Matt Germer is a resident fellow for the Governance Program at the R Street Institute. At R Street, Matt leads the organization’s election policy work, where he focuses on ideas designed to improve public trust in elections, minimize frustrations for voters and better align the incentives of elected officials with their constituents. Before joining R Street, Matt was a policy counsel at the Washington State House of Representatives for the House Republican Caucus. Prior to that, he served as nonpartisan staff in the Oregon State Legislature, worked as a public policy analyst in the healthcare industry and helped launch a real estate marketing start-up. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a JD from the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

Marco focuses his practice on federal and state criminal defense, affirmative civil enforcement and regulatory matters, and election law. Prior to entering private practice, Marco started his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County. As a prosecutor, Marco handled a wide variety of sensitive matters, including DUIs, narcotics cases, and felony prosecutions. After serving as a prosecutor, Marco opened his own law practice where he represented clients in a wide range of criminal matters, including cases involving violent felonies, homicides, and allegations of multi-million-dollar fraud schemes. Since joining Flannery | Georgalis, LLC, Marco has continued to represent clients throughout all stages of the criminal justice system, including pre-indictment investigations, preliminary hearings, non-jury trials, jury trials, direct appeals, and Post-Conviction Relief Act proceedings. As a defense attorney, Marco has successfully represented clients in numerous high-profile matters. He recently represented an executive with a major public institution accused of threatening multiple elected public officials—including a Court of Common Pleas Judge and an elected District Attorney. His motions practice resulted in a pretrial withdrawal of all felony charges and his advocacy ultimately resulted in a full acquittal on all remaining charges at the conclusion of a five-day jury trial. Similarly, Marco recently won a full acquittal at trial for a client facing forty-two criminal counts. In addition to his practice in the criminal courts, Marco has an active election law practice. He has served as counsel for numerous federal, state, and local campaigns. Marco has also served as Voter Protection Director in multiple Congressional elections and was counsel on several cases related to the 2020 election. Marco has extensive experience litigating ballot access issues, including before the Court of Common Pleas and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Marco also successfully defended the re-election of a State Senator when an unprecedented Election Contest challenge was brought before the Senate to prevent the Senator from taking office. As part of his election law practice, Marco served as counsel in the pending Pennsylvania Congressional Redistricting case.

Seth Bluestein has served as City Commissioner – one of three members of the Board of Elections in charge of election operations and voter registration for the City of Philadelphia – since February 2022. Prior to serving as Commissioner, Seth was Chief Deputy Commissioner for former City Commissioner Al Schmidt. Seth began working in the Office of the City Commissioners in 2012 as a Deputy Commissioner before being promoted to Chief Deputy Commissioner in 2017. From 2018 through 2021, Seth also served as the department’s Chief Integrity Officer. Seth has spent more than a decade serving Philadelphia voters, with a focus on improving the voter experience and ensuring our elections remain fair, secure, and accessible. He has overseen election integrity investigations and quality control audits for the department. An advocate for transparency, Seth has worked to transform the department’s website, communications, and open data initiatives. A lifelong Philadelphian, Seth earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.

Orion Danjuma serves as counsel at Protect Democracy, focusing on voting rights, protecting election officials, preventing voter intimidation, and ensuring free and fair elections. For six years prior to that, he was a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program working on issues at the intersection of voting rights and racial justice. Before joining the ACLU, Orion clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.

