Democracy Solutions Summit 2023
This event took place on March 7-9, 2023.
2023 Democracy Solutions Summit
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Agenda
Agenda
Introduction
Discussion of the existing challenges related to fair access to establish a foundational understanding of the issues we are trying to solve.
Time: 3:00-3:15 pm ET
Early Voting, Vote-by-Mail, and Automatic Voter Registration
A live fireside chat style conversation between three women experts on solutions to existing challenges related to fair ballot access: early voting, vote by mail, and automatic voter registration. Here you will learn about these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions directly from the experts themselves.
Time: 3:15 - 3:40 pm ET
Upgrading Ballot Access Processes for Candidates
A live fireside chat style conversation between three women experts on reimagining ballot access for candidates as a solution to some of our current challenges related to fair access. Experts themselves will share about their personal experiences, and propose solutions they know will address these issues.
Time: 3:40 - 4:00 pm ET
Take Action Panel
Live panel discussion between three to five “on-the-ground” experts that will share their experience in working to advance early voting, vote by mail, automatic voter registration, and civic technology at the local, state, or national levels. Here audience members will learn about tangible action steps they can take to join us in advancing these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions.
Time: 4:00 - 4:50 pm ET
Speakers
Speakers
INTRODUCTION
Kristen Clarke
U.S. Assistant Attorney General
Kristen Clarke is the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. In this role, she leads the Justice Department’s broad federal civil rights enforcement efforts and works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all who live in America. Assistant Attorney General Clarke is a lifelong civil rights lawyer who has spent her entire career in public service.
Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Secretary of State of New Mexico
Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver 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. 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.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 1
Tahesha Way
Secretary of State of New Jersey and President of National Association of Secretaries of State
Tahesha Way serves as New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State. She serves as New Jersey’s top election official, overseeing the state Division of Elections and its work in securing our democracy and ensuring broad, fair access to the right to vote.
Leigh Chapman
Former Acting Secretary of State of Pennsylvania
Leigh M. Chapman served as Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2022-2023. In this role, Chapman served as the Chief Election Official for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Jocelyn Benson
Secretary of State of Michigan
Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State. In this role, she has ensured elections are secure and accessible, and dramatically improved Secretary of State driver and customer experiences for all Michiganders.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 2
Layla Zaidane
President & CEO of Millennial Action Project
Layla Zaidane is the President & CEO of the Millennial Action Project, the largest nonpartisan organization of young lawmakers in the United States. MAP works with over 1,600 Millennial and Gen Z elected leaders in Congress and state legislatures to bridge divides, collaborate on future-oriented policy, and scale a healthy culture of democracy.
Danielle Allen
Director of Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics and Executive Board Chair of Partners in Democracy
Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, and President of Partners in Democracy. She is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought.
Jillian Gilchrest
CT State Representative
Jillian Gilchrest was elected to represent the 18th District of West Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 2018. She serves as House Chair of the Human Services Committee and member of the Appropriations, Public Health, and Judiciary Committees.
TAKE ACTION PANEL
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan
Program Director, Democratic Practice–United States at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan is the director for the Democratic Practice–United States program and the Racial Justice Initiative at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Ms. Gaskins-Nathan is dedicated to advancing measures and ideas that improve democratic systems and engage democratic culture in the United States to support full and fair democratic and economic opportunity for all residents.
Sarah Blahovec
Disability Civic Engagement Expert
Sarah Blahovec is a disability civic engagement subject matter expert and consultant. She works with organizations to address the barriers to voting and running for office for the one in four Americans who have a disability. She is the former Voting Rights and Civic Engagement Director for the National Council on Independent Living, where she advocated for greater accessibility in elections; educated the disability community on voting rights and works to energize a disability voting bloc; and addressed barriers to running for office for people with disabilities.
Jocelyn Bucaro
Director of Mobile Voting at Tusk Philanthropies
Jocelyn Bucaro is a respected national election expert with over a decade of experience running elections in Ohio and Colorado. She is currently the Director of Mobile Voting with Tusk Philanthropies, leading a national effort to improve the voting experience for voters with inherent barriers to voting through innovative technology solutions designed to make our elections more transparent and verifiable.
Talisha Searcy
Mayor of Takoma Park, MD
Talisha Searcy is the mayor of Takoma Park, Maryland. She has been an active member of the Takoma Park community since 2013. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Talisha has used her passion for civic engagement to serve the city and its residents for almost a decade.
Yael Bromberg, Esq.
Chief Counsel & Strategic Advisor, The Andrew Goodman Foundation, & Principal, Bromberg Law LLC
Yael Bromberg is the Special Counsel and Strategic Advisor for The Andrew Goodman Foundation (outside counsel), and Principal of Bromberg Law LLC. Bromberg has litigated in state and federal courts across the country on a range of democracy cases.
