Speakers

Susanne Caarls — click for full biography

Former Senior Policy Advisor at Ministry of the Interior, Legal and Operational Election Adviser in the Use of ICT in the Electoral Process

Susanne has a broad experience in e-voting and e-democracy. In her capacity of civil servant in the Netherlands as well as programme adviser at the Council of Europe, she initiated and developed e-voting standards. She has monitored noumerous e-voting pilots and she was part of the core team of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Assessment Mission to Estonia. Susanne is strongly involved in two projects of the Eastern Partnership Facility (an EU funded project in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) on participation of women and youngsters and on observation of elections by civil society.

Susanne is the author of several articles on e-voting as well as the ‘Handbook on E-Voting’ published by the Council of Europe in 2010. She is currently writing a handbook on observation of elections by domestic NGOs.

In her spare time Susanne is Director and Trustee of Catch21, the United Kingdom’s first internet television channel, which aims at involving more young people into politics. She is also member of the Programme Committee EVOTE of the Austrian NGO E-voting.cc.

Susanne studied Political Science in the U.S.A and the Netherlands. She graduated at Leiden University in 1999, after which she completed a postgraduate training as a Senior Communication Advisor. She is currently studying for a Master in Human Rights Laws at the University of London, United Kingdom.

Charles Lasham — click for full biography

Director of Electoral Affairs, ICPS

to download his biog please click here

David Orr — click for full biography

Cook County Clerk, Chicago, United States; Member of the Board of Advisors to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC)

As Cook County Clerk, David Orr serves as the chief election authority in one of the largest election jurisdictions in the country and has found innovative ways to reform how government works and to make his office run more efficiently.

A progressive voice in Chicago politics for 30 years, Orr led the fight to implement the motor voter law in Illinois, which has made it easier and more convenient for people to sign up to vote. Since taking office in 1991, Orr has returned tens of millions in unspent budget appropriations to the county.

Orr—who has served as president of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC), and as a member of the board of advisors to the Election Assistance Committee (EAC)—has played pivotal roles in helping to shape federal and state election reforms.

Orr introduced Early Voting legislation that now allows voters in Illinois to cast their ballots three weeks prior to an election. This was implemented at the same time as the transition to HAVA-compliant accessible voting equipment.

Following the 2000 presidential election, Orr successfully fought for the rights of Cook County voters to use error-detection technology in future elections that alerts them to mistakes and gives them a “second chance” to make changes or corrections.

Orr promoted passage of a statewide law that allows junior and senior high school students to serve as election judges, part of the Clerk’s Teen Democracy Program and has used new technology to lay out the county’s multiple ballot formats in house, which saves about $1 million every year. He also drafted legislation to merge off-year school board and municipal elections, resulting in a statewide savings of $7.5 million every other year in election costs.

In an effort to increase voter turnout and awareness, Orr established an award-winning interactive voter website (cookcountyclerk.com) which includes a video on how to use the County’s blended optical scan and touch screen voting system, downloadable election maps and a searchable directory of elected officials. He has earned national recognition for launching voter education campaigns and redesigning polling place materials.

In 1996, Orr successfully spearheaded the legal fight to fully implement the National Voter Registration Act, commonly known as the motor voter law. Overcoming stiff partisan opposition, Orr argued that prohibiting voters who registered under NVRA from participating in state and local elections violated constitutional rights and threatened to disenfranchise voters. Just prior to the November 1996 presidential election, a federal appellate court judge agreed with Orr and refused to overturn a lower court's decision.

The motor voter legislation combined with Orr’s ambitious and creative efforts to register new voters at grocery stores, sporting events, schools and summer fairs, has resulted in a record number of voters in Illinois.

Orr also served as Mayor Harold Washington’s Vice Mayor. Following Washington’s death in 1987, Orr took over as mayor and was recognized for his strong and sensible leadership during one the most tumultuous periods in Chicago’s political history.

Orr has travel extensively, and has been an international election observer in Macedonia and Bangladesh. He has lectured on community organizing in the People’s Republic of China.

Before embarking on a career in public service, Orr was assistant professor of History and Urban Affairs at Mundelein College in Chicago. He continues to teach—most recently at DePaul University’s School of Public Service. Orr received his undergraduate degree from Simpson College in Iowa and a master’s degree in American Studies from Case Western University in Cleveland.

David Orr has received numerous awards for youth outreach programs and internet voter guides, and recognition from the Election Center and IACREOT for his voting innovations and Genealogy Online services. Among his many other awards are: The Public Sector Industry Leadership Award from the Microsoft Corporation; Elected Official of the Year from the National Association of Clerks Recorders and Elected Officials (NACRC); Illinois Politics’ Distinguished Service Award; honors from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization for his housing work and good government awards from the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO).

In his spare time, Orr enjoys coaching basketball and baseball.