High Turnout Wide Margins

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.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the 2025 summer convening of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions [PLEJ], and spoke with election officials from across the county — and world — about the elections work they are doing in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Eduardo Repilloza Fernández. He’s the Director General of Transparencia Electoral, an election organization in Latin America that is working to promote and protect democracy through election observation, research and training. They spoke about the work of the organization, the focus the organization has placed on data privacy for individual voters and about how the work of the organization is important to the security of democracy in the region. You can check out Transparencia Electoral’s data privacy dashboard at https://transparenciaelectoral.org/privacidad-de-datos-en-procesos-electorales/

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the 2025 summer convening of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions [PLEJ], and spoke with election officials from across the county — and world — about the elections work they are doing in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Paul Lux, the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections, and Mark Earley, the Supervisor of Elections in Leon County. They spoke about how the lists of registered voters are already maintained in Florida, and about how the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act — a proposed piece of federal legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections — could impact that process.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the 2025 summer convening of the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions [PLEJ], and spoke with election officials from across the county — and world -- about the elections work they are doing in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Brian Kruse. He’s the Douglas County Election Commissioner based in Omaha, Nebraska. They spoke about how elections work in Nebraska, as well as the unique way Nebraska ensures there’s enough poll workers — by drafting them. Kruse has announced that he will step down from his current position in January 2026.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to the 40th annual Election Center conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spoke with election administrations and officials from across the county about how they do the work of elections in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Chris McGinn. For the past year and a half, he’s been working as the executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials [TACEO] They spoke about some of the changes McGinn is helping make to the association, how the association balances the needs of some of the largest and smallest counties in the country, and about what’s next.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to the 40th annual Election Center conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spoke with election administrations and officials from across the county about how they do the work of elections in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Lisa Marie Manning Bridges, the Registrar of Voters in the Parish of Orleans in Louisiana. They spoke about the unique nature of Louisiana elections, how the work is divvied up by different parish offices and how the parish works alongside the Louisiana Secretary of State to serve their voters.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to the 40th annual Election Center conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spoke with election administrations and officials from across the county about how they do the work of elections in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Gretchen Reinemeyer, the General Registrar/Director of Elections for Arlington County. They spoke about some of the challenges that come from running elections in an area that has a large overlap with other metropolitan areas, as well as a large and ever changing number of military voters.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to the 40th annual Election Center conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spoke with election administrations and officials from across the county about how they do the work of elections in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Judge Yashiba Glenn Blanchard in Jefferson County, Alabama. She was elected as the county’s probate judge in November of 2024, which means she hears probate cases – and is the chief election official for the county. They spoke about the decentralized nature of Alabama’s elections administration, what she’s learned about elections since coming into the role, and how she hopes to change the administration of elections in her community.

High Turnout Wide Margins recently traveled to the 40th annual Election Center conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spoke with election administrations and officials from across the county about how they do the work of elections in their communities. In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Eddy Zerbe. He’s the deputy director of the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, which works to engage college-aged voters. They spoke about some of the barriers that college-aged and first-time voters commonly face and how election administrators can work directly with students to educate and empower them to use their vote. You can find many of the reports and guides mentioned in this episode – here: https://slsvcoalition.org/resource-library/

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Isaac Cramer. He’s the Executive Director of the Charleston County Board of Elections in South Carolina, as well as a member of the EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee . This committee is currently looking at ways the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, or VVSG, may be updated in the future. They spoke about Cramer’s role on this board, the importance of including voices and perspectives from voters of all abilities and about what these new guidelines could mean for election administrations in South Carolina and across the country.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Moana Lutey, the county clerk in Maui County, Hawaii. They spoke about the impact the 2023 Hawaii wildfires had on the communities of Maui – including figuring out how to run elections. They also spoke about the efforts in Maui County to get residents to update their signatures, in an effort to ensure that every voter’s vote gets counted.

In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Rachel Raper, the Director of Elections for Orange County, North Carolina. They spoke about the unique way the state tracks and traces back mail ballots to voters, and about how election administrators have overcome many of the challenges that have impacted North Carolina in the last few years.