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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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,…
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…
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…
In 1978, Lynn Bailey had just graduated from high school when the Richmond County Board of Elections recruited her to work in the upcoming gubernatorial election. As with many high turnout elections, local offices were in desperate need of temporary workers to help complete their ever-growing list of…