites and online voter registration, as well as partnering with organizations like the NAACP and the NRA to promote voter toolkits.

“I believe myself and my colleagues are the referees,” Pate said. “We administer the laws of the land and make sure we offer as much transparency as we can. That consistency and transparency is what the voters need and expect to have confidence in the elections process. The more I, and my peers, can make sure that is out there, upfront on a regular basis, the more successful we will be on both encouraging people to vote and believing in the results.”

Pate and his office partner with numerous federal organizations to monitor the security of Iowa’s elections at every level. The FBI, CIA and even white hat hackers are among them. Local offices are often smaller and are handling more than just elections, according to Pate. As a result, the statewide office may need to handle trainings, recruiting poll workers or security measures.

“I’ve been able to push out that security to our local level because you’re only as good as your weakest point,” Pate said. “With 99 jurisdictions out there, we wanted to make sure they had the same kind of protection. We have endpoint protection for them, which means 24 hours a day we’re monitoring their systems for outside intrusions so no one can manipulate our voter databases.”

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Beyond the Ballot with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver: Dedication to State Government and Elections Drive Secretary of State’s Career

By Morgan Thomas, Policy Associate

Growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver always wanted to work in government. However, like most election officials, Secretary Toulouse Oliver didn’t grow up dreaming of one day becoming an election administrator. Her passion for elections grew as she gained more experience working on campaigns, voter education and outreach. Now having worked in elections for over two decades, Toulouse Oliver has leveraged her work experience to become the 26th Secretary of State of New Mexico.

Continue reading “Beyond the Ballot with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver: Dedication to State Government and Elections Drive Secretary of State’s Career”
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Remote Observation and Ballot Duplication in Florida’s Brevard County 

Florida’s Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Highlights Remote Observation Procedures and an Improved Ballot Duplication Process During Overseas Voting Initiative Visit  

Last year, members of the Overseas Voting Initiative (OVI) Working Group met in Central Florida to discuss the ongoing and emerging issues faced by Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters when attempting to cast their ballot. As part of this convening, Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic provided working group members with a tour of his county’s warehouse in Melbourne, where his office conducts various administrative procedures, such as ballot duplication. In addition to his role with Brevard County, Bobanic is a member of the OVI working group.  

OVI provides extensive programming to working group members focused on understanding and improving the voting process for military and overseas citizens. Touring election offices such as the Melbourne warehouse provides members with a behind the scenes look into how jurisdictions with large UOCAVA populations help these individuals overcome voting barriers and successfully cast their ballot.  

While touring the Brevard County election facility, working group members witnessed several administrative best practices in action, including the use of live streams that allow the public to remotely observe various election processes. Members also learned about Brevard County’s use of technology solutions to streamline ballot duplication procedures and facilitate the processing of absentee and UOCAVA ballots. 

On March 8, 2023, Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic (second from right) guided OVI Working Group members, CSG team members and Federal Voting Assistance Program staff around the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Melbourne warehouse. Working group members Anthony Albence of Delaware (left), Natalie Adona of Nevada County, California (second from left), and Aaron Nevarez of Los Angeles County, California (right), looked on and listened. This photo was taken by Katy Owens Hubler. 

Bobanic’s role as supervisor of elections serves the voters of Titusville, Melbourne, Palm Bay and Viera, which boast a total population of just over 600,000 residents, including approximately 430,000 who are registered to vote. The Melbourne facility is one of several satellite offices throughout the county that work in tandem to ensure Brevard County elections run smoothly. 

OVI working group members were joined at the modern Melbourne facility by representatives with the Federal Voting Assistance Program, including Director Scott Wiedmann. It’s there Bobanic led the group around, highlighting the location’s large warehouse and numerous office areas. As Florida’s 10th largest jurisdiction, much space is needed to conduct the county’s manual and electronically-aided election processes. 

