Election Protection in Dane County
The U.S. Constitution mandates that elections are administered by states, not the federal government. Are the states up to the task of countering federal interference? Learn more about the local effort at “Election Protection in Dane County,” this forum from the League of Women Voters of Dane County. Speakers include Scott McDonell, Dane County clerk; Sam Liebert, director of the Wisconsin branch of the nonpartisan nonprofit All Voting is Local; and Barb Feeney, former LWVDC president. RSVP at lwvdanecounty.org (a Zoom option is also available).
media release: The League of Women Voters of Dane County (LWVDC) will host a forum entitled, Election Protection in Dane County. The event is hybrid and will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Pinney Public Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd, Madison.
Experts from around Dane County will form the panel for the forum. They include: Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, who will begin the forum by describing the safeguards that help ensure every vote is counted; Sam Liebert, Wisconsin Director of All Voting Is Local, will then explain recent efforts to change election laws and voting procedures, and what they might mean for election integrity; Followed by LWVDC member and former president, Barb Feeney, who will discuss practical ways in which people help strengthen confidence in elections.
Sarah Carlson, TV news anchor and reporter for News 3 Now (CBS) Madison will moderate the event.
To register for the Zoom link and the post forum discussion, visit: https://bit.ly/469gDkm
About the Speakers
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.
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.
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.
Feeney 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, Feeney 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.
About the Moderator
For over a year, Sarah Carlson has anchored the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts Monday through Friday.
She was born and raised in Oak Park, IL 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 due to her battle with 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.
