The Voting Booth

Latest Episodes:

The Evolving Election Workforce (with Alysoun McLaughlin) Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Reflecting on Seven Years at the EAC (with Don Palmer) Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

Co-host Don Palmer recently departed from the Election Assistance Commission and reflects on his seven years at the EAC with John Fortier.

The Role of the Courts in Resolving Election Disputes (with Rebecca Green) May 20, 2026

Show notes

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:

*This episode was recorded while Don was serving on the EAC.

Election Administration Trends in the States (with Katy Owens Hubler) May 13, 2026

Show notes

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.

Recapping Oral Argument in Watson v. RNC (with Michael Morley) May 05, 2026

Show notes

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.

The State of Campaign Finance (with Allen Dickerson) Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

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)

What Can Elections Audits Learn from Audit Accounting? (with William Kresse) Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

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.

How Can Election Administrators More Efficiently Respond to FOIA Requests? (with Stuart Holmes and Christopher Mann) Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

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

Implementing the Help America Vote Act: A Firsthand Account (with Donald Palmer) Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

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.