The first area shown to working group members was the public viewing area, which sits just inside the facility’s entryway. This location was chosen to provide the public, media, candidates and other interested stakeholders with easy access to the viewing area. Once inside, working group members observed two dozen monitors which broadcast various election processes in real-time for members of the public to view.  

The public viewing area of the Melbourne warehouse in Brevard County, Florida, allows individuals to view the ballot duplication process and other post-election procedures on large screens. The number on each screen corresponds to a ballot duplication workstation in the facility that is equipped with a live stream camera. This photo was taken by Katy Owens Hubler on March 8, 2023. 

According to Brevard County officials, the public viewing area serves to educate voters on local election processes and increase the transparency of elections, all while minimizing disruptions to the processes being viewed. While in the viewing area, spectators can ask questions and flag any concerns, but they are not physically among election workers as they move about the facility.   

At the time of the OVI’s visit, ballot duplication processes throughout Brevard County were being broadcast for the public to view. Ballot duplication is the process by which a damaged or improperly marked ballot is replaced with a new, machine-readable ballot that preserves the voter’s intent. Monitors in the viewing area allowed members to observe live camera feeds of each ballot duplication work area in the county. In doing so, working group members and the public can see every ballot duplication process taking place throughout the county simultaneously. 

While in the viewing area, Bobanic shared that a few months earlier, his office purchased Enhanced Remake, a ballot duplication solution offered by Enhanced Voting. Enhanced Remake is a technology solution that “easily remakes any unreadable ballots with less effort and less mistakes …” It is available as an online service or an offline software.  

Brevard County purchased both the Enhanced Remake hardware and software, which functions as a self-contained, offline station. Bobanic hoped to have the software up and running for the 2022 election cycle — a goal which he and his staff accomplished. Members of the OVI working group were able to view a demonstration of Brevard County’s Enhanced Remake station while touring the Melbourne facility. A similar demonstration, offered by Enhanced Voting, can be accessed here.  

Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic (centered, wearing a blue shirt) stood in the ballot duplication room at his Melbourne office on March 8, 2023 explaining the county’s new ballot duplication process using new equipment from Florida-based Enhanced Voting and public display monitors. This photo was taken by Katy Owens Hubler.

Enhanced Remake is one of many technology solutions on the market that automate aspects of the ballot duplication process using a combination of software and hardware (i.e., ballot duplication devices). Regardless of the technology solution, any jurisdiction can live stream the ballot duplication process by equipping duplication workstations with cameras that broadcast a live feed to a public viewing area. Election officials can then narrate the processes being broadcast and answer questions from the public, media or other interested stakeholders. 

For more information on ballot duplication, please read the OVI article series on this topic. OVI has also published an article on the remote observation of ballot duplication and other post-election processes, which is accessible here. 

We thank Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic and his staff for welcoming OVI to the Melbourne facility and we look forward to visiting more election offices in the coming years.  

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Beyond the Ballot with Jeffrey Danovich

Black Man placing ballot into ballot box with an american flag background and the words Beyond the Ballot on navy background in foreground
Jeffrey Danovich headshot with a VOTE mask on

Following the American – led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Jeffrey Danovich found himself among the many military men and women deployed to the country’s Northern region as part of the “War on Terror.” While serving in the Nineveh Province, Danovich was assigned to his battalion’s government legal team, where he worked as a Civil Affairs Operator with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Following the CPA’s dissolution in 2004, Danovich was selected by his battalion commander to become a Voting Assistance Officer (VAO).

As a VAO, Danovich quickly became well-versed in every aspect of military voting. The program, managed by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), is designed to ensure citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) are aware of their voting rights and know how to exercise them – no small feat. For Danovich, this meant completing online training, in-person workshops and becoming versed in state-specific election rules, processes, and deadlines pertaining to the voters in his unit.

For Danovich, the role of VAO was a collateral, rather than primary duty. This required him to complete many of the position’s responsibilities in his downtime. Although many deployed VAOs find themselves in similar situations, the nature of Danovich’s battalion posed a unique challenge. Put simply, his battalion was divided into three smaller units that were stationed throughout the Province. Managing transportation to and from the different units according to various election cycles soon became an inescapable reality.