Michelle Meza
Public Servant in Government
Michelle is a mid-career, hands-on public servant passionate about working at the nexus of politics and policy to get things done in government to improve people’s lives. She started her career as an intern at the U.S. Embassy-Lima a decade ago, and since then, has built a trajectory of over seven years from frontline positions of implementation, congressional and intergovernmental relations, stakeholder outreach, and the execution of short and long-term agendas for principals in Capitol Hill, a U.S. Embassy abroad, and the Environmental Protection Agency, where she currently serves as a political appointee and scheduler to the EPA Administrator.
Agenda
Agenda
Introduction
Discussion of the existing challenges related to fair elections to establish a foundational understanding of the issues we are trying to solve.
Time: 3:00 - 3:15 pm
Ranked Choice Voting in President Primaries and the National Popular Vote
A live fireside chat style conversation between two widely respected women experts on the use of ranked choice voting in presidential primaries and the National Popular Vote as solutions to some of our current challenges related to presidential elections and voting processes. Here you will learn about these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions directly from the experts themselves.
Time: 3:15 - 3:40 pm
Innovations in Campaign Finance
A live fireside chat style conversation between two women experts on innovations in campaign finance as a solution to some of our current challenges related to fair elections. You will hear directly from the experts themselves on how these solutions are viable, scalable, and transformative.
Time: 3:40 - 4:00 pm
Take Action Panel
Live panel discussion between three to five “on-the-ground” experts that will share their experience in working to advance ranked choice voting, the National Popular Vote, and better campaign finance at the local, state, and national levels. Here you will learn about tangible action steps you can take to join us in advancing these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions.
Time: 4:00 - 4:50 pm
Speakers
Speakers
INTRODUCTION
Letitia James
NY Attorney General
Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of experience and a long record of achievements, she is a powerful, effective attorney and lifelong public servant.
Erin Vilardi
Founder & CEO of Vote Run Lead
Erin Vilardi is the Founder and CEO of Vote Run Lead, the nation’s largest and most diverse training program for women to run for office and win.
Rina Shah
Political Consultant & CEO of Rilax Strategies
Rina Shah is a strategic consultant, media commentator, & millennial entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. Prior to launching Rilax Strategies – a government and public affairs firm - Rina served as a senior staffer to Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-5) and Rep. Jeff B. Miller (FL-1). Her expertise includes building winning strategies for political campaigns as well as coordinating public affairs efforts for Fortune 500 companies.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 1
Amber McReynolds
National Elections Expert and USPS Board of Governors
Amber McReynolds was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Biden and was confirmed by the Senate on May 13, 2021. McReynolds is a leading expert on election administration and policy. Her professional career has been focused on strengthening democratic institutions with the goal of improving the voting experience for all.
Jena Griswold
Secretary of State (Colorado)
Jena Griswold is Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State. She was first elected in 2018 as the youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States. She was reelected to the office in 2022. Griswold grew up in a working-class family in rural Colorado and was the first person in her family to attend a four-year college and then law school. She knows first-hand how important it is for every vote to count and for every Coloradan's voice to be heard, no matter their background or income.
Erynn Fernandez
Executive Director of the Democratic Party (Hawaii)
Erynn Fernandez has been the Executive Director for the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi (DPH) since June of 2019, completing the first all mail ballot Party-run Presidential Primary, the first State eConvention in 2020, and part of the team that brought about the first hybrid State Convention in 2022.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 2
Ann Ravel
Former Chair of the Federal Election Commission
Ann Ravel was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President Obama on June 21, 2013 and joined the Commission on October 25, 2013. She served as Chair of the Commission for 2015 and Vice-Chair for 2014 before leaving in 2017.
Ellen Weintraub
Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission
Ellen L. Weintraub has served as a commissioner on the United States Federal Election Commission since 2002 and has chaired the Commission three times. During her tenure, Commissioner Weintraub has served as a consistent voice for meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure.
Christina Henderson
At-Large member of the Council of the District of Columbia
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.
TAKE ACTION PANEL
Jessica Haller
Executive Director of New Majority NYC
Jessica Haller is the Executive Director of New Majority NYC, an organization focused on building political power for women in NYC. Jessica comes to this work as an entrepreneur, a climate advocate and a former candidate for NYC Council. As someone who always looks ahead 10 years, Jessica has co-founded start ups in the climate and in fin-tech sectors, worked in digital advertising, and on long term policy solutions to improve equity and resilience in NYC.
Brittany Buford
Managing Partner for Partnerships at Partners in Democracy
Brittany Buford is a New England native who specializes in data-driven relational organizing, door-to-door canvassing programs and public affairs. Her teams have previously focused on progressive movement campaigns to create structures of persuasion, advocacy, accountability and issue education.
Liuba Grechen Shirley
CEO & Founder of Vote Momma Foundation
Liuba is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, the nation’s first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot, as well as the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis about the political participation of mothers in the United States.
