In conjunction with the Brennan Center for Justice, this COGEL Connect program is open and FREE TO THE PUBLIC.

RECORDING: This session will be recorded. Please register to have the recording sent to you after the program.

In any system of public financing for campaigns, robust, accurate, and fair enforcement is necessary. This panel will discuss the policies and practices agencies use to get campaigns the public funds they are eligible for while protecting against misuse. Panelists will share firsthand experience with verifying candidate eligibility, assessing claims for funds, investigations, and audits. We will also discuss the crucial question of how to balance limited resources and the question of when enforcement is too much or too little?

Ian Vandewalker Senior Counsel Brennan Center for Justice

Ian Vandewalker is senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program, where he works to address the influence of money in politics and foreign interference in U.S. elections. His work has been featured in press outlets across the nation, including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times. He has also published academic articles on election law and civil liberties and testified before Congress and in state and local legislatures.

Sauda Chapman Assistant Executive Director for Campaign Finance Administration New York City Campaign Finance Board

Sauda S. Chapman is the Assistant Executive Director for the Campaign Finance Administration at the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB). She serves on the Executive team and oversees the Special Compliance and Auditing and Accounting units. The primary tasks of both units are audits of periodic disclosure statements, the administration of the public funds matching program, and specialized reviews for campaign compliance, complaints and investigations. She has served in various roles at the CFB since starting in 2012, as the previous Director of Auditing and Accounting, Deputy Director and Senior Auditor. Sauda has nearly 20 years of auditing experience. Prior to working at the CFB, she worked as a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young LLP. She graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Erick Jackson Fair Elections Program Manager Washington D.C.

Erick L. Jackson currently serves as the Program Manager of the Fair Elections Program Division of the Office of Campaign Finance, Board of Elections in Washington, DC. As the Fair Elections Program (FEP) Manager, As FEP Manager for the Office of Campaign Finance (OCF), Erick is responsible for the research, development, and implementation of the Fair Election Act of the District of Columbia.  Erick has also served as the Deputy Branch Manager for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for 27 years.

Ethan Watson City Clerk City of Albuquerque

Ethan Watson is the City Clerk for the City of Albuquerque.  In that role, he oversees the City’s Open and Ethical Election program, a grant-based public finance program.   The program is extremely popular and currently the City’s entire City Council and Mayor were elected using the mayor.