Over the course of his deployment, Danovich spent numerous hours in the back of a Humvee to fulfill his responsibilities as a VAO. “What little downtime deployed service members have is spent catching up on sleep, sending an email to family or reading a book, etc. Upcoming elections and how to vote in them are not at the forefront of their minds. That’s where my role came into play. It was my job to make a seemingly convoluted process as easy as possible for our soldiers,” said Danovich.

Upon returning stateside, Danovich attended George Washington University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Shortly thereafter, he decided to leverage his experience  as a VAO to re-enter the field of elections. Danovich has since worked for the District of Columbia Board of Elections, the Open Source Election Technology Institute and the Fulton County Government in Atlanta, Georgia. Through these roles, Danovich has trained poll workers and poll managers, managed mobile voting units and performed Logic and Accuracy Testing, among other things. In August 2021, he accepted a position with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office as the Election Training Administrator.

Danovich has worn many different hats throughout his career in elections; however, his sustained and close contact with poll workers has made clear to him the mounting threat to their safety. Throughout the U.S., poll workers complete numerous tasks that are pivotal to any given election. Despite their centrality to the electoral process, the recent proliferation of disinformation has led poll workers to experience an increasing number of threats and abuse. “Because of the constant threat posed to poll workers, many of the folks who work the polls on Election Day are leaving. We are losing some of our best and brightest,” said Danovich.

Although poll workers experience some of the most significant impacts of election disinformation, they also play a crucial role in combatting it. Those working or volunteering at the polls on election day have extensive knowledge of precinct procedures and are trusted members of the community. This uniquely positions current and former poll workers to serve as reliable sources of election information within their communities.

In regard to the importance of poll workers, Danovich stated that, “One of my biggest takeaways from the 2020 election is that many of our fellow citizens are willing to step up in a crisis situation. The spread of misinformation is currently one of the biggest threats to the conduct of our elections. My colleagues throughout the country and I have sought to mitigate this by encouraging more and more people to become poll workers.”

In the coming months, Danovich will begin to transition into his new role with the Secretary of State’s Office. While he looks forward to the opportunity to shape elections policy at the state level, Fulton County always will hold a special place in his heart – after all, who else can say they found love in a polling place? Through all the turmoil that characterized the 2020 Presidential election, Danovich happened to exchange contact information with an observer who wanted to know more about the conduct of elections. Semi-formal conversations over dinners  quickly turned into something more and nearly a year later, the two have never been happier.

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Beyond the Ballot with Brianna Lennon

Black Man placing ballot into ballot box with an american flag background and the words Beyond the Ballot on navy background in foreground

Inspired by events surrounding the 2020 election, you turn to your computer in search of answers. How do local offices utilize technology to administer an election? What events take place prior to your ballot arriving in the mail? How do election officials know vote tallies are correct? After reading through numerous articles, you come across a podcast about election administration. You click on the most recent episode and hear the voice of Brianna Lennon, Boone County Clerk and co-host of High Turnout Wide Margins. 

Elected Boone County Clerk in 2018, Lennon’s expertise in election administration has been forged by years of experience and mentorship under seasoned practitioners. As an undergraduate, Lennon completed an internship with the League of Women Voters where she worked to reformat voter education materials. Upon entering law school at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, she secured a position with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, then under the administration of Robin Carnahan. It was during this time that Lennon fell in love with elections. 

After graduating with her Juris Doctor, Lennon worked briefly in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office before returning to the Secretary of State’s office, where she assumed the role of Deputy Director of Elections and Elections Counsel. In this role, she collaborated with county clerks to ensure state election procedures supported the operations of clerks at the local level. She also worked alongside vendors and fellow election officials to design and implement the statewide Military and Overseas Voting Access Portal.  

