For our second day of the 2025 Democracy Solutions Summit, we'll turn to the state level to understand how solutions like state voting rights acts, to ranked choice voting, to campaign funds for childcare can remove barriers for women, women of color, young people, and other marginalized communities to serve in state politics.
Secretary of State of New Mexico Maggie Toulouse Oliver will kick off Day Two with opening remarks on the importance of women's leadership at the state level.
Time: 3:10 - 3:35pm ET
For our first session of Day Two, we will be joined by Rebecca Mears, Director of Democracy, Center for American Progress, Candice Battiste, Campaign Strategist, Senior Community Organizer at Legal Defense Fund, and Erica Peresman, Senior Advisor at Promote the Vote for a fireside conversation on the need for State Voting Rights Acts as an effective solution to protect voters in every state.
Time: 3:35 - 4:15pm ET
As momentum continues to build for ranked choice voting at the local level, state-wide campaigns are happening simultaneously. Our second expert discussion of Day Two will be a panel discussion moderated by Jeanne Massey, Executive Director of FairVote Minnesota, and will feature Michelle Sparck, Director of Get Out the Native Vote, Brianna McGowan, Make All Votes Count DC, Katie Fahey, Executive Director of The People, and Michelle Whittaker, President of the RepresentWomen Board. These experts will speak to the strategies and learnings from state=level efforts to advocate for ranked choice voting in their respective states.
Time: 4:15-4:50pm ET
For the final session of the day, we will have a fireside discussion led by Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners, with Sarah Hague, Chief Program Officer at Vote Mama, Layla Zaidane, President & CEO of Future Caucus and Marvelous Maeze, U.S. Research Manager at RepresentWomen. Our experts will discuss the transformative solutions to remove barriers women, women of color, mothers, and young people face when running and serving in state legislatures.
We will wrap up Day Two with closing remarks from Stacey Abrams, political leader, business owner and New York Times bestselling author, on the value of women in elected office at the state level and the need for policy solutions to increase women's representation.
Maggie Toulouse Oliver has called New Mexico home since the age of 3 and is New Mexico’s 26th Secretary of State. She has served the people of New Mexico in this role since first being elected in 2016.
She was first appointed to public office in 2007 when she became County Clerk in New Mexico’s largest county, Bernalillo County. Elected to her first full term in 2008, Secretary Toulouse Oliver served 2 1/2 terms as County Clerk until she was elected as Secretary of State in 2016. Overseeing elections in the state’s largest county gave Secretary Toulouse Oliver detailed, on-the-ground expertise in election administration that has helped to guide her current work overseeing elections statewide.
Secretary Toulouse Oliver has been involved in politics and public policy for over two decades and has made public service the focus of her career. Her work has focused on increasing voter access, running efficient, secure, and fair elections, and bringing more transparency and increased ethical standards to government.
Rebecca Mears is the director of Democracy in the Structural Reform and Governance department at American Progress.
Prior to joining American Progress, Mears was a political law attorney at Elias Law Group and Perkins Coie, where she specialized in campaign finance, voting rights, and election law at the federal, state, and local level. In this role, Mears provided counsel to members of Congress, multimillion-dollar political committees, and nonprofit organizations. Mears also co-authored an amicus brief that was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 165 universities and colleges in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Mears earned her law degree from Stanford Law School, her master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and her bachelor’s degree in political science and public policy from Brown University, where she graduated magna cum laude.
Candice Battiste is a D.C. based Campaign Strategist and Senior Political Participation Organizer at the Legal Defense Fund, where she led efforts to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut, the strongest voter protection law in the U.S. She continues to champion voting rights, leading the state voting rights work for LDF in the South. Previously, she served as the North Louisiana Organizer for the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, advocating for racial, health, and economic equity.
Candice is also the Founder and Principal of Evangeline Management Group, a consulting and management company, where she has led impactful campaigns, including Louisiana's unanimous jury reform, Shreveport, LA's historic guaranteed income initiative, and working tirelessly to bridge the digital divide. A dedicated advocate, she has worked with the United Nations Association, ACLU of Louisiana, Black Voters Matter, and multiple national and local civic organizations.
She holds a B.A. from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from Southern University Law Center. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and was recognized as one of Louisiana’s 40 Under 40 for her leadership in public policy and community service.
