Speeches & Testimony
TEDxMileHigh | August 2020
From hours-long lines and limited polling locations to confusing and discriminatory registration policies, why is it so hard to vote in the US? Voting rights expert Amber McReynolds offers a proven alternative: a new process, already happening in parts of the country, that could bring accountability, transparency and equity to the outdated and sputtering system that American democracy currently relies on.
RepresentUs | March 2018
Amber McReynolds, Director of Elections for the County of Denver, discusses the innovations and changes the County of Denver has enacted to empower voters and make it easier for their voices to be heard through same-day registration and easier ways to vote.
U.S. Elections Assistance Commission | December 2015
"View It From a Different Angle – How to Improve Efficiency While Serving Voters Better" – Amber McReynolds, Director of Elections, Denver, CO
EAC hosted a two day election data summit to discuss how good data can help elections run better. Attendees included a broad spectrum of election researchers, state and local government election officials and representatives from leading non-profit election organizations.
Media
MSNBC | June 2021
Amber McReynolds, a member of the USPS Board of Governors who helped election officials expand mail-in voting during the pandemic, joins Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss efforts by Democrats to expand voting access even as Republicans use disinformation to restrict voting “in a very partisan and direct attack” and adds she’s “excited and optimistic” about future innovations to make voting easier and “put voters first.”
Senator Michael Bennet | May 2021
Bennet Praises USPS Board of Governors Nominee Amber McReynolds in Floor Speech
Colorado Politics | October 2020
Amber McReynolds, Colorado Politics can report, has gotten much bigger than Denver.
The city's former elections leader is the subject of a spread this week in the prestigious magazine (that President Trump covets) as "the country’s most outspoken evangelist for voting by mail," and a guru to other states trying to figure it out for the first time this year because of the pandemic.
Time | Oct 2020
Amber McReynolds remembers the exact day that she started receiving a deluge of calls from officials, election experts and industry leaders around the country wondering how they would administer presidential primaries and general elections in what was increasingly looking to be an unprecedented year: it was her 41st birthday, March 7.
NBC News | September 2020
As Americans worry about mailed ballots, most states now offer a way to track them
Many states are experiencing an unparalleled surge in mailed ballots thanks to states allowing absentee votes because of the coronavirus pandemic.
PBS News Hour | September 2020
President Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power is tied to his criticism and false statements about voting by mail, which is expected to reach record levels in this election. Trump insists it can't be trusted -- but many state and local election officials disagree. Miles O’Brien reports on how voting by mail works -- and what past experience indicates about its reliability.
The Wall Street Journal | September 2020
Declaring 2020’s Winner Could Well Hinge on How Quickly States Count Mail Ballots
Some key states don’t start counting mail ballots until Election Day, raising the possibility of delays
The American Leader | July 2020
Hundreds of people gathered in the ballroom-sized lobby of the History Colorado museum to launch the book "When Women Vote" by two of my favorite folks. Donner was Gov. John Hickenlooper’s chief legal counsel. She's the executive director of the Emily Griffith Technical College and a world-class game-changer, who I admire a lot. Amber McReynolds was the Denver city elections director before she became the CEO of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Vote at Home Institute. She's wicked smart and super kind. She told me once that the latter is as important as the former, because the world needs more love.
Ozy | July 2020
Being in the business of reforming America’s elections, Amber McReynolds has always been busy, jetting from city to city before flying back to her home in Denver to tuck her two elementary schoolchildren in at night.
C-SPAN | May 2020
National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition CEO Amber McReynolds talked about efforts to expand vote-by-mail and absentee balloting for the November general election amid concerns over coronavirus.
Fast Company | May 2020
As many states rush to implement new ways to protect voters from COVID-19 exposure, they’re turning to systems to help ensure people’s access to the ballot doesn’t get lost in the mail.
Washington Monthly | April 2020
The Washington Monthly has long argued that universal vote by mail, otherwise known as “vote at home,” is the single best way to increase voter turnout. Agree or not, that debate is now beside the point. Under pressure from voters worried about catching the coronavirus at polling places, states and counties across the country are rapidly reworking their electoral systems to enable more citizens to cast ballots by mail.
Mother Jones | April 2020
As officials in multiple states have postponed primary elections in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, and with some experts predicting a resurgence of the virus this fall, there have been widespread discussions about preserving the November elections while protecting public health.