Having worked closely with numerous county clerks throughout the state, Lennon was soon drawn to the position. For Lennon, it was the challenging nature of the job that compelled her to run for office. “At the local level, officials are afforded a lot of discretion in how they implement policies. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. For me, I saw the position as allowing me to leverage this discretion to uniquely serve voters,” said Lennon. By 2018, she had mounted a successful campaign for Boone County Clerk and assumed office in January of the following year. 

Through these experiences, Lennon has become attuned to the importance of communication and the solicitation of feedback by state officials. Although the Military and Overseas Voting Access Portal was developed by state-level officials, the feedback of local officials has greatly shaped and improved the customer service experience for voters. “Election officials at all levels need to seek out conversations to share and solicit feedback. There are many lessons to be shared; it’s often just a matter of asking the right questions.” 

As Clerk, Lennon has personally sought to connect clerks with subject-matter experts and one another to better share best practices. In Missouri, the work of a county clerk depends on the assessed valuation of the county. The smaller the locality, the wider the range of responsibilities a county clerk is assigned. As a result, some clerks have less time to explore the practices of fellow election officials. According to Lennon, this is where her podcast, High Turnout Wide Margins, came into play. 

 Thirty-nine episodes strong and counting, High Turnout Wide Margins was started by Brianna Lennon and her fellow election administrator, Eric Fey, in December 2020. In each episode, Lennon and her co-host take approximately 30 minutes to touch on a pressing topic in elections through consultation with prominent subject-matter experts. “The purpose of the podcast is to act as a resource for fellow election authorities. We want to highlight local election stories, national trends, and really anything that may be useful for practitioners just entering the field,” said Lennon. 

Through the podcast, Lennon has had the opportunity to connect with some of the nation’s most experienced practitioners. Guests have included Overseas Voting Initiative working group members Neal Kelley (Orange County Registrar of Voters) and David Stafford (Escambia County Supervisor of Elections). When asked what she enjoys most about the podcast, Lennon stated, “you can just feel the guests’ devotion and enthusiasm for the profession.”  

Conversations that have emerged through the podcast also have highlighted the adaptability of election officials. When it comes to the 2020 election, everyone has a story to tell. Lennon has proven no exception. As the November election approached, her office was tasked with joining the statewide voter registration database. As the existing system was gradually phased out, staff were required to enter voter registration data in both systems.  

Although dual data entry took its toll on Lennon’s staff, the coronavirus pandemic later took hold and quickly overshadowed the stress of the task. Rapidly changing public health and safety protocols soon led to confusion among voters regarding absentee voting eligibility. Added to this confusion was the prevalence of election mis- and dis-information online.  

As nearly all election administrators can attest, the burden of combatting misinformation fell on the shoulders of local officials. In anticipation of a challenging election cycle, Lennon’s office created social media accounts earlier that year to enhance voter outreach and voter education efforts. These accounts later became key avenues through which Boone County officials communicated with voters. Posts were made online to eliminate gray areas surrounding absentee eligibility and public health protocols as well as to communicate the safeguards in place to protect elections from wide scale fraud. 

Looking back on 2020, Lennon realizes that, unlike the pandemic, the heightened scrutiny of elections and election administrators will linger. Another wave of practitioners will retire, and a younger generation will step into positions of leadership. Creative strategies must be applied to meet the challenges posed by the digital age. According to Lennon, these creative strategies must be built on a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the laws and policies that govern elections. “Read all the statutes that apply to your job. Even go as far as to read them once a year. Also, get to know your fellow independently elected officials. It’s always good to glean their perspective and put your minds together to solve the issues you may collectively face,” said Lennon. 

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Beyond the Ballot with Michael Winn

Black Man placing ballot into ballot box with an american flag background and the words Beyond the Ballot on navy background in foreground

The Greek philosopher Aristotle said that by nature, man is a social animal. For Michael Winn, this quote has long resonated deeply with his desire to bring about positive change. While working as a sanitarian in the mid-1990s, Winn realized it was time to switch paths and pursue this passion through a career in public service. Shortly after beginning his job search, Winn was approached by an acquaintance working in the Bexar County Clerk’s Office regarding an open position as a contract specialist. Shortly thereafter, he was brought on staff. What he anticipated to be a 9:00-5:00 commitment quickly became a life-long passion. 

