WHEN WOMEN VOTE
Election Reform as a Roadmap for Equality
Powered by: NATIONAL VOTE AT HOME INSTITUTE
Why We Do This Work
When you change the infrastructure of voting and implement aggressive voting reforms such as vote from home, same day registration, extended voting options, vote centers, and primary reform, voter engagement increases. The states that have implemented these comprehensive reforms are the states with the highest voter turnout. They are also the states with the highest women’s state legislative representation. And with greater representation we get more comprehensive policies focused on women and children such as pay equity, childcare, and family leave. We need more women legislators as they sponsor more bills, pass more equitable laws, and send their districts more money. COVID-19 has made it clear that our antiquated voting structure inhibits participation and creates opportunity to make voting equitable for all.
URGENCY OF THE ISSUE
ORGANIZATION LEADERS
Amber McReynolds, CEO
Stephanie Donner, Sr. Advisor Equality Initiative
Stephanie Donner is the co-author of the book When Women Vote and Sr. Advisor for the Vote at Home Equality Initiative. Stephanie is a career attorney who served as Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s Chief Legal Counsel and then went on to be Chief Legal and People Officer for Galvanize, a technology education company with eight campuses across the United States that exists to increase access to tech careers for women and people of color. Stephanie was recognized as 9NEWS Leader of the Year in 2017 for those efforts.
Lucille Wenegieme, Director of Communications & Public Relations
Lucille Wenegieme is a first generation Nigerian American currently serving as the Director of Communications & PR for the National Vote at Home Institute. Prior to her work in civic engagement, Lucille worked in flagship communications at the global luxury retail giant Coach, Inc., then transitioned to nonprofit civic engagement work with local and national partners. While the bulk of Lucille’s work is leading communications strategy, she can also be found training teams, producing events, and moderating tough conversations with House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, former Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman and leaders on both sides of the aisle.
Audrey Kline, National Policy Director
Audrey is a Colorado native who grew up in the northwestern suburbs of Denver, which is still one of the most politically “purple” areas in the country. She earned a BA in Political Science at Metropolitan State College of Denver and went on to spend nearly three years working in the Colorado State Senate. She then was hired as Political Director for Colorado’s AFL-CIO Denver central labor council, eventually moving on to larger local and Federal campaigns and private consulting. After the 2016 election, she switched her focus from partisan campaigns to nonprofit and nonpartisan leadership development where she has worked in over 30 states and federally focusing on campaign finance and elections compliance. Audrey is passionate about civic engagement and good governance and is excited to share her home state’s groundbreaking voting model with the rest of the nation.
EQUALITY INITIATIVE LEADERSHIP ADVISORY COUNCIL
Jennifer Granholm, Former MI Gov & Board Member to NVAHI
Former two-term governor of Michigan Jennifer M. Granholm led Michigan though a period of unprecedented economic challenge and change. Granholm became the first woman to be elected as governor of Michigan in 2002. Prior to being elected governor, Granholm was the Michigan Attorney General from 1998-2002.
After leaving public office, Granholm joined the faculty at UC Berkeley, teaching courses in law and public policy, and is a Senior Research Fellow at both the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, and the California Institute on Energy and the Environment. She is a senior contributor to CNN, and is the CEO of Granholm Mulhern Associates. Granholm is the Chair of American Bridge, a political research entity, and serves on the board of the National Vote at Home Institute. She is also the co-author of the political bestseller, A Governor’s Story: The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Former MD Lt Gov & Board Member to NVAHI
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is Director, Retirement Security at the Economic Policy Institute. She founded the Center for Retirement Security at Georgetown University where she is a Research Professor. She was Chair of the Task Force that created the Secure Choice legislation in Maryland and now serves on the Board of “ Maryland Saves”, implementing that legislation. She has served with distinction in both the private and public arenas. She was Maryland’s first woman Lt. Governor and served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States. Prior to serving at the Department of Justice, Ms. Townsend led the fight to make Maryland the first—and only—state to make service a high school graduation requirement.