Laurie-Anne Sayles
Montgomery County, MD Councilwoman
Laurie-Anne Sayles is a first-generation Jamaican American born and raised in Maryland. She is an experienced leader, change agent, policymaker, and advocate who believes that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself if you work smart. This motto has afforded her many opportunities to overcome challenging situations and use her life experiences to fuel a steadfast commitment to helping others who are underserved, underrepresented, and less fortunate.
Agenda
Agenda
Introduction
Discussion of the need for and importance of fair representation to establish a foundational understanding of the issues we are trying to solve.
Time: 3:00 - 3:15 pm
Ranked Choice Voting
A live fireside chat style conversation between three women experts on ranked choice voting as a solution to the representation crisis in our current system. Here audience members will learn about viable, scalable, and transformative solutions directly from the experts themselves.
Time: 3:15 - 3:40 pm
The Fair Representation Act
A live fireside chat style conversation between two women experts on the Fair Representation Act as a solution to the representation crisis in our current system. Women experts leading the effort to advance the Fair Representation Act will share about why the FRA is viable, scalable, and transformative.
Time: 3:40 - 4:00 pm
Take Action Panel
Live panel discussion between three to five “on-the-ground” experts that will share their experience in working to advance ranked choice voting and the Fair Representation Act at the local, state, and national levels. Here audience members will learn about tangible action steps they can take to join us in advancing these viable, scalable, and transformative solutions.
Time: 4:00 - 4:50 pm
Speakers
Speakers
INTRODUCTION
A'shanti Gholar
President of Emerge
A’shanti F. Gholar serves as the president of Emerge, the only organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office. In this role, she leads the organization and steers its overall strategy and direction, overseeing a national staff as well as affiliates across the country. For over 15 years, A’shanti has been a grassroots organizer and activist for women, communities of color and progressive causes.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 1
Rebecca Chavez-Houck
Former UT legislator, Leadership Coach, and Ranked Choice Voting Expert
Rebecca Chavez-Houck holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Public Administration (MPA), both from the University of Utah (U of U). She represented Salt Lake City’s District 24 in the Utah House of Representatives from 2008-18, focusing on public policy related to health and human services as well as voter engagement and access.
Nelsie Yang
Councilmember for the City of St. Paul, MN
Nelsie Yang serves as the elected Councilmember for the City of Saint Paul’s 6th Ward. At 27 years old and a daughter of Hmong refugees, she is the youngest and first Hmong American woman to be elected to St Paul’s City Council.
Deb Otis
Director of Research and Policy at FairVote
Deb Otis is the Director of Research and Policy at FairVote. With a decade of experience in research and analytics, Deb is passionate about sharing the data-driven case for why our country needs election reform.
EXPERT DISCUSSION 2
Charlotte Clymer
Charlotte Clymer is a writer, LGBTQ activist, communications consultant, and military veteran. She writes "Charlotte's Web Thoughts," a Substack blog/newsletter that was nominated for the 2023 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Blog.
Charlotte Hill
Director of the Democracy Policy Initiative at UC Berkeley
Charlotte is the director of the Democracy Policy Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. A trained political scientist, Charlotte researches how to expand democratic access and equity through public policy. She regularly advises organizations focused on improving election and voting laws and increasing civic participation.
Sol Mora
Advocacy Director at Coalition of Communities of Color
Sol Mora was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in Salem, Oregon. Currently, Sol is the Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color.
TAKE ACTION PANEL
Daniella Ballou-Aaers
CEO and Co-Founder, Leadership Now Project
Daniella Ballou-Aares is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Leadership Now Project, a national membership organization of business and thought leaders committed to renewing American democracy.
Jackie Hope Glass
Delegate for the VA State Legislature
Certified Doer – Partnership Grower – Civic Connector
Jackie Glass is a self-proclaimed Certified Doer, Mama and Veteran from the Chicagoland area. She served in the United States Navy for eleven years as a cryptologist where she deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Jeanne Massey
Executive Director of FairVote Minnesota
Bio coming soon!
Kenia Peregrino
Statewide Coordinator at Washington for Equitable Representation
Kenia is the statewide coordinator for Washington for Equitable Representation (WER), a project of the Washington Community Alliance. WER is a statewide, multi-racial coalition fighting to achieve equitable representation through proportional ranked-choice voting and other democracy reforms.
April England-Albright
Legal Director of Black Voters Matter
For more than 24 years, April England-Albright has worked in the area of civil rights law, first as a partner at Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, Pettaway, Campbell and Albright and institutions then through her own law firm, where her experiences included serving as an attorney in the “Black Farmers Lawsuit”, which to date is the largest discrimination lawsuit against the United States, and litigating cases, which addressed race discrimination in the workplace, voting disenfranchisement caused by gerrymandering and other voter suppression tactics, and criminal defense.