Regina Logan ’20 advocates for the local election officials “keeping our democracy afloat”
February 13, 2026 — As a legislative aide and staff assistant in the U.S. Senate, Regina Logan ’20 attended a dizzying number of meetings every day, but she recalls one meeting with two Oregon election administrators – one Republican and one Democrat – quite vividly.
It stands out for being the kind of meeting the policy studies major from Portland, Oregon, had hoped to find more of in Washington D.C. – Republicans and Democrats working together to solve the country’s vexing and intractable issues. This bipartisan display by local election officials concerned increasing the amount of federal funding that state and local boards of election receive to make our elections more secure and more accessible to the widest number of voters.
Regina Logan ’20 appears in a photo outside the U.S. Capitol when she worked in Washington D.C.
Logan now works with the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonpartisan organization that equips election officials around the country to speak about their work, connects election officials across the country with each other, offers courses and lessons on best practices, and provides grants and other resources to under-resourced election jurisdictions so administrators there can make informed decisions and upgrade their technology more efficiently.
“I want the people who are making the funding and policy decisions to understand all the work that election officials are doing is to protect and implement democracy,” Logan says.
As the Center for Tech and Civic Life’s organizing manager, Logan’s job is to help election administrators make the case for the resources they need to ensure free, fair, and secure elections. Another key facet is helping local election officials communicate their expertise to legislators as a reminder that when they write policy, it’s election officials who will be tasked with implementing it flawlessly.
“Local election officials are working with very few resources, under intense scrutiny, and with no room for error,” Logan says. “They go above and beyond: They stay late, bring duct tape from home in case something breaks, and are the emotional support for volunteer poll workers who aren’t used to receiving threats. They believe so much in this work because they know how important it is to our democracy and our communities.” she says.
Peter Hanson
Logan’s Grinnell coursework like a seminar on voting administration taught by Assistant Professor of Political Science Doug Hess ’91 gave her a good foundation for the work she’s doing today. Readings from courses with Associate Professor of Political Science Peter Hanson gave Logan a framework to analyze her experience on Capitol Hill, giving her some key insights that shape how she goes about her work.
Also working at the Center for Tech and Civic Life is Logan’s classmate, Sofia Martinez ’20, who is logistics manager. Since the Center is a remote-first workplace and Logan’s often out in the field meeting with election officials, she decided to move back home to Portland. The combination of returning to the Pacific Northwest and meeting with election officials who exhibit a decidedly different vibe from Beltway politics has been a welcome change for her. She’s gotten to know election administrators who are accomplished knitters, master gardeners, and deejays who don’t miss a beat.
“It’s inspiring to work with people who are dedicated to their work and community service and still have time to do the things that bring them joy and lead full lives.” To that end, Logan’s recently taken up dance, specifically West Coast Swing and ballet, in her free time. It’s the kind of creative outlet the former Grinnell College Student Government Association president wishes she’d done more of when she was a student.
Last summer, while in Iowa for the State Auditors convention, she returned to campus for the first time since COVID-19 upended her final semester of college. While here, she reconnected with Hanson.
“I admire his academic expertise, and he knew me back when I had a lot more hope about the world,” she says. “Chatting with him about how he’s processing the state of American politics restored my heart and hope.”
This midterm election year and the years ahead will undoubtedly be challenging ones for the overworked and under-resourced municipal, township, county, and state election officials across the country who are tasked with, in Logan’s words, “keeping our democracy afloat.”
As these officials stare down threats from hostile actors seeking to sow confusion and doubt to influence elections, having someone in their corner is more important than ever. Fortunately for election administrators (and all of us), Logan is out there helping them make the case.
—by Joe Engleman ’14