🌟 Welcome to Episode #11 of The Politics Chicks Podcast! 🌟

🎙️ In this episode, Christy & Monica sit down with Minnesota CD6 Congressional candidate Doug Chapin — self-described “election geek,” nationally recognized elections expert, and the guy who can explain the machinery of democracy without making your eyes glaze over. Joining him is his partner, Stephanie Tomlinson, a healthcare policy strategist (and Maple Grove Planning Commission member) who brings equal parts heart, grit, and “here’s why local government actually matters.”

This conversation is part civics crash course, part campaign story, and part Minnesota love letter — with a very clear message: democracy doesn’t defend itself.

🐓 IN THIS EPISODE:

👋 Show Summary

Doug Chapin breaks down how elections actually work in the United States (hint: there is no such thing as a “federal election official”), why Republicans’ “election fear” bills are often smoke-and-mirrors, and what policies like the SAVE Act would do to voter access. Stephanie digs into the local pipeline of power — school boards, planning commissions, city councils — and why those elections aren’t “small,” they’re foundational.

They also share what pushed Doug to run for Congress (spoiler: it wasn’t on his bingo card), what “neighborism” looks like during crisis, and how Minnesotans are showing up for one another through the occupation — with courage, joy, and stubborn hope.

👤 Meet Our Guests

Doug Chapin — CD6 Congressional candidate, elections expert, educator, and lifelong democracy nerd (in the best way). Doug has spent nearly 40 years working in elections, democracy, public policy, and law — including work on Capitol Hill, in advocacy, and teaching election administration.

Stephanie Tomlinson — healthcare policy strategist, legislative/regulatory advocacy expert, Maple Grove Planning Commission member, and Doug’s partner in both life and this campaign. Stephanie brings deep knowledge of how systems work — and why local governance is the beating heart of everything.

🗺️ Show Highlights

• Doug’s origin story: decades in elections work…until the moment he realized he needed to defend democracy from the front, not the inside

• Stephanie’s “oh my God, we’re doing this” moment (including the email barrage that gave it away)

• The power of a naturalization ceremony — and the emotional whiplash of watching democracy fray in real time afterward

• What “neighborism” looks like in practice: community protection, volunteer door guards, and restaurants rallying back after ICE raids

• Why elections in the U.S. are a “crazy quilt” — state by state, county by county, sometimes community by community

• The truth about the federal government’s role in elections (and why Trump can’t just “take over”)

• HAVA (Help America Vote Act): what it is, how the funds work, and why Minnesota Republicans’ bill threatening to withhold funds is basically “taking away the presents you already opened”

• The SAVE Act: what “documentary proof of citizenship” would mean in real life for voters and election officials (and why it’s designed to create barriers)

• Why local elections matter more than people realize: school boards, planning commissions, zoning, city councils — and how culture shifts from the ground up

• The detention center issue: why local governments can block them through zoning, permits, and environmental reviews

• Data centers and AI server farms: massive energy, heat, water demands — and why communities like Monticello and Becker are paying attention

• Doug’s closing message: your vote is the most powerful thing you have — protect it, but more importantly, use it

• Stephanie’s closing message: don’t be shy — ask questions, get involved, and show up even when you’re scared

🔗 LINKS + RESOURCES

🌐 Doug Chapin for Congress: chapinforcongress.com

Follow on THREADS: @chapinforcongress
               INSTAGRAM: @chapinforcongress
               FACKEBOOK: @dougchapinforcongress
                     BLUESKY: @chapinforcongress.bky.social
                       TIK TOK: @chapinforcongress2026

📌 ACTION ITEMS

✅ If you live in Minnesota CD6: get involved, volunteer, and share Doug’s campaign with friends and neighbors

✅ Pay attention to local elections (school board candidates matter more than you think)

✅ Show up at city council meetings when zoning decisions impact detention centers, data centers, environmental impact, and community safety

✅ Vote. In every election. Not just presidential years.

🐥 FINAL WORD:

This isn’t politics as sport.

This is democracy as infrastructure.

It’s zoning boards and voter registration databases. It’s school boards and city councils. It’s neighbors protecting neighbors because the federal government won’t.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, this episode is your reminder: the most powerful thing in our system is still your vote — and the most powerful thing in your community is still your voice. Use both.

💌 We’d love to hear from you

If you have resources to share, stories from your community, or topics you want us to cover — reach out. This podcast exists because of you.

💌 If this episode moved you, challenged you, or helped you understand what’s happening here — please like, comment, and share. It helps more than you know. It gets these stories in front of more eyes, and it grows this community of people who refuse to look away.

📱 Find and follow us on:

Substack, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook

👉 @thepoliticschicks

🧡 Keep shining your light so we can find each other in the dark.

     We are always stronger together.

— Christy & Monica