Donald Palmer was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by unanimous consent of the United States Senate on January 2, 2019 to serve as a United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Commissioner. Mr. Palmer currently serves as Chairman of the EAC and the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) for the Technical Guidelines Development committee (TGDC). During his term as EAC Chairman, Mr. Palmer and the Commission instituted a process to establish security testing standards for electronic poll books as part of an EAC testing pilot of election supporting technology. The initiative resulted in the establishment of the Election Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (ESTEP) for the testing of election supporting technology, including ballot delivery, election night reporting, and voting technologies related to the Help America Vote Act. Mr. Palmer has served as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) of the EAC’s Standards Board and the Board of Advisors on different occasions and the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) during the implementation phase of VVSG 2.0, including the adoption of the Lifecycle Policy for the new generation of voting systems and the addition of new penetration testing requirements for future testing campaigns of all voting systems submitted to EAC accredited laboratories. Mr. Palmer is a former Bipartisan Policy Center Fellow where he advanced the recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. Mr. Palmer is a former Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections and served as the Commonwealth’s Chief Election Official from 2011 to 2014. During his tenure, he implemented an online voter registration system and testing program to review the security and usability of voting systems and electronic poll books. He also served as Florida’s Director of Elections where he successfully transitioned the state from electronic voting machines to paper-based digital voting machines prior to the 2008 presidential election and expanded the Florida voting system state certification program. Prior to his work in election administration, he served as a trial attorney with the Voting Section in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where he enforced the nation’s federal voting laws, including the Help America Vote Act and the Voting Rights Act. Palmer is a military veteran, retiring from the U.S. Navy after two decades as an intelligence officer and judge advocate general.  Mr. Palmer earned his J.D. at the Stetson University College of Law and his master’s degree at George Washington University.

Wally is a veteran trial lawyer with vast trial experience having acted as lead plaintiff or defense counsel in over 500 cases in federal and state court, private arbitration, and before government administrative law judges. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and boasts an undefeated jury trial record. In 2022, he obtained one of the Top 100 verdicts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a life-long conservative, Wally has been called a “conservative’s conservative,” and the “go-to” lawyer in Pennsylvania for conservative causes and candidates for office. In 2022 (#60) and 2023 (#50), City and State Pennsylvania ranked him among the Top 100 lawyers in Pennsylvania. City & State’s list recognizes the most influential legal professionals in Pennsylvania, who advise or oversee governmental bodies at all levels, advocate for policy changes and are part of the court process. He is currently the Chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. He is a staunch believer in the Constitution and the free enterprise system. He regularly represents Republican federal and state elected officials and candidates, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Republican and conservative PACs and non-profits. His clients have included the campaigns of President Donald J. Trump and United States Senator Dave McCormick. He also frequently works with political advocacy groups and organizations to advance their missions through litigation. He is an active member of the Republican National Lawyers Association and Federalist Society. He is a veteran of numerous political campaigns. In 2008, he was the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania’s 182nd legislative district. And from 2010-2014 served on United States Senator Pat Toomey’s service academy selection committee. He has acted as lead counsel in numerous landmark public policy cases.

Kathy Boockvar is President of Athena Strategies LLC, working with a broad base of organizations, government officials, and academic institutions to strengthen election security and democracy and amplify understanding and civil discourse about elections in the U.S.. She also serves as Senior Advisor to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Institute for Responsive Government, and The Future U.S.. Formerly Vice President of Election Operations for the Center for Internet Security, Kathy led its election security initiatives, working closely with federal, state, and local government to provide the highest standards of election and cybersecurity practices and systems. Ms. Boockvar previously served as Pennsylvania Secretary of State and chief election official, leading the statewide agency to implement secure and resilient elections, protect the health and safety of the public through professional licensure, and support economic development. Prior to serving as Secretary, Ms. Boockvar was Senior Advisor to the Governor on Election Modernization, where she also worked closely with local, state, and federal officials to strengthen election security and technology. During her tenure, Ms. Boockvar co-chaired Pennsylvania’s Inter-Agency Election Security and Preparedness Workgroup, strengthened election security and voting rights measures across the state, and oversaw secure and accessible elections amidst a global pandemic, marked by unparalleled transparency and voter participation. Ms. Boockvar also served as co-chair of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Elections Committee from 2019-2020; co-chair of the NASS Business Services Committee from 2020-2021; and NASS Representative on the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council (EIS-GCC), a collaboration among federal, state, and local officials to secure elections and ensure timely sharing of threat information, support, and resources. Prior to joining the Department of State, Ms. Boockvar was Executive Director of Lifecycle WomanCare, one of the oldest continually operating birth centers in the United States. She also previously served as Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Auditor General. In prior years, Ms. Boockvar served as a poll worker and as a voting-rights attorney for Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization. She also worked for over a decade as a private practice attorney with a focus on employment law, and began her career as a nonprofit Legal Services attorney, representing low-income, disabled, and senior clients, and victims of domestic violence. Ms. Boockvar serves on many boards and committees, including as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Civic Design, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Election Science Task Force, and a founding member of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, a cross-sector collaboration of election officials, law enforcement, federal agencies, and nonpartisan organizations working to help protect election workers, voters, and infrastructure. Ms. Boockvar has received many awards and honors including the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from the American University, Washington College of Law, City & State 2023 Responsible 100 Honoree, Salute to Women Who Make a Difference Honoree, and SmartCEO Brava Award. She is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in a wide range of media, including Meet the Press, Good Morning America, Michael Smerconish, Washington Post, New York Times, National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Associated Press, CNN, Rolling Stone, Politico, Reuters, USA Today and many more. Ms. Boockvar is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1990) and the American University, Washington College of Law (J.D. 1993). She received a GIAC GISF Certification in Cybersecurity Fundamentals in 2022, and a Performance Leadership Certificate from Cornell University in 2014. She is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, D.C. courts.

