About

About Us

Who We Are

SMART Elections is a non-partisan organization dedicated to transforming U.S. elections by expanding public oversight, improving security, and advocating for fair, accessible voting. Our mission is to ensure that elections are transparent, have high participation and inspire public confidence.

SMART is an Acronym

Secure · Marked & Audited by Hand (for those who are able) · Accessible & Accurate · Right to Vote (for all eligible) · Transparent

Our Strategy

INFORM

Close the information gap around how elections actually operate.

We produce clear, evidence-based findings that distinguish well-run elections from those with significant irregularities.

Connect

Election integrity is not a partisan issue.

Sustainable reform requires collaboration across partisan lines.

EMPOWER

We teach best practices to protect and monitor elections, using publicly available data.

When voters get involved in oversight of elections, public confidence gets a big boost.

impact

Our goal is a vast increase in election participation, fueled by an uptick in voter confidence.

We find that as voters learn more about the details of elections, they begin to care more deeply about governance

Our Strategy

Connect

Election security is not a partisan issue. Sustainable reform requires collaboration across partisan lines.

INFORM

Close the information gap around how elections actually operate. We produce clear, evidence-based findings that distinguish well-run elections from those with significant irregularities.

EMPOWER

We teach best practices to protect and monitor elections, using publicly available data. When voters get involved in oversight of elections, public confidence gets a big boost.

Impact

Our goal is a vast increase in election participation, fueled by an uptick in voter confidence. We find that as voters learn more about the details of elections, they begin to care more deeply about governance

OUR FOCUS: KEY AREAS FOR ELECTION REFORM

Voting Equipment & Systems

Most voting machines in use have proprietary software with serious security vulnerabilities. We advocate for hand marked paper ballots for voters who are able to mark by hand. For voters who need assistance, we recommend ballot marking devices that do not tabulate.

Process & Chain of Custody

The chain of custody of all ballots, voting systems, and equipment must be guarded carefully by multiple parties at all times.

Transparency

Strong public oversight, robust audits and public access to all documentation are needed to confirm that election results are correct and for the public to have confidence in them.

Legislation & Regulation

Many of these protocols must be established with legislation. We have a sister organization, SMART Legislation , that focuses on progress in this area. Once legislation is passed, procedures must be reinforced through education, practice, and strong public oversight.

OUR FOCUS: KEY AREAS FOR ELECTION REFORM

Voting Equipment & Systems

Process & Chain of Custody

The chain of custody of all ballots, voting systems, and equipment must be guarded carefully by multiple parties at all times.

Transparency

Strong public oversight, robust audits and public access to all documentation are needed to confirm that election results are correct and for the public to have confidence in them.

Legislation & Regulation

Many of these protocols must be established with legislation. We have a sister organization, SMART Legislation, that focuses on progress in this area. Once legislation is passed, procedures must be reinforced through education, practice, and strong public oversight.

Our Team

Co-founder & Executive Director

Lulu Friesdat

Lulu Friesdat is a thought-leader, TEDx Speaker, and documentary filmmaker. She co-founded and is the Executive Director of SMART Elections and founded its Action Partner: SMART Legislation. Both organizations are on the front lines of the fight for fair and accurate U.S. elections. Ms Friesdat designed and is leading #CountTheVote, a groundbreaking program training observers to monitor and protect U.S. elections across the country. She and her team are passionate about improving U.S. elections and have attracted extensive media coverage. She’s been both quoted and featured in The New York Times; and her work, and that of SMART Elections have been featured in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Hill, Politico, and the The Hollywood Reporter. As a journalist, she’s had assignments with NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CBS, Fox News Channel, and Nightline. She contributed to Emmy award-winning coverage at ABC News and produced election security investigations that received over four million views on Now This. Follow her on TikTok @LuluFriesdat2

Our Team

STAFF

Paige brings over 30 years of nonprofit, government, and volunteer management skills to organize, motivate and deploy volunteers to help bring faith and trust in the democratic process. Her experience includes managing Dallas County Public Health's volunteer program during the pandemic (18,000 volunteers), leading Mesquite's award-winning environmental outreach program, and inspiring hundreds of adult leaders in Girl Scouting. She holds a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications and studied Public Service at the Clinton School of Public Service.

