On Election Day, we watched election officials across the country spring their contingency plans into action - responding to bomb threats, machine malfunctions and power outages, as well as other predictable disruptions. In this episode, Michelle Hawley, Director of the Milwaukee County Election Commission, joins Claire Woodall and Angelina Clapp to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the planning and partnerships that officials have spent years developing in order to ensure democracy isn’t disrupted. Hawley shares her expert insights on the meticulous planning and crisis management necessary to ensure smooth elections, especially in high-pressure environments.

Elections are about the people—those voting and those working tirelessly to ensure every vote is counted. Whether it’s managing recounts or ensuring polling places are operational against all odds, this episode highlights the dedication of election officials working tirelessly behind the scenes. A veteran of public service with a background in the military and judicial systems, Hawley’s approach to leadership in elections underscores resilience, preparation, and teamwork.

Links in this Episode: How Elections Work

In this episode of Democracy Fix, Mia Minkin, Angelina Clapp and Carah Ong Whaley sit down with former Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a seasoned election official and advocate for safe and secure elections. We unpack the complexities of election administration in the modern era and reflect on how elections were safe and secure in 2024, even in spite of a wide range of challenges, including foreign malign influence and dozens of bomb threats at polling sites in key states on the last day of voting. We also delve into the challenges of maintaining public trust in election integrity, the impact of foreign and domestic threats on voting infrastructure, stories of resilience and innovation in the face of unprecedented obstacles, and the need for federal funding and robust security measures to level the playing field for all jurisdictions.

Sec. Wyman emphasizes the critical role of public confidence in elections, stating, “Elections are the foundation for the representatives we send to Congress, state legislatures, or even our local government. If people lose trust in the process, they lose trust in their leaders." Sec. Wyman also highlights the importance of transparency: “Election officials spend most of their time not only doing their job technically well but also focusing on building trustworthy elections. Transparency is key to showing the public that every vote is counted accurately and securely.”

Kim Wyman served as Washington Secretary of State from 2013 to 2021. Her career in elections began in 1993 as Thurston County Election Director and later Auditor, where she successfully pioneered some of the country’s first vote-by-mail elections and collaborated on many national elections and cybersecurity initiatives. Respected for her bipartisan leadership, Secretary Wyman was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden to serve as CISA’s senior election security advisor. She is currently a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and president of ESI Consulting.

Links in this episode:

Committee for Safe and Secure Elections

Election officials have always played a critical role in ensuring that our votes are cast and counted fairly. But in recent years, the landscape of election work has dramatically changed. No longer seen as a quiet, behind-the-scenes service, election officials are now on the front lines of an increasingly toxic environment, facing harassment, threats, and a flood of misinformation.

In this episode of Democracy Fix, two seasoned election officials, Tonya Wichman, Director of Elections in Defiance County, Ohio, and Wesley Wilcox, Supervisor of Elections in Marion County, Florida join Dr. Carah Ong Whaley and Angelina Clapp to discuss the evolving role of election administration, and how they’re standing up against the tide of misinformation and political interference to ensure the integrity of our elections. Both Tonya and Wesley are featured in the powerful new documentary, The Officials, which shines a light on the pressures and challenges they and their colleagues across the country face as they prepare for the 2024 presidential election.

Links in this episode:

The Officials film and companion toolkit