For nearly 30 years, I have worked - initially (1990-2000) for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and since 2000 for the United Nations System - to help countries around the world organize and administer sound elections. During that time, I have watched with growing concern as the quality of elections here at home has declined - at least in relative terms compared to the progress made in other countries. I would like to have the opportunity to contribute to the strengthening of our democracy at home just as I have done in so many other countries around the world.

I believe very deeply that the survival of American democracy depends in significant measure on the people feeling well-represented by our legislators, and a large element of that is ensuring that communities of interest - no matter what they are - feel that they have a realistic opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.

I would also like to see California continuing to serve as a model for the other states in the union - I see citizens of other states fighting the battle to have the right to draw their own lines through citizen redistricting commissions, and I know that the better job we do here in California, the more likely they are to win the right that we already enjoy.

The Commission is also important because there is very little effective way to control the actions of legislators when they decide to legislate in their own self-interest. My PhD dissertation looked at just that phenomenon in Latin America and the possibility that citizens might be able to exercise ultimate control through mechanisms of direct democracy (such as referendum, initiative, and recall). I found that while most citizens expect their elected legislators to carry out the routine legislative business of society, they are indeed interested in being able to make their voices heard on critical issues and in blocking legislators' efforts to legislate in their own self-interest rather than in the interest of the society at large. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is, in a way, its own form of direct democracy, and it is imperative that it perform its function with the greatest possible seriousness and dedication