As a contract specialist, Winn developed a foundational understanding of election processes in his jurisdiction and an awareness of how these procedures contributed to a cohesive statewide system. Winn continued to build upon this foundation as he rose through the ranks to become the Administrator of Elections in Harris County in 2019 and the Chief Deputy of Administration for the County Clerk’s Office one year later. According to Winn, his experience as an administrator has greatly facilitated his ability to educate voters on critical aspects of elections at the municipal, county, and statewide levels. 

Given this background, Winn soon came to prioritize engagement with the community as Chief Deputy to better reach and educate his jurisdiction’s diverse voting population. Harris County, home to the city of Houston, boasts one of the most diverse populations in the nation. As of 2016, the County’s foreign-born population totaled approximately 1.2 million, with residents hailing from Mexico, El Salvador, India, and Vietnam, among others. Although Winn had previously held positions in Bexar and Travis counties, the diversity of Houston posed a new and exciting challenge. 

To address this challenge and better meet the needs of his constituents, Winn and his colleagues turned to the numerous community organizations throughout the city for support. In Houston, these organizations exist to foster a sense of belonging, maintain cultural ties and traditions, and advocate for the interests of the group(s) they represent. As such, organizational leadership is uniquely positioned to inform election administrators of their community’s needs and assist in voter education efforts. 

In Harris County, long-standing relationships have been built with organizations such as the Texas Civil Rights Project, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and those representing the interests of the Hispanic and Asian communities. Over the years, these relationships allowed Winn and his colleagues to effectively disseminate information regarding upcoming elections and polling place locations. Through feedback solicited from these organizations, the Clerk’s Office also was able to better locate polling places based on voters’ access to private and public transportation. 

Community partnerships also have played a critical role in helping Houston’s voters overcome the language barriers they may experience prior to and once having arrived at their polling place. Although election officials in Harris County have incorporated four languages – English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese – into their operations, numerous other languages and dialects also are prevalent within the community. Therefore, further action was needed in order to better serve all voters. 

Recognizing this need, Winn and his colleagues in Harris County worked alongside a local vendor to expand the language services available to voters. Prior to the 2020 presidential primary, officials in the Clerk’s office were looking for ways to repurpose older iPads that had long fallen out of use. With the help of the local vendor, 29 different languages were incorporated into each tablet’s software. Volunteers in the field were then equipped with the tablets so they could better communicate timely and accurate election information to voters with limited English proficiency. When asked about this collaboration, Winn stated that “While forging connections with community groups may be a daunting task, it is critical to ensuring that this (electoral) process works for everyone.” 

By the November 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic had yet to subside, leaving election officials throughout the nation with mounting uncertainties. In Harris County, relationships with community leaders were once again leveraged to put procedures in place that protected the health of poll workers and voters alike.  

At the time of the election, conflicting guidance from varying state officials in Texas resulted in confusion among residents regarding mask wearing requirements at the polls. Winn and his colleagues resolved this confusion by first consulting with members of the community on what procedures they felt were necessary to ensure their safety. Through surveys, the Clerk’s Office found overwhelming support for mask mandates and social distancing requirements within election facilities. Upon finalizing procedures with this feedback in mind, relationships with trusted community leaders were then leveraged to ensure these requirements were made clear to the public.  

After the results had been declared and the election fervor subsided, the success of Harris County’s contingency planning was made clear. Despite over 1.8 million Houston residents having voted in the November election, Chief Deputy Harris is not aware of any cases of community transmission linked to the County’s polling locations. According to Winn, the success of the November election was reliant upon one key takeaway: listening to your electorate. “When you listen to the electorate that you serve and include them in critical conversations taking place, it makes for a better process,” stated Winn.  

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