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Your Lowell Your Vote – Panel Discussion
October 7, 2019 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Please join us for a panel discussion featuring experts on each of the two new election system options appearing on the November 5th Municipal Election ballot.
Moderator
Lisa Handley, Ph.D. is a leading expert in voter data analysis and voting patterns, and has published widely in this area. She has advised numerous jurisdictions, both domestically and internationally, on electoral systems and surrounding challenges. Her clients include the U.S. Department of Justice, multiple state and local jurisdictions, and redistricting commissions. She is currently president of Maryland-based Frontier International Electoral Consulting.
Panelists
Howard Fain, Deputy Director of Policy and Research with Voter Choice Massachusetts, a non-profit organization that advocates for the expanded use of Ranked Choice Voting. Mr. Fain has been with Voter Choice MA since its founding in 2016. He was previously co-founder of FairVote, and served on its Board of Directors between 1992-1998. Mr. Fain is a proponent of the Ranked Choice Voting electoral system.
Tanya Ford, Executive Director of the Cambridge Election Commission for the City of Cambridge. Ms. Ford has been with the City of Cambridge for nine years. She was previously Deputy Village Clerk and Village Clerk in Hempstead, New York for approximately eleven years, where she was also responsible for conducting elections. Cambridge’s electoral system is Ranked Choice Voting.
Michael Gallagher, J.D., is a founding partner of Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP, a Lowell-based law firm. He has received numerous accolades for the practice of law. He has also previously served on the Lowell School Committee and on the board of multiple local committees and organizations. He has recently been recognized as a community leader who is a proponent of the Hybrid (mixture of at-large and district seats) electoral system.
Niko Vangjeli, Assistant City Clerk for the City of Worcester. Mr. Vangjeli was appointed as Worcester’s Election Administrator in June 2014. As Assistant City Clerk , he provides operational and administrative support to the Board of Election Commissioners and is the primary election and voter registration official. Worcester’s electoral system is a Hybrid mixture of at-large and district seats