Erica Peresman is a Senior Advisor at Promote the Vote. She is an attorney, voting rights advocate, and elections expert who has worked on advancing ballot access and fighting voter suppression in Michigan for more than two decades. Erica was part of the leadership team for Proposal 3 of 2018, a ballot proposal that significantly expanded voting rights in Michigan. From 2019 through 2022, Erica served as the first permanent Voter Protection Director of the Michigan Democratic Party, a position that enabled her to advocate statewide for the robust implementation of Proposal 3 and educate voters about their new rights. Under Erica’s leadership, the MDP’s voter protection program expanded to encompass defending democracy on multiple fronts, year round every year. Erica also helped draft the constitutional language for Proposal 2 of 2022, which further expanded ballot access for Michigan voters. Before focusing on voting rights, Erica practiced business law at Pettit & Martin in San Francisco and at Pepper Hamilton in Detroit, where she was a partner. Erica earned a bachelor’s degree in Humanities from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Stanford Law School.
Jeanne Massey is a Ranked Choice Voting and electoral reform powerhouse. She is recognized as a visionary leader who combines deep knowledge and pragmatic strategy to advance Ranked Choice Voting at the local, state and national level.
Jeanne engages diverse and cross-sector leaders in her work, including multi-partisan groups, voting rights advocates, electoral reformers and the business community. Her track record includes winning campaigns in Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Louis Park, Bloomington, and Minnetonka, Minnesota—all of which have helped create statewide momentum around Ranked Choice Voting.
As the Executive Director of FairVote Minnesota, Jeanne is a frequent media resource on electoral reform. She also provides inspiration and strategy counsel to advocates from across the country.
She has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and community planning and organizing. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica, Jeanne holds an M.A. in regional & community planning and a B.A. in business & Spanish.
Michelle (Macuar) Sparck is the director of Get Out the Native Vote (GOTNV), a statewide nonpartisan voter education program under the Cook Inlet Tribal Council based in Anchorage, Alaska. Sparck, a member of the Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak who grew up in Bethel, and went on to become an experienced legislative aid in Washington, D.C., and Juneau.
Brianna is a Co-Director for Delicious Democracy, DC's Creative Advocacy Lab and formerly Women Who Code DC. She is a developer, poet, data scientist, modern dancer, and an advocate for equitable transformations to DC's power systems starting with passing ranked choice voting and laying the ground for Black independent political power.
She is passionate about intersecting worlds, developing community-owned AI, centering delicious food, and building a future DC State. She is a steering committee member of Yes on 83 and DC for Democracy, and a co-founder of ReDelicious DC, a food co-op based at the Edgewood Community Farm in Ward 5.
Katie Fahey founded and led Voters Not Politicians, a grassroots, nonpartisan campaign that ran a successful effort to end gerrymandering in Michigan by amending the state constitution in 2018 with 61% of the vote. Her unlikely journey began with a simple Facebook post asking if anyone wanted to help take on gerrymandering in her state, which unexpectedly sparked a powerful citizen-led movement.
Currently Katie is Executive Director of The People, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization empowering everyday Americans from all political backgrounds to actively participate in creating a more responsive and accountable government.
Katie is passionate about spreading her deeply held belief that positive, long-lasting political change not only can, but often must, come directly from the people.
Michelle Whittaker is a messaging and political strategist with over 15 years of experience in communications, advocacy outreach, and grassroots mobilization. She is the principal at MCW Creative, a boutique strategic consulting firm for nonprofits and political campaigns. She is the statewide coordinator for Ranked Choice Voting Maryland, a grassroots coalition working to adopt RCV for local and statewide elections. Her expertise is in strategy development, storytelling, constituency engagement, organizing, and media outreach. Michelle is a seasoned campaign manager and financial administrator, running successful fundraising, outreach, and election programs for local races in Montgomery County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
Her past leadership roles include serving as the Director of Communications at FairVote, the Director of Communications for the Democracy Initiative, and the Communications and New Media Director for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. She has facilitated numerous workshops on campaign strategy, web development, social media strategy, messaging, and electoral reform along with contributing to academic and advocacy-related publications.
She organizes the revolution from her home office in Kensington with her 7-year-old, London, and husband, Doogie.
