Challenges facing the 2024 elections, a conversation with Jennifer Morrell and Tina Barton
No surprise to anyone, 2024 is a big election year where we’ll elect everyone from the President of the United States, one third of the US Senate, all of the US House of Representatives and countless officials right on down to the local county dogcatcher.
American politics and elections have always been an energetic affair.
For instance, when Candidate George Washington was competing for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, he plied voters with 47 gallons of beer, 35 gallons of wine, 2 gallons of cider, and 70 gallons of rum punch.
While the United States is one of the longest running and most stable democracies in the world’s history, we’ve had our moments when it comes to elections. In 1834, Whigs and Democrats duked it out in Philadelphia and burned an entire city block to the ground. In the 1850s, the Know Nothing Party used violence against immigrants and Catholics to prevent them from voting - which led to riots in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Washington, DC and more. In 1874, more than five thousand men of opposing parties fought in the city of New Orleans.
This episode features three incredible guests who are doing great work to help strengthen our elections and support election officials all across America. As they will tell you: Democracy doesn’t just happen. It relies upon the patriotic work of hundreds of thousands of elections officials and volunteer poll workers - patriotic men and women who ensure the sanctity of the polling place to ensure every qualified American citizen can exercise their fundamental right to vote.
Joining us for an important discussion on our vibrant democracy are:
- U.S. Air Force veteran and CEO of The Elections Group: Jennifer Morrell. Jennifer is a nationally recognized expert on election audits and subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and a member of the National Task Force on election Crises.
- Tina Barton, also of The Elections Group. Tina spent 32 years as a civil servant from the local to federal levels and has spent the last 16 years dedicated to election administration and safety. She has been the city clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan and the Senior Advisor at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
- And finally, Justin Smith. Justin is a retired sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado. He has 35 years of law enforcement experience and advises The Elections Group on law enforcement concerns.
