With November 5 around the corner and millions of Americans already casting their ballots, the stakes for our democracy couldn’t be higher. BigTent was honored to have host a conversation with Joanna Lydgate, Steve Bullock, Cisco Aguilar, and moderated by Samantha Bee.
Joanna Lydgate and the States United Democracy Center are at the forefront of a national effort to safeguard our free and fair elections, working to support election officials in the most critical states. Joining her were Steve Bullock, former Governor and Attorney General of Montana, and Cisco Aguilar, the Nevada Secretary of State. They discussed what to expect during an election season that may be long and contentious, how state officials are preparing, and explored solutions to the democracy crisis we are facing in this country.
Moderated by Samantha Bee, this timely conversation addressed the evolving threats to democracy and the crucial role we all play in protecting our democracy for future generations of goblins and ghosts 😈 👻.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
JOANNA LYDGATE is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting free, fair, and secure elections. Since 2020, States United has provided legal, research, policy, and communications support to state officials who run elections. Before launching States United, Joanna served as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Massachusetts. In that role, she coordinated multi-state litigation and worked with a bipartisan team of colleagues from across the country to uphold shared values, protect civil liberties, and defend the rule of law. She also oversaw criminal enforcement, coordinating daily with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. Joanna has served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, was a law clerk to Judge Norman H. Stahl on the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and worked in nonprofit legal services in New York City. She is a graduate of Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
STEVE BULLOCK served as Montana’s attorney general from 2009-2013. As attorney general, Bullock defended Montana’s hundred-year ban on corporate campaign spending, gaining national prominence for leading the challenge to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
Bullock was elected Montana’s 24th Governor, serving from 2013-2021. He worked with a Republican-majority legislature to improve access to health care, kick dark money out of state elections, make record investments in education, protect access to public lands, invest in infrastructure, and strengthen Montana’s economy. Bullock brought diverse interests together to address challenging issues, from sage grouse and forest management to the Main Street Montana Project. Nationally, Bullock was elected Chair of the National Governors Association, Western Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association.
Since leaving public office, Bullock has been involved with a number of corporate and nonprofit boards and organizations, as well as serving as the court-appointed Independent Monitor over Purdue Pharma. And he opened his own taphouse.
FRANCISCO “CISCO” AGUILAR was elected as Nevada Secretary of State in 2022 and assumed office on January 2, 2023. Prior to being elected, Secretary Aguilar served twelve years as General Counsel for Agassi Graf, the management company for Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, and the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. In this role, he was responsible for communications and media, marketing and brand management, strategic partnerships, legal and government affairs. The Secretary also served as Special Counsel to the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Jim Rogers, and as a lawyer for the parent company of the Las Vegas and Reno NBC affiliates, KSNV Channel 3 and KRNV Channel 4, and 15 other NBC affiliates.
Secretary Aguilar is the Founding Chairman of Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School. Cristo Rey serves students in one of Las Vegas’ most vulnerable neighborhoods, and provides an innovative work-study program designed to prepare them for future careers.
MODERATOR
SAMANTHA BEE received global recognition from the success of her weekly late-night comedy series, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, which was nominated for 70 awards and ran for seven seasons on TBS. Bee also served as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show Bee from 2003-2015. She is the author of the essay collection I Know I Am, But What Are You? and has been featured in TIME 100: The Most Influential People. She is also the host of Lemonada Media’s podcast Choice Words.