S4E25 – Tours & TikToks & Transparency, Oh My! Building Trust in Election Protections with Lauren Prather and Thad Kousser

In this episode, hosts Brianna Lennon and Eric Fey speak with Michael Siegrist. He’s the Canton Township Clerk in Wayne County, Michigan, as well as the current president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks. They spoke about the state of elections administration in Michigan, about some of the work the association is doing to help better prepare its many clerks, and about why it’s important to just take a moment and take a deep breath as the November General Election approaches.

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.