BRIEFING #2
Arizona Pre-Election Briefing
WHEN: Completed 9/30/24, 11 am - noon PT
WHAT: This Arizona briefing introduced the Election Overtime project. The online event featured an overview of resources for journalists, presentations from members of our speakers’ bureau, and information on election challenges in Arizona.
Event in partnership with the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network. |
SPEAKERS
Listed in order of appearance.
Heather Balas
Heather Balas, Vice President of the Election Reformers Network, will moderate the briefing and provide context on the Election Overtime legal briefing materials. She brings over 25 years of experience in public policy, including research, citizen deliberation, advocacy, and voter education. Heather is a senior consultant to the Carter Center, advising on reforms to strengthen American democracy. Heather is the previous President and Executive Director of New Mexico First, a cross-partisan public policy organization co-founded by former U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici. She holds a master’s degree in political communication from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in journalism. |
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson, Executive Director of the Election Reformers Network, will present newly released survey data on voter understanding of the rule of law in elections, as well as context around the increased attention to certification procedures in the U.S. He is the co-founder ERN, and since 2017, has led the organization’s research and advocacy programs focused on impartial election administration, independent redistricting, and election protection. Kevin draws on decades of experience supporting emerging democracies overseas and advancing reforms in the U.S. Kevin holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Yale University. |
Sen. Ken Bennett, AZ Legislative District 1
Sen. Bennett, a Republican, has served in the AZ legislature since 2023. He was the vice chair of the elections committee. Bennett previously served on the Prescott City Council and in the State Senate for eight years, the last four of which as Senate President. Bennett was Arizona’s 19th Secretary of State from 2009 to 2014. He is also a businessman and financial professional with a long history of public service in Arizona. Bennett has served as an executive and on boards of directors of several companies, including ten years with Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Goodyear. Senator Bennett and his wife, Jeanne, have three children and four grandchildren. He is an Eagle Scout and has an accounting degree from Arizona State University. Ron Barber, Senior Advisor, AZ Democracy Resilience Network
Ron Barber, a Democrat, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2012 to 2015, after having been the district director of his predecessor, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. He took the seat after, on January 8, 2011, Barber was standing beside Congresswoman Giffords at a constituent event when an assassin shot the congresswoman. Barber was wounded in the thigh and face. When Congresswoman Giffords resigned from office to focus on her recovery, she asked Barber to run for her seat. He won the special election and took office in June 2012. After Congress, he was appointed to the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council for the Secretary. He currently serves on multiple boards and is the co-chair of the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network. |
Don Henninger, Senior Advisor, AZ Democracy Resilience Network
Don Henninger, a Republican, has been a top media executive and business leader in Arizona for over 35 years, including time as managing editor of the Arizona Republic and publisher of the Phoenix Business Journal. He currently is co-chair of the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network, via the Carter Center, and also served on the Governor’s Bipartisan Elections Task Force. He is founder of the Scottsdale Coalition of Today & Tomorrow, which works to advocate on issues in that city. He serves on a number of boards, including Family Promise and Independent News Media. He is the senior warden at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and is on the advisory councils of Scottsdale Leadership and Scottsdale Community College. |
Jackie Salit
Jacqueline S. Salit is President of Independent Voting, a national strategy, communications, and organizing center that works to connect independent voters across the U.S. and is a 30-year veteran of the independent and reform movements. She also serves as co-director for the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. |
Jenny Flynn, Local News Fund of Southern Arizona
Jenny is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, which is the fiscal home of the Local News Fund. A long-time resident of Tucson, Jenny has served Southern Arizona through various leadership positions at the University of Arizona Foundation for over 20 years. Prior to her career as a philanthropy professional, Jenny spent time as a National Park Ranger in Denali National Park and Glacier National Park, taught English as a second language in Spain and Italy, and served as teaching faculty and lecturer at colleges including Arizona State University. She currently serves on the board of the MAP Dashboard, Sun Corridor, and the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy. |