What Makes a Great Election in Arizona? (Flagstaff)

On April 27, the Mechanics of Democracy Lab hosted its third and final convening in the ‘What Makes a Great Election in Arizona?’ series in Flagstaff, Arizona. The final convening, held at Northern Arizona University’s Flagstaff campus, brought together election professionals, civic leaders, members of Native communities in northern Arizona, and democracy advocates to continue the conversation on the future of elections in Arizona. 

Hosted in partnership with The Center for the Future of Arizona, Vitalyst Health Foundation, Arizona Democracy Resilience Network, and Democracy Defense Project, our series came to a close with the successful accomplishment of creating space for election officials, policymakers, researchers, academics, and leaders to engage directly with one another on the operational, technological, and societal challenges shaping election administration today across Arizona. 

The day opened with remarks from Bill Gates, MODL Director and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and Sara Rinfret, Professor and Director of Public Administration at Northern Arizona University, who emphasized the importance of collaboration, continued dialogue, and institutional partnership in strengthening democratic systems.

Sybil Francis, President and CEO of the Center for the Future of Arizona, grounded the day’s conversations by sharing insights into what Arizonans believe defines a “good” election. Her remarks connected statewide voter perspectives to the broader conversations unfolding throughout the series, reinforcing themes of trust, accessibility, transparency, and accountability.

Throughout the convening, a series of dynamic panels brought together leaders from across Arizona and beyond, including 

• C.E.R.A., Assistant Secretary of State for the State of Arizona, Keely Varvel
• Former Arizona Secretary of State, Ken Bennett
• Former State Senator Paul Boyer
• Representative Alma Hernandez
• Former Congressman Matt Salmon
• Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines
• Coconino County Supervisors Patrice Horstman and Lena Fowler
• Yavapai County Recorder Michelle Burchill
• Mohave County Recorder Lydia Henry
• And many others.

The spirit of collaboration between all our panelists, participants, and speakers became one of the defining elements of the series itself. 

It has been a true privilege to bring this initiative to life in partnership with such great organizations, especially in partnership with Arizona universities like University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. Across all three convenings, our work with these public universities demonstrated the value of connecting academic expertise with real-world practice to address some of democracy’s most pressing issues. 

The insights and experiences shared by faculty, election officials, civic leaders, and practitioners from across all three institutions enriched every conversation throughout the series. Together, these convenings created space for meaningful dialogue, shared learning, and practical problem-solving centered on strengthening elections and public trust.

We could not be more proud to have been able to create such important work with the help of amazing institutions and partnerships.