Wisconsin Technology Council

media release: Two national figures who lead an organization committed to bolstering faith in how elections are carried out will join two Wisconsin election officials Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Madison to discuss the mechanics and underlying technology behind the state’s system.

Ben Ginsberg, the Volker Distinguished Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, and Bob Bauer, a distinguished scholar in residence at New York University, will speak during the Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Drive.

Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students and returning veterans, $25 for individual members, $35 for non-members and included for Tech Council corporate members. Click here to register.

Joining Ginsberg and Bauer for the moderated discussion will be Rock County Clerk Lisa Tollefson, who is an officer in the statewide association of county election officials, and a staff member from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan state agency.

Attorney Ginsberg has represented four of the last six Republican presidential nominees; attorney Bauer was White House counsel to former President Obama from 2009-2011 and later advised President Biden. The American Bar Association named them “Unsung Heroes of Democracy” in August for their work leading the non-partisan Pillars of the Community, which fosters better understanding of voting systems and builds confidence in the electoral process.

“We will not talk about any candidates for federal, state or local office. Rather, we will look at how the election system works through the eyes of people who know it very well,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

“Bauer and Ginsberg have been on opposite sides of many of the nation’s contentious election disputes over the last four decades.” Still added. “Through those years of experience, they have gained valuable expertise in election processes… as have our other panelists. We’ll talk about those processes and address questions that may arise.”

This luncheon is sponsored by the Dane County Regional Airport. The Wisconsin Technology Council is the independent, non-profit science and technology adviser to the governor and Legislature, with events, publications and outreach that contribute to Wisconsin’s tech-based economy. To join, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or call 608-442-7557.