Saturday, June 15th, 2024
Special Edition: Safeguarding the 2024 Election
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We are less than five months away from election day and as we deal with a contentious political atmosphere, there are concerns about potential violence. Surveys show local election officials are worried about the safety of their colleagues, and many have already experienced harassment and intimidation.
Our two guests today are no exception. They’ve faced threats directly – one of them says he got more dangerous threats as an election official than when he was a homicide detective -- and today, we'll learn about how they're working with local governments to ensure everyone, including voters, stays safe on election day.
Learn more about the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections
Brennan Center for Justice survey of local election officials
Reuters/Ipsos poll about risk of political violence
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Guest: Chris Harvey
Chris Harvey earned a BA in Political Science and Criminal Justice from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, in 1989. He attended graduate school and taught high school before starting work as a DeKalb County Police Officer in 1994.
He served terms as the Chief Investigator for the DeKalb County DA Office, the Director of the Cold Case Homicide Squad for the Fulton County DA Office, and the Chief Investigator for the Secretary of State’s Office.
In 2015, Mr. Harvey was appointed State Elections Director for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, just in time for the most volatile six years in elections in Georgia’s history. In July, 2021, he was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST.)
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Guest: Derek Bowens
Derek Bowens joined the Durham County Board of Elections in June of 2017 as the Director of Elections. Previously, Mr. Bowens was the Director of Elections in New Hanover County, North Carolina and has served in elections since 2012 in various capacities.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is also a North Carolina Certified Elections Administrator and is a nationally certified elections administrator through the Election Center.
Mr. Bowens has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and the National Association of Counties (NaCo) for innovation in election administration. Mr. Bowens has also sat on federal and state panels to provide analysis on critical matters related to election administration.
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