With such a closely watched vote count in 2024, election process transparency is critical for voter confidence. Former Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan and former State Representative Geraldine Custer join Dr. Carah Ong Whaley and Risa Dorf to share their new nonpartisan initiative to provide voters in Montana with trusted and independent oversight of state elections. The effort aims to address misinformation about elections and to build public confidence in how they are run and in who runs them.

“This is one thing communities, local and state governments can do to hopefully bring back confidence. At the same time we’re educating folks about what this process is,” Jeff Mangan shares about the impact such nonpartisan election observation initiatives can have. “We’ve got to get back to recognizing that elections are run by our neighbors; it’s the folks we vote for, it’s the folks we go to dinner with. We can have confidence in it.”

The Montana Election Observation Initiative is a cross-partisan advisory board of Montanans with previous experience in state government and election administration. With support from The Carter Center, the Montana Election Observation Initiative piloted a nonpartisan election observation effort for Missoula County’s June 4, 2024, primary election.

Links in this episode:

• New Initiative Tests Nonpartisan Observation, Montana Free Press