Election Protection in Dane County
The LWV of Dane County is pleased to invite you to our forum on the important and timely topic of Election Protection in Dane County. Participants are welcome to attend in person at Pinney Library, or online via Zoom. Either way, please register to attend so we can reserve a seat for you.
Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell will start us off by describing the safeguards that help ensure every vote is counted.
Sam Liebert, Wisconsin Director of All Voting Is Local, will catch us up on recent efforts to change election laws and voting procedures, and what those changes could mean for election integrity.
Finally, LWV Dane County member Barb Feeney will discuss the practical ways people help strengthen confidence in our elections.
We also to invite you to attend the post-discussion meeting on Tuesday, October 6 at 7 p.m.
Our Speakers
When citizens vote, what happens that they see and that they don’t see?
Scott McDonell
Scott McDonell has served as Dane County Clerk since 2013. As Clerk, McDonell created a new '“Election Audit Central” website that posts (anonymized) scans of each ballot cast. He has been prominent in disputes about elections and the electoral process, including overseeing recounts in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, navigating threats to election workers and administrators, and clashing with the state legislature over voting access during the COVID pandemic.
In early 2022, McDonell and the Dane County Board of Supervisors established an election security task force to ensure election equipment is maintained in a secure and tamper-proof environment. He has upgraded the security of existing offices, adding secure doors and bullet-proof glass.
McDonell is a state and national voice on election integrity. He is involved with Election Sciences, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) conferences, bringing together election experts from academia, government and nonprofits around the topic of best election practices. He also serves on board of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE), a nonpartisan organization (with bipartisan membership) that creates partnerships between local law enforcement and election officials to protect voters and election workers from security threats.
What changes to voter security have recently been made or have been proposed?
Sam Liebert
Sam Liebert is State Director of All Voting Is Local, a national, nonpartisan organization that fights for free and fair elections at the state and local level.
Before joining All Voting is Local, Liebert was Clerk-Treasurer of the Village of Shorewood Hills. Liebert has also served in similar capacities for the Village of Sussex and the City of Monroe.
Liebert previously served three terms on the Janesville City Council as an at-large member, representing 64,000 of his fellow residents. He was elected in 2011 and left office in 2017 as City Council President.
Before that, Liebert worked for several elected officials and their campaigns across the country, including: President Barack Obama, Senator Russ Feingold, Senator Sherrod Brown, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
What can WE do about election security?
Barb Feeney
Barb Feeney is a past president of the League of Women Voters Dane County. She is currently the chair of Member Services, helping members connect with each other and with the League's work. She serves on the Voter Service Steering Committee, volunteering at outreach events to encourage people to vote, and collaborating with other community organizations to do outreach to immigrants who aspire to become American citizens.
Barb served on the Oregon School District board between 2013 and 2020. In 2024, the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church gave her the Perry Saito Award for her exceptional community service.
In her professional career, Barb worked as a policy analyst and planner for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Department of Workforce Development, and served as a project manager for environmental studies for WisDOT.
Our moderator
Sarah Carlson
Sarah Carlson has anchored the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts on WISC-TV, Monday through Friday, for over a year.
She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and moved to Madison to attend UW–Madison, where she graduated from the journalism school.
Carlson is the only person who has worked on air at all three television stations in Madison, taking a hiatus from WISC-TV between 2013 and 2025 to do battle with her epilepsy. She now anchors the 6 and 10 with Eric Franke again, this time seizure-free. She continues to advocate for the local epilepsy community, serving on the board for the Epilepsy Foundation of Wisconsin.
She states her goal is to tell stories about real people impacted by real issues.