Christina Henderson is an At-Large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Christina’s career has been guided by the principle that one’s zip code should not determine your opportunity for success, and she is excited to work each and every day to make this principle a reality for all DC residents.
As a trusted political advisor, Christina has counseled United States Senators, DC Council members, and state and local education officials on an array of domestic policy issues which deeply impacts families and children. Prior to serving as a member of the DC Council, Christina served as a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) handling education, workforce, postal and census issues for both the leadership and personal office.
From 2012 to 2017, Christina served residents of DC in various capacities in DC government. Christina was the deputy chief of staff for former DC Councilmember David Grosso and directed the Council’s Committee on Education, which has budget and performance oversight for all matters related to DC’s public education system and libraries. At the Council, Christina crafted and helped advance over 40 pieces of legislation on an array of issues including student discipline, DCPS facilities, reproductive health, medical marijuana, and beverage sales at breweries, distilleries, and wineries. She was known for a common sense approach to policy, a collaborative working style, and centering equity in her work. Prior to the Council, Christina worked for DC Public Schools, supporting the district’s efforts to improve teacher and school leader quality and effectiveness.
Celinda Lake was one of two main pollsters for the Biden campaign, is the only Democratic pollster to play a major role in defeating two incumbent presidents, and is a prominent pollster and political strategist for progressives. Celinda serves as President of Lake Research Partners. Lake’s polling and strategic advice led candidates such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Jon Tester, Senator Debbie Stabenow, former Governor Bob Wise and many others to groundbreaking wins. She worked on behalf of the largest independent expenditure to take back the House in 2006 and has been a key player in campaigns launched by progressive groups. Celinda focuses on women's concerns and women candidates. She works with innovative messaging projects that help redefine language on the economy, inequality, big money in politics, climate change, public schools, criminal justice reform, and has worked on the Race Class Narrative project. She coauthored a book "A Question of Respect" with Ed Goeas.
Sarah is the Chief Program Officer at Vote Mama, overseeing the organization's advocacy and research initiatives to build the political power of moms. Before joining Vote Mama, Sarah was the local Chief of Staff to the Chair of the House Oversight Committee - one of the nation’s youngest at the time. She lives in CT with the dog she found on the sidewalks of NYC, Ruth Barker Ginsburg.
Layla Zaidane, President and CEO of Future Caucus, is building a healthier and more curious political culture by activating more than 1,900 Gen Z and millennial elected officials across the nation — and across the political spectrum. Before Future Caucus, Zaidane launched initiatives at Generation Progress, including the “It’s On Us” campaign against campus sexual assault and the “Higher Ed, Not Debt” coalition to make higher education accessible and affordable. Zaidane’s work has been featured in Forbes, Teen Vogue, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR, showcasing her ability to amplify young voices. A Fellow of the Civil Society Fellowship and Aspen Global Leadership Network, Zaidane continues the work of dissolving political divides and providing platforms for young leaders to turn potential into action.
Marvelous Maeze is a Research Manager at RepresentWomen. She graduated from Columbia University with a master of arts in human rights. She is also a proud alumna of New York University’s College of Arts and Science, where she earned a bachelor of arts in political science. She is chair emerita of Human Rights First's Emerging Leaders Advisory Board, and has previously interned at the United Nations and the Council on Foreign Relations. At RepresentWomen, Marvelous leads our Black Women in Politics research. She authored this first instalment in the brief entitled 'Breaking Barriers for Black Women Candidates,' and is currently working on the follow-up examining online violence, harassment, and intimidation. Marvelous is passionate about democracy protection, equitable policies, and women’s rights. Her research focuses on examining viable reforms to advance gender and racial parity in U.S. politics.
Stacey Abrams is a political leader, business owner and New York Times bestselling author. A tax attorney by training, Abrams served eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Minority Leader, and became the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia in 2018 and 2022. Over the course of her career, she has launched multiple organizations devoted to democracy protection, voter engagement, tackling social issues, and building a more equitable future in the South. Committed to the pursuit of equity, she works to break barriers for young people, people of color and the marginalized through her work in the public, nonprofit and corporate sectors.
She currently serves as the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University and is a senior counsel to Rewiring America. Abrams is also the CEO of Sage Works Productions, Inc., an entertainment production company.
Abrams sits on both nonprofit and corporate boards, and she is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School.