PAIGE ANDERSON

Director of Volunteer Engagement

Amber is experienced in program coordination and project management, and has a skill set that includes data analysis, writing, research, team coordination and more. A UC Davis graduate with a degree in civil engineering, Amber has an eye for detail and loves supporting a good cause. Amber spent 6+ years working at water quality and coastal engineering consulting firms, before working in project management with two e-commerce companies, including a Univision flash sale team. Amber is also certified in somatic education & therapy, and a former National Merit finalist.

Amber Shiau

Nonprofit Management
Coordinator

Gooi recently launched his own art and design centered project at Waveflower.org. It's a multi-sensory, sound-visual design project that uses mathematics to visualize audio signals and graphic images. He is excited to be exploring the frontiers of his creativity in order to more clearly convey his vision and ideas.

GOOI

Graphic Designer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Perry Busby is a computer science professional specializing in data integration and analysis. He is a contributing writer for the Westside Gazette, an African American–owned media company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His column, Technically Speaking, covers elections through a data-driven lens.

Perry Busby

Journalist &
Technology Consultant

LULU FRIESDAT

Co-founder & Executive Director

Jim Soper is Co-Founder of SMART Elections and Co-Chair of the National Voting Rights Task Force. A “programmer and election wonk”, he is a senior software consultant with 35+ years’ experience and has focused on election technology since 2005. He advocates for hand-marked paper ballots and robust audits (noting that the “foundation of election security” lies in paper-ballot voting). Soper has given expert testimony in voting-system hearings and regularly speaks at election-integrity conferences. He works full-time on election-security projects.

Jim Soper

Co-founder of SMART Elections &
Senior Consultant

Our Team

Technical Advisory Team

David A. Bader is the Director of the Institute for Data Science at NJIT and a former founding Professor at Georgia Tech. A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, AAAS, and SIAM, he received the IEEE Sidney Fernbach Award and was inducted into the University of Maryland’s Innovation Hall of Fame. Dr. Bader serves on the Computing Research Association’s board and the NSF Advisory Committee on Cyberinfrastructure. He is a globally recognized expert in designing parallel and multicore algorithms for high-performance computing applications. His research focuses on the intersection of massive-scale analytics and real-world security, specifically in cybersecurity and computational genomics.

David Bader Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor & Director: Institute for Data Science at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Richard DeMillo holds the Charlotte B. and Roger C. Warren Chair in Computing at Georgia Tech and founded its School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. Formerly Dean of the College of Computing and CTO at Hewlett-Packard, he has held leadership roles at the NSF and the Secretary of Defense’s Office. A Fellow of the AAAS and ACM, DeMillo is a leading expert in voting system security. His work has been cited in dozens of court cases, including the 2019 Federal Court decision declaring paperless voting machines unconstitutional. He has served as a foreign election observer for the Carter Center and is a member of the Michigan Election Security Commission.

Rich DeMillo Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Computing at Georgia Tech

Dr. David Jefferson holds a computer science Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon and has taught at USC and UCLA. A 20-year pioneer in computing and elections, he has advised five successive California Secretaries of State on election technology. He developed the California Election Server, chaired task forces, and helped mandate voter-verified paper audit trails for California's electronic voting machines. By co-authoring the SERVE Security Report, he exposed critical vulnerabilities that led the DoD to cancel its proposed Internet voting system. Jefferson has consulted with the FEC, DoD, and other agencies on voting security. He serves on the boards of the California Voter Foundation and Verified Voting, nonpartisan nonprofits securing elections.

David Jefferson Ph.D.

Election Integrity Foundation Board

Retired Computer Science Professor at University of Southern California & UCLA

Dr. Pressley holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Photon, Electron and Thermal Induced Reactions on Metal Surfaces. She built a distinguished semiconductor career, including roles as Senior Member of the Technical Staff and Global Product Engineering Manager at Freescale Semiconductor, following tenures at AMD and Motorola. As founder of True Texas Elections, LLC, she filed a historic lawsuit challenging her December 2014 Austin City Council Runoff results, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filing an Amicus Curiae Brief supporting her constitutional claims over DRE voting machine ballot numbering. She prevailed in the Texas Supreme Court, which unanimously reversed both a Travis County District Court and the Third Court of Appeals.

Laura Pressley Ph.D.

