GovernmentNewsPoliticsEducation

The Voting Booth

AEI Podcasts

AEI’s John Fortier and EAC Commissioner Don Palmer pull back the curtain of the Voting Booth to reveal the inner workings of elections. They are joined by Secretaries of State, local election officials, scholars, and lawyers to examine the issues leading the 2024 elections.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 48 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

#60
July 14 · 53 min
The Evolving Election Workforce (with Alysoun McLaughlin)
Host John Fortier is joined by Alysoun McLaughlin, Director of the Election Resilience Lab at the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement. Show Notes: The HR of Democracy: Understanding the Election Workforce Error with mail-in ballot in the 2026 Maryland gubernatorial primary elections
#59
June 30 · 54 min
Reflecting on Seven Years at the EAC (with Don Palmer)
Co-host Don Palmer recently departed from the Election Assistance Commission and reflects on his seven years at the EAC with John Fortier.
#58
May 20 · 1 hr 7 min
The Role of the Courts in Resolving Election Disputes (with Rebecca Green)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer* are joined by Rebecca Green, Professor of Law and Director of the Election Law Program at William and Mary Law School. Show Notes: Election Law Navigator Election orders database Bush v. Gore Moore v. Harper *This episode was recorded while Don was serving on the EAC.
#57
May 13 · 42 min
Election Administration Trends in the States (with Katy Owens Hubler)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Katy Owens Hubler, Director of Elections & Redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Show Notes: NCSL Resources *This episode was recorded while Don was serving on the EAC.
#56
May 5 · 57 min
Recapping Oral Argument in Watson v. RNC (with Michael Morley)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Michael Morley, Sheila M. McDevitt Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Election Law Center at Florida State University’s College of Law. Show Notes: Watson v. Republican National Committee Brief of Professor Michael T. Morley and Florida State Election Law Center as Amici Curiae in Support of Neither Party John’s report on the case Past episodes of The Voting Booth touching on the case: with Michael Watson, with Russ Nobile “Pipelaying” Ned Foley and Charles Stewart III on the “blue shift” *This episode was recorded while Don was serving on the EAC.
#55
April 7 · 42 min
The State of Campaign Finance (with Allen Dickerson)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Allen Dickerson, Partner at BakerHostetler and former Federal Election Commission Commissioner. Show Notes: Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Federalist Society event marking the 50th anniversary of Buckley v. Valeo Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 McConnell v. FEC (2003) Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. FEC (2007) Citizens United v. FEC (2010) MUR #7271 National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (argued Dec. 2025, decision pending)
#54
March 3 · 48 min
What Can Elections Audits Learn from Audit Accounting? (with William Kresse)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by William Kresse, Associate Professor in the Accounting, Finance, MIS, and Economics Division of the College of Business at Governors State University.
#53
February 24 · 40 min
How Can Election Administrators More Efficiently Respond to FOIA Requests? (with Stuart Holmes and Christopher Mann)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Stuart Holmes, Director of Elections for Washington state, and Christopher Mann, Research Director at The Center for Election Innovation & Research. Show Notes: Innovation for Public Records: Centralizing Requests in Washington State
#52
February 3 · 23 min
Implementing the Help America Vote Act: A Firsthand Account (with Donald Palmer)
Co-host John Fortier interviews co-host Don Palmer on his experience implementing the Help America Vote Act, first as an attorney in the Department of Justice, then as the chief election official in Florida and Virginia, and finally as a commissioner on the United States Election Assistance Commission. The conversation originally took place at a conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore.
#51
Dec 10, 2025 · 44 min
An Inside Look at Bush v. Gore (with Michael A. Carvin)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Michael A. Carvin, retired partner at Jones Day.
#50
Nov 4, 2025 · 56 min
What Are the Legal Controversies in Elections Occurring in Fall 2025?
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Justin Riemer, President and CEO of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE). Show notes: RITE Newsletter
#49
Oct 7, 2025 · 47 min
Congress and Its Elections Under Threat (with Fmr. Rep. Rodney Davis)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Rodney Davis, former U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 13th district.
#48
Sep 16, 2025 · 52 min
Election Administration in All-Mail Voting States (with Paul Gronke)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Paul Gronke, Professor of Political Science at Reed College.
#47
Sep 2, 2025 · 36 min
Running Elections in a University Town (with Derek Bowens)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Derek Bowens, Director of Elections of the Durham County (NC) Board of Elections.
#46
Aug 5, 2025 · 54 min
What Is Mid-Decade Redistricting? (with Adam Kincaid)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Adam Kincaid, President and Executive Director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust.
#45
Jul 15, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
Examining the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) Report (with Charles Stewart III)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Charles Stewart III, Kenan Sahin (1963) Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
#44
Jul 1, 2025 · 32 min
Live from the 9th Annual Summer Conference on Election Science, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) (with Trey Hood)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Trey Hood, Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia and Director of the University of Georgia’s SPIA Survey Research Center.
#43
Jun 17, 2025 · 45 min
The Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP), Explained (with Jay Phelps)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Jay Phelps, Director of the Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program at the United States Election Assistance Commission.
#42
Jun 3, 2025 · 52 min
The Meaning of "Election Day" (with Russ Nobile)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Russ Nobile, Senior Attorney at Judicial Watch.
#41
May 20, 2025 · 53 min
California Votin' (with Dean C. Logan)
Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Dean C. Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk of Los Angeles (CA) County.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes