Bill Gardner, New Hampshire’s secretary of state for more than 40 years, will present “Will the 60th U.S. Presidential Election be the Last?” for the final Amos Fortune Forum of the season Friday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. at the Meetinghouse in Jaffrey Center.
Starting in the early 2000s, the federal government mandated changes in the conduct of federal elections. It promoted the purchase of modern computer-based voting machines with no paper trail. It also required what it called provisional ballots, so no person could step up at a polling place and be sent home without voting. This led to states allowing additional election days both before and after the traditional election day, resulting in delays of days or even weeks before confirming results.
Bill Gardner’s tenure as secretary of state for nearly 50 years provided him with a view into candidate politics and the election process. He will share his insights and discuss both the vulnerabilities and resilience of our electoral system.
Gardner is a New Hampshire native and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a Master of Public Administration from Harvard and an honorary doctorate in public service from St. Anselm College. He worked in the State House from 1973 to 2022, serving three terms in the House of Representatives and 22 terms as secretary of state. He was the youngest and longest-serving secretary of state since 1680. He was elected by his fellow secretaries of state to be president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.
This summer, the Forum is providing space and seating on the Meetinghouse Common for attendees who would like to arrive early and bring a picnic. This space will be set up on Friday evening by 6:30 p.m.
A recording of each event is available on YouTube shortly after the presentation. For information, go to amosfortune.org.