Kristin Strohm, President & CEO of Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR)
Kristin Strohm is President & CEO of Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR), a non-profit free-enterprise think tank dedicated to the protection and promotion of the economy. Strohm also serves as Board Chair of the Starboard Group, which she co-founded and is widely regarded as one of the most influential fundraising consulting firms in the West. In 2018, Kristin was honored by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado. She has also been awarded Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award and the Ally Award from the pro-LGTBQ organization One Colorado in recognition of her advocacy for gay rights among Republicans.
Leigh Chapman, Director of the Voting Rights Program, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Leigh M. Chapman is Director of the Voting Rights Program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Leigh has experience advancing democracy issues for nonprofit organizations, state government, and a political organization. Prior to joining The Leadership Conference, she was Senior Policy Advisor at Let America Vote, where she advised the organization on election law and policy issues at the state and federal levels.
Leigh was appointed Director of Policy for the Pennsylvania Department of State by Governor Tom Wolf in 2015. She began her civil rights career at Advancement Project where she served as a Staff Attorney in the Voter Protection Program and supported organizations on the ground in Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. She was counsel in Jones v. Deininger, a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s restrictive photo ID law under the Voting Rights Act.
Ms. Chapman graduated from the University of Virginia earning a B.A. in American Studies and History and received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law.
Paulette Francios, Chief Operating Officer, CALCO Consulting Group
Paulette L. Francois is the Chief Operating Officer for the CALCO Consulting Group a professional business consulting and management firm located in Washington, DC metropolitan area. She is a high-energy, leader with extensive experience at the county, state, and federal level. She is a subject matter expert in Workforce Development with extensive experience in Education, Human Services, Change Management and Training. Ms. Francois boasts a career of interpreting, restructuring, streamlining, and revitalizing systems processes for quality control, improved access, customer centered service delivery, integration, and overall efficiency. Ms. Francois’ reputation precedes her as an innovative national facilitator and leader that pushes for the empowerment, growth, and advancement of underserved populations. Paulette holds two degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. A Master of Education Degree in Counseling and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Services. She was born on the nature island of Dominica.
Priya Burkett, Investment Committee Member, The Flyfisher Group
Priya Burkett is a leader, wife, mother, investor, and philanthropist based in downtown Denver. She is currently with The Flyfisher Group as a member of the Investment Committee primarily responsible for managing assets in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. She is also the Co-founder of the Burkett Family Foundation, making investments in inclusion, equity and diversity initiatives.
Previously, Ms. Burkett led the Sales team for American Express Global Commercial Services for the West Region of US. Prior to that, she was the Director of Strategic Accounts at Xcel Energy developing strategic energy initiatives with commercial and industrial customers.
Ms. Burkett moved to Denver in 2000 with a consulting company, and subsequently worked for three start-ups. She is currently the Chair of the Denver Public Schools Foundation Board, and a Board Member of the Colorado Diversity Council.
Karla Jurvetson, Physician & Philanthropist
Karla Jurvetson is a physician, philanthropist, and political activist who lives in Silicon Valley. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology with honors and with distinction from Stanford University, a medical doctorate from the University of California, and completed her residency at Stanford Hospital.
Karla has served as a trustee for a variety of nonprofit boards, including Peninsula Open Space Trust and the San Francisco Ballet. She has been honored by Silicon Valley Social Venture with the SV2 Social Impact Award and by Gentry Magazine as among the top philanthropists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Internationally, she is a supporter of the Jane Goodall Institute, Conservation International, and One Acre Fund. Karla currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Nueva School, where she co-chaired the school’s $50 million capital campaign and was one of the founders of the Nueva Upper School.
Karla also has been a long-time political activist, starting as a college student when she volunteered as a grassroots canvasser and continuing through playing a pivotal role in the 2018 midterm elections. She serves on the Board of Directors of EMILY’s List, which is a progressive political community of over five million members. She is active in current efforts to increase voter turnout, end voter suppression, and increase the representative diversity of our society’s leadership to affect positive structural change.
Maria Perez, Founder, Democracy in Action
Maria Perez. Born and raised in Ecuador, Maria immigrated to the United States in the 1990s to pursue her education. She has crafted a career guided by her passion to address social disparities. A seasoned non-profit leader, organizer, facilitator, advocate, educator, and coalition builder, Maria is a firm believer in the power of people coming together to address complex social problems. She spent over ten years as a healthcare practitioner, before turning to policy, equity, and advocacy work, which she has been doing for the past eight years. She served as Campaign Lead and later as Interim Hub Manager for the California Endowment’s project Building Healthy Communities (East Oakland), Director of FairVote New Mexico, and more recently as Campaign Manager for Common Cause New Mexico. She is a national expert on the issue of ranked choice voting. She believes that democracy is the ultimate health equity indicator. She founded the firm Democracy in Action, which works at the intersection of equity and democracy in 2019.
Mindy Finn, Citizen Data CEO & Research Partner
Mindy Finn, the CEO of Citizen Data, is a civic entrepreneur who has led large-scale campaigns and initiatives to improve politics, polarization, and voting through her non-profit and for-profit work. Previously, Finn held senior roles for three major presidential campaigns and tech companies before running for office herself in 2016. She’s an outspoken advocate for women in leadership, and a member of the founding board of ReflectUS. She is a veteran political campaign operative having held senior roles for three major presidential campaigns and major tech companies before running for office herself in 2016.
Cynthia Terrel, Executive Director and Founder, RepresentWomen
Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, a founding member of the ReflectUS coalition, and an outspoken advocate for rules & systems reforms to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States. Terrell and her husband Rob Richie helped to found FairVote – a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms that give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a truly representative democracy. Terrell has worked on projects related to women’s representation, democracy, and voting system reform in the United States and abroad.
Previously, Terrell worked extensively on political campaigns, working as campaign manager and field director for campaigns for the U.S. President, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, for governor and for state and city-wide initiative efforts, including a state equal rights amendment and a city campaign for fair representation voting.
Charlotte Hill, Ph.D. candidate at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley
Charlotte is a Ph.D. candidate at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, where she studies how election and voting laws impact political engagement. Her current research examines how voting barriers reduce youth turnout, and how electoral reforms can increase participation. Outside of academia, Charlotte sits on the boards of nonpartisan advocacy organizations FairVote and RepresentUs. She previously served as Vice President of the San Francisco Elections Commission.
When Women Vote
When Women Vote is a blueprint on how to expand women’s representation from the ballot box to the board room. By improving the voting experience for all voters, we make it easier for women to vote. When more women vote, more women get elected, prioritizing policies that impact women and children.
In Amber and Stephanie’s book, they dive into the fight for women’s suffrage, and highlight the challenges American women face in the current voting process. It’s time to reform the way we elect our leaders to reflect the lives of women across our country.
National Vote At Home Institute Explainer
The National Vote at Home Institute is the nation’s leading organization focusing on expanding vote at home and vote by mail options in all 50 states. We work hand-in-hand with elections officials to implement policies that make voting more accessible and more secure for everyone.
Our current elections system was not designed with women, and especially women of color, in mind. Our work is aimed at making this system more equitable so that everyone can have their voice heard at the ballot box.
States that have implemented vote at home systems already see the highest levels of voter participation in the country. That’s so important because when voter turnout increases, more women vote.
NJ's expansion of #VoteAtHome options last year lead to a successful election in the state🗳 ... Things like no-excuse #VoteAtHome ballots and ballot drop boxes are two things that we recommend for every state to make voting safe and accessible🙌 https://www.njspotlight.com/2021/01/nj-2020-election-lessons-mail-in-votes-ballot-boxes-traditions-breaking-rules/
