Episode 5 – Elections and Security

As Maine prepares for elections next week, Rebecca sits down with, current Deputy Director of the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council and former 2020 Director of Elections for the State of Georgia, Chris Harvey, to discuss the increasingly hostile environment for those delivering democracy in our towns and cities. 

Chris and Rebecca discuss the tendency for municipal officials to develop “thick skins” over years of fielding with public complaints, and how it might be time to set aside their hardiness to encourage reporting of threats.  The discussion also touches on the ways law enforcement and clerks would benefit from understanding each other’s thankless tasks better. 

At MMA’s annual convention, Neal grabs an interview from newly minted Deputy Town Clerk, Gillian Gaddis of Cutler, who talks about the gravity of her new role and the amount of training and diligence required to conduct an election. Neal also sits down with Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows to discuss Maine’s mechanisms for reporting election harassment and interference for officials.

LD 1821 -An Act To Protect Public Election Officials, became law on August 8, 2022.

Episode Guide:

1:40 - Gillian Gaddis, Election Clerk, Cutler- https://www.cutlermaine.net/ 

5:30 – Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows - https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/index.html

13:20 – Deputy Director, Chris Harvey, Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, https://www.gapost.org/

Every town and city needs citizens like you to help administer the election. Visit the Maine Election Worker Recruitment webpage for more information about the qualifications, duties, and benefits of helping your town at the polls on Election Day.