Women Saving Democracy: On the Front Lines of the Election

On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

On today’s show, we’re delving into the lives and work of the women coming together to save our democracy. Election administration has become one of the most challenging jobs in the U.S. government. One in three election officials reports feeling unsafe because of their job. Americans are doubting the legitimacy of our elections, despite the fact that experts described the 2020 election as the “most secure” in American history.

In the face of these fundamental challenges to our democracy—and in an environment increasingly characterized by political polarization—how can we protect our elections, and support our elections officials?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight are our very special guests:

Natalie Adona: Natalie Adona is the county clerk-recorder elect and former assistant clerk-recorder/registrar of voters for Nevada County, Calif. She previously worked as the senior research and learning associate for the elections program at Democracy Fund, where she co-authored the reports "Understanding the Voter Experience” and “Stewards of Democracy.”

Tonya Wichman: Tonya Wichman is the director of the Defiance County Board of Elections in Defiance, Ohio, and a certified elections and registration administrator.

Kathy Holland: Kathy Holland was the director of the Alamance County Board of Elections for over 31 years until she retired in 2021. She served in eight presidential elections, and was the president of the North Carolina Association of Directors of Elections.

This special episode of On the Issues with Michele Goodwin is presented in conjunction with Ms. Magazine’s “Women Saving Democracy” platform, produced in collaboration with the Brennan Center for Justice and RepresentWomen. Explore the whole project—featuring reported pieces, firsthand accounts from election officials, video events with women political leaders, and more—here.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.
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