The Voting Booth

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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:

1. Innovation for Public Records: Centralizing Requests in Washington State

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.

Co-hosts John Fortier and Don Palmer are joined by Michael A. Carvin, retired partner at Jones Day.