Founder True Texas Election

Bennie Smith is Secretary of the Tennessee State Election Commission and Shelby County’s Motor Vehicle Registration Administrator. Appointed in 2022, he brings deep analytics and technology expertise to public governance. His government background includes the Shelby County Election Commission and developing software for Memphis law enforcement and municipal bureaus. In the private sector, his senior analytics roles at Hilton Worldwide, ABB, and Thomas & Betts recovered $10 million in revenue. Nationally recognized for applying rigorous data integrity and financial controls to election systems, Smith's pioneering research has been presented to Congress and election officials nationwide.

Bennie Smith

Former Tennessee State Election Commissioner Former Shelby Co. Election Commissioner

& Software Developer

Our Team

Advisors

John Brakey is the director and co-founder of AUDIT Elections USA. The efforts of AUDIT USA include the fight for hand-marked paper ballots, opposition to ballot-marking devices for all voters, and the ongoing effort in multiple states to require the retention of ballot images and make those images a public record. AUDIT USA has been the primary driving force in the U.S. behind the increasing recognition of ballot images as vitally important, redundant election records that must be retained and must be available to the public. Mr. Brakey’s tireless advocacy is an inspiration to those who work with him. He believes in building a “horizontal” organization that educates, empowers, and collaborates with local groups in different states to assist them in developing their own advocacy efforts.

John Brakey - Digital Ballot Images

Co-Founder & Director AUDIT-USA

JAN BENDOR

Election Integrity Foundation Board Retired Computer Science Professor at University of Southern California & UCLA

Photo of Paige Anderson: smiling woman with blonde hair in sweater.

JARRET BERG

Voting Rights Attorney

Kari Mckim

Founder of True Texas Elections

holly mosher

Tennessee State Election Commissioner Former Shelby Co. Election Commissioner Software Developer

Data & Analytics

Dawn

Retired IT consultant specializing in database development and database application development. Skills include data modeling, ETL, data analysis, team leadership, business analysis, SDLC, Agile Methodology and project management. Programming languages include VBA, VB, SQL and smatterings of C, C++, C#. Industry experience includes primarily residential mortgage (20+ years) and healthcare (7 years), along with light experience in printing, environmental mitigation, auto parts, animal pedigree registry, art gallery, travel, oil & gas and higher education.

DATA TEAM LEAD

Database Developer

David Christianson has over 30 years of experience in systems engineering, analysis, and mission-critical program management, including work supporting top-level Army initiatives at White Sands Missile Range. A former holder of Secret and Top-Secret clearances, he has served as a trusted problem solver for high-visibility defense and technology programs. David now applies that same precision and accountability mindset to election-integrity and transparency initiatives with SMART Elections.

David

Data Team

retired

Ed

Data Team

I have been with the organization since February 2025. I started by helping the volunteer outreach team organize the volunteer list, but what I really wanted to get involved in was the data and how to increase the efficiency at which it is processed. I do meet and greets for incoming volunteers, parse the election data, and jump into project management meetings to see where else I could help out in our growing community.

Juancarlos

Data Team, Volunteer Outreach

B.S. Engineering Math/Statistics, Universityof California, Berkeley; Ph.D. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington (retired) Research on the role of the ocean in climate using satellite data Author or co-author of 60 peer-reviewed publications Developed and taught graduate lab course for analysis of satellite observations of the ocean Fellow of the American Meteorological Society Member of three NASA satellite science teams

Kathryn (Ph.D.)

Data Team

MA/MS in Biological and Biomedical Anthropology, focus in public health and epidemiology, and nearly two decades of experience in environmental health and government grant program management

Sarah

Data Team

Retired software engineer of 35 years who has been alarmed and embarrassed at the shoddy state of US election tabulation since the 2000 election.

Steve

Data Team

Cabot

Data Team

BSChE, MSChE & Math, Licensed PE, US Army veteran

Dr. P.

Data Team

Education MIT - Bachelor of Science University of California, San Diego - Ph.D. Published many peer-reviewed papers making heavy use of statistical data analysis, digital signal processing Over 10 years as a Data Scientist in a consulting team at a statistics-based software company. Hired by clients to design and build software tools for statistical analysis and visualization of their data for insights and decision making. Worked with consulting clients in Manufacturing, Energy, Telecommunications, Finance, Consumer Products and Services, Environmental and Medical industries.