Colorado Politics | February 2020
Hundreds of people gathered in the ballroom-sized lobby of the History Colorado museum to launch the book "When Women Vote" by two of my favorite folks. Donner was Gov. John Hickenlooper’s chief legal counsel. She's the executive director of the Emily Griffith Technical College and a world-class game-changer, who I admire a lot. Amber McReynolds was the Denver city elections director before she became the CEO of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Vote at Home Institute. She's wicked smart and super kind. She told me once that the latter is as important as the former, because the world needs more love.
Voyage Denver | July 2019
Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber McReynolds.
Comcast NBC Newsmakers | December 2018
Colorado achieved the nation’s second highest voter turnout rate in the 2018 midterm election. Now, Colorado’s electoral success is encouraging other states to simplify the voting process.
Amber McReynolds, former Denver director of elections, outlines how local changes are transforming elections within the Centennial State and beyond.
Governing.com | 2018
Two of the biggest problems our election system faces are keeping the voting process secure and boosting dismal voter participation. To Amber McReynolds, both of those problems have the same solution: better customer service.
Colorado Politics | July 2018
A potential candidate being sized up by insiders to run for Denver city clerk next year, then possibly higher office has her own plans.
Amber McReynolds, Denver’s ubiquitous director of elections, is leaving Aug. 18 to become executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition.
Publications
www.whenwomenvote.org
MISSION: Improve the voting experience for all voters and make it easier for more women to vote. Because when more women vote, more women get elected, and we prioritize policies that impact women and children. Join us in advancing the mission our suffragist sisters fought for so bravely over 100 years ago.
The Hill | July 2021
Instead of planning summer vacations, many of us are still thinking about last year’s election. Election officials conducted one of the most transparent and secure elections in recent history under harrowing conditions, yet they continue to be under threat of violence by citizens who believe disinformation. We’ve seen legislators elected by those secure systems seek to undermine fair results through spurious “audits,” but only in the areas they feel their party lost. We need decision-makers to modernize our elections before we lose American confidence — and our democracy along with it….
Colorado Sun | October 2018
I have the honor of serving as the Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver. As a city, Denver is committed to ensuring our citizens have an outstanding voting experience. Our elections team is extraordinarily committed to serving voters and facilitating this fundamental democratic process. All elections are essential — from presidential elections to local school board elections — and it is our responsibility to support our voters throughout the entire process.
Medium.com | MIT Election Data + Science Lab | June 2018
I have the honor of serving as the Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver. As a city, Denver is committed to ensuring our citizens have an outstanding voting experience. Our elections team is extraordinarily committed to serving voters and facilitating this fundamental democratic process. All elections are essential — from presidential elections to local school board elections — and it is our responsibility to support our voters throughout the entire process.
When Women Vote
www.whenwomenvote.org
MISSION: Improve the voting experience for all voters and make it easier for more women to vote. Because when more women vote, more women get elected, and we prioritize policies that impact women and children. Join us in advancing the mission our suffragist sisters fought for so bravely over 100 years ago.
It's the Summer of Election Policy
The Hill | July 2021
Instead of planning summer vacations, many of us are still thinking about last year’s election. Election officials conducted one of the most transparent and secure elections in recent history under harrowing conditions, yet they continue to be under threat of violence by citizens who believe disinformation. We’ve seen legislators elected by those secure systems seek to undermine fair results through spurious “audits,” but only in the areas they feel their party lost. We need decision-makers to modernize our elections before we lose American confidence — and our democracy along with it….
Opinion: Amendments Y and Z let us do what’s right instead of fighting about who’s right
Colorado Sun | October 2018
I have the honor of serving as the Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver. As a city, Denver is committed to ensuring our citizens have an outstanding voting experience. Our elections team is extraordinarily committed to serving voters and facilitating this fundamental democratic process. All elections are essential — from presidential elections to local school board elections — and it is our responsibility to support our voters throughout the entire process.
A Voter-Centered Approach to Elections
Medium.com | MIT Election Data + Science Lab | June 2018
I have the honor of serving as the Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver. As a city, Denver is committed to ensuring our citizens have an outstanding voting experience. Our elections team is extraordinarily committed to serving voters and facilitating this fundamental democratic process. All elections are essential — from presidential elections to local school board elections — and it is our responsibility to support our voters throughout the entire process.