Recap: Voting Method Reform & Campaign Strategy

On Dec. 19, 2023 the Center for Election Science held a power panel of political practioners to talk about how alternative voting methods would impact campaign strategy. Check out the full recording here:

About the panelists:

Joe King – Joe King is a Senior Strategist at The Strategy Group Co, an award-winning political communications and strategy firm based in Columbus, OH. In the past, Joe has run State Republican Party operations and one of the largest Independent Expenditure units in the country at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Howard Wolfson –  Howard Wolfson is the Education Program Lead of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Wolfson is also instrumental in the policy and political universe of Mike Bloomberg, running his SuperPAC and advising him on politics and communication. Howard served as the communications director for Hillary Clinton’s history-making run for the presidency in 2008. He has worked in and out of government, serving as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Nita Lowey, and as the Executive Director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 

Tom Bonier – Tom Bonier is a veteran Democratic political strategist and TargetSmart’s Chief Executive Officer. Prior to TargetSmart, Tom co-founded Clarity Campaign Labs in 2012 and helped build it into one of the nation’s leading Democratic analytics and research firms. He has spent more than 20 years working in Democratic and progressive politics. Prior to Clarity, Bonier served as Chief Operating Officer at the National Committee for an Effective Congress (NCEC). Throughout his career, Bonier has received numerous awards for his contributions to political campaigning, redistricting, and strategic planning. He has also appeared as a commentator for multiple publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Politico, as well as on-air on “News Hour” on PBS and “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio.

Rep. Kristine Reeves (Moderator) – Kristine Reeves is the first elected official to join the CES board. In 2016 she was the first African American woman elected to the Washington House in 18 years and the only woman in the legislature with children under the age of 5. In 2020, a vote-split left her in third place in a congressional primary. More than any of us, she knows what approval voting means to candidates. Kristine returned to the Washington state house in 2022 to represent the 30th district – where she serves today. Prior to running office Kristine was the Director of Economic Development at the Washington State Dept. of Commerce.