Sarah

Data Team, Bomb Threats Team

Sarah is an OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) researcher with a background in cybersecurity and insider threat investigations, specializing in open-source analysis that supports election integrity and public accountability.

Tools Team Lead

Data Team Member

A senior product manager, designer, and AI innovator with 8+ years of experience working with clinical research data for businesses, hospitals, and non-profits. He leverages his experience in designing data curation/analysis tools and managing startup operations to support the growth and scalability of SMART Elections. He plays a key role in the Data Team's curation pipeline, procuring Tools/Platforms for the organization to scale up, and supporting the Executive Director in strategic planning.

Security

I serve as a researcher analyzing security threats and disruptions affecting U.S. elections. My work includes identifying and documenting incidents such as bomb threats, organizing that information into structured datasets, and analyzing trends across jurisdictions. My background as a data-driven educator with over 15 years of experience, as well as graduate degrees in Instructional Design and Teaching, help with translating complex data into clear insights, visualizations, and research summaries.

Libby

Security Team

Keith

Specialist in computer science and journalism. Decades in front-end web development, focusing on structure and presentation. Background bridges data systems and public communication.

Security Team

Security Team Member

Business owner, 30 years experience in networking and telecommunication

Networking Specialist

Security Team Member

My IT career spans over 20 years as a Cloud Architect, Systems Administrator, and Platform Engineer. Specializing in Secure Devops, Software Supply Chain Security, and Infrastructure Operations in the Government sector, for secure environments with regulatory requirements. I am currently consulted by a number of agencies to analyze infrastructure modernization efforts with the purpose of leveraging and training Large Language Models in a secure manner. I bring a variety of Cyber and Physical Security skills to the table in our efforts to secure future elections.

Hardware Specialist

#CountTheVote

Kassia runs a small business by trade and helps protect our elections for fun. Her hats include strategy, analytics, marketing, operations, and election reform. In her free time she enjoys reading, winning at Wingspan, and researching poll-watching statutes.

Kassia

#CountTheVote

Deb

Software Engineer. BS in Math with Statistics.

#CountTheVote & Data Team

Symonne

I’m a former senior research librarian and trainer and have a wide and varied background. People and information are my focus.

#CountTheVote

Legal

Annmarie

Legal Team

Chris

Legal Team

An attorney with over 20 years of legal experience, including more than a decade in immigration law and work as in-house counsel for a North Carolina Sheriff’s Office. After the 2024 election, she joined SMART Elections to volunteer her skills — including pro bono legal work and communications support — and is honored to contribute to efforts with nationwide impact.

Jennifer

Legal Team

Gratitude, Outreach & Action

I’m a People person. Not much of a computer person 🤨

Barb

Outreach Team

marciA

Gratitude Team

I started making my own greeting cards as a way to cope with the stress I feel in these very difficult times in our country. I donate thank you cards to Smart Elections & they send them to volunteers and donors. it's like making lemonade out of lemons.

Susan

Gratitude Team

Web Team

Annie

Web design, programming, database design and project coordination for Ivy League Research Division.

Website Team

Jordan

Game designer and full stack developer interested in politics and protecting our elections!

Website Team

Action

Judith D. Schwartz is an award-winning author who examines global environmental challenges--and solutions--through the lens of nature. An alum of the Columbia U. Graduate School of Journalism, she has learned to trust when her reporters' instinct suggests something needs looking into.

Judith D. Schwartz

Action

Social Media

Scot

Retired Electrical Engineer after 45 years of integrated circuit design. Currently a volunteer generating posts on the SMART Elections Social Media team, and preparing for poll watching on the #CountTheVote team.

Social Media Team

DESIGN & Animation

Elisa Phillips

Animation

A TV animation professional and artist who cares deeply about social and political justice.

Our Team

Directors & Staff

Our Team

Directors & Staff

Our Team Members

Advisors

Advisory Team Members come from a variety of backgrounds and represent a diverse collection of viewpoints. Their membership does not represent an endorsement of the information offered by this organization. Nor does this project endorse any specific action or opinion of the advisory team members. We have come together with the belief that by attempting to listen and understand each others’ perspectives we can collectively work more effectively toward a goal that we all cherish: a more fair and effective democracy.