Mr. Levine is a shareholder in Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, PC, based in Pittsburgh. He works at the intersection of law, government and politics. With his extensive litigation and appellate experience, as well as his fluency with the governmental and regulatory process, Mr. Levine provides businesses, developers, government officials and organizations with a sophisticated, problem-solving approach to address issues such as land use and real estate development, environmental regulation and governmental permitting, administrative law and commercial matters. Mr. Levine chairs the firm’s Government Law and Regulatory Practices Group and its Appellate Advocacy Group and is a member of its Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Real Estate Groups and is a skilled courtroom and appellate advocate, as reflected by well over 150 published opinions from federal and state appellate courts. His outstanding record of success includes landmark decisions in election and redistricting law; land use and energy law, and various aspects of regulatory law, ranging from the constitutionality of the medical marijuana program; preemption issues involving federal, state and local law; the interplay between a state’s program to right-size fiscally distressed communities and collective bargaining statutes; the authority of public utility commissions to modify independent power contracts; and the tax status of colleges and universities. This experience – and his well-earned credibility and reputation with opposing counsel, judges, governmental officials and regulatory agencies – enhances his ability to negotiate and resolve matters, often avoiding the need to engage in litigation. Mr. Levine has served in leadership roles with numerous political campaigns for presidential, gubernatorial, senate and judicial candidates, and with transition teams for local and state elected officials. He recently served as Pennsylvania State Counsel to the 2024 Harris/Walz Presidential Campaign and served in the same capacity with the Biden/Harris Campaign in 2020. He also served as State Counsel for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during their presidential campaigns. In 2022, Mr. Levine served as counsel in the congressional redistricting litigation and as counsel to the Democratic Senate Caucus in respect to the reapportionment of the Pennsylvania State Senate. He has served as a delegate in the last five national Democratic conventions, and twice as a presidential elector, in 2020, and in 2012, when he served as President of the Pennsylvania Electoral College. Governor Josh Shapiro recently appointed him to his transition team, focusing on economic development initiatives. An active member of Pittsburgh’s civic, legal and political communities, Mr. Levine has served on governmental commissions, including the Southwest Planning Commission, the Pittsburgh Planning Commission and the Pittsburgh Zoning Board, where he was instrumental in redrafting Pittsburgh’s zoning code to reflect the contemporary landscape of modern cities. He has acted as counsel to numerous municipal authorities, including the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority, the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Mr. Levine is a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Litigation Counsel of America. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed him to the Pennsylvania CLE Board, where he served for six years, including as Chair from 2017-2021. As Chair, he initiated and implemented a statewide diversity and inclusion program and worked with the state Supreme Court to adjust the delivery of courses during Covid-19. Mr. Levine also serves as a federal and court-appointed special master, mediator and arbitrator. Mr. Levine has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for two decades. In 2024 and 2025, he was recognized as one of the top 50 lawyers in Pittsburgh and was recently identified as the best Land Use attorney in Pittsburgh. He is regularly listed in The Best Lawyers in America© and enjoys the highest ratings, both substantively and ethically in Martindale-Hubbell (AV), where he is a top-rated lawyer for Energy, Environmental and Land Use Law. He was recently nominated by his peers as one of Philadelphia Magazine’s top attorneys in Pittsburgh. Mr. Levine is a graduate of Duke Law School and the State University of New York at Albany, magna cum laude.