High Turnout Wide Margins

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Tonya Wichman, the director of the Board of Elections in Defiance County, Ohio. She is also currently serving on the Election Center Board of Directors. They spoke about Wichman’s career in elections, how she found the energy and community to keep her motivated as the job became harder, and about some of the ways she has brought joy into her county’s election process.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Carly Koppes, the County Clerk & Recorder in Weld County, Colorado, and Lori Mitchell, the County Clerk & Recorder in Chaffee County, Colorado. Both have held many leadership positions within the Colorado County Clerks Association.  They spoke about what the association has learned about responding to a crisis — in light of a Colorado clerk being convicted of numerous voting related felonies in 2024. They also addressed how that crisis brought Colorado’s clerks closer together, as well as how they are trying to pass down institutional knowledge to clerks who are just now entering the field. 

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak to Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, the Recorder in Pima County, Arizona. This her second appearance on the podcast — her first being five years ago in Season 1. They spoke about how things have changed, what Cázares-Kelly has learned in her five plus years in the position, and about what’s making her hopeful about the future of American elections.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Seth Bluestein. He’s the lone Republican Commissioner on the three-person Philadelphia Board of Elections. They spoke about the scrutiny Philadelphia has received during the last few election cycles, as well as how that attention has influenced the way they are running elections in the city.  Plus, Bluestein shares some interesting tidbits about the state's system of electing some members of a polling location’s staff.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Bob Page, the Registrar of Voters at County of Orange. He has had a busy year when it comes to questions about the integrity of the county’s elections — including a lawsuit filed against him by the DOJ.  They spoke about how Page responds in the face of such attention, as well as how he works with journalists and spends time educating the public to rebuild trust in California elections.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey sit down to discuss the “kerfuffle” that has been the mid-decade redistricting process in Missouri. This process began last September — and even though the Missouri August primary is completed and absentee ballots for the November general election have already begun to go out — uncertainty still remains about which congressional maps Missouri local election administrators will use.  Note: At the time that this episode is being produced — 7:00 p.m. on September 23, 2026 — the decision on Missouri’s congressional map is once again in the hands of the United State Supreme Court.  To all of our listeners in Missouri, please check with your local election office for more information on your ballot.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Casandra Hockenberry. Previously, she worked at the Council of State Governments’ Center for Innovation, but is now serving as the Program and Policy Director for Advance Elections, a nonpartisan, elections-focused consulting firm.  They spoke about how election administrators can more effectively help overseas and military voters cast their absentee ballots, as well as the importance of consequence planning alongside emergency managers.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Jamie Fitzgerald. He’s served as the Auditor and Commissioner of Elections in Polk County, Iowa, since January 2007. They spoke about a unique technology his office has been using since 2025 — where his poll workers transmit their unofficial tallies back to the central office via QR code on election night.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Jared Marcotte. He’s the founder of The Turnout, a company that focuses on the intersection of technology, software and security in elections. They spoke about what motivated Marcotte to create The Turnout, as well as about the importance of election administrators being able to determine the safety and security of the non-voting system technology they use. This episode is part of a three-part series exploring election technology.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Ben Adida. He’s the co-founder and executive director of VotingWorks, a nonprofit organization that builds open-source voting equipment.  They spoke about what an open-source system actually is, some of the challenges of getting new voting machines through the certification process, and about the overall health of the voting equipment ecosystem.  This episode is part of a three-part series focused on election technology.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Scott Leiendecker. He’s the founder and CEO of KNOWiNK, an electronic poll pad system, and Liberty Vote, as well as a former Republican Elections Director for St. Louis City. They spoke about how Leiendecker’s election administration experience influenced his decision to enter the election vendor space, how he’s working to combat mis- and disinformation about election technology and about what he hopes is next for the industry. This episode is part of a three-part series focused on election technology.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Tom Hicks. Hicks was a U.S. Election Assistance Commission [EAC] commissioner from January 2015 until July 9, 2026 — when he was notified via email that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.”  They reflected on Hick’s tenure — some of the efforts he’s proudest of and what he wishes he had more time to do — and spoke about what the EAC is still capable of without commissioners and Hick’s hopes for the agency going forward.  You can read more about Hick’s time at the EAC at: https://www.eac.gov/about/commissioner-thomas-hicks

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey interview their kids, then have the tables turned on them as the kids ask questions of the parents about elections and election administration. They spoke about… lots of things really, but definitely NOT politics.

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Lauren Prather and Thad Kousser, the co-directors of the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections based at the University of California-San Diego. They spoke about some of the research they have done, which shows simple and effective ways for election administrators to connect with their constituents and grow trust in elections. This includes office tours, video office tours, simple and “authentic” social media videos and more.

Back in September, the High Turnout Wide Margins team traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the 2025 Summer Convening of the Partnership for Large Jurisdictions, or PLEJ.  While there, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon had the opportunity to speak with election administrators from across the county and world. They also had the opportunity to take the stage for a special live taping with Carolina Lopez, the executive director of PLEJ.  They spoke about the history of PLEJ, as well as how it has grown and benefited election administrators across the county. They also brought several members on stage — Zach Manifold of Gwinnett County, Georgia, and Kurt Bahr of St. Charles County, Missouri — to share how PLEJ has supported them in their work and how they have given back to the organization.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Christopher Mann, the Research Director at the Center for Election Innovation & Research, and Stuart Holmes, the Director of Elections for Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. They spoke about the centralized system for responding to public records requests that Washington state implemented in 2023, as well as how the system is helping combat misinformation and is returning some time to local election administrators who continue to receive an increased number of public records requests. You can read the full case report from the Center for Election Innovation & Research at https://electioninnovation.org/research/centralizing-requests-in-washington-state/.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Bill Gates. He’s the director of Arizona State University Mechanics of Democracy Lab, as well as the former chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona.  They spoke about AI in elections — Both how generative AI tools could be responsibly used in election offices and how election officials might combat bad actors spreading mis- and disinformation through AI deep fakes.  You can learn more about the Mechanics of Democracy Lab at https://modl.spa.asu.edu/

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Michelle Kavanaugh, the Bernalillo County Clerk in New Mexico.  They spoke about some of the recent changes to New Mexican election law, which include automatic voter registration at the Motor Vehicle Division, semi-open primaries and the restoration of voting rights to citizens after incarceration — regardless of felony status.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Ben Ginsberg and Bob Bauer. These two longtime and respected election experts launched a national effort called Pillars of the Community in 2024. This program aims to educate and answer questions from trusted community members who can then assist in the fight against election dis- and misinformation. You can find out more about the program, as well as access community engagement tools for election administrators, at https://pillarsofthecommunity.org/.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Tom Rogers, who was the Australian Electoral Commissioner from 2014 to 2024.  They spoke about the structure of Australian elections, how the country counts its ballots, and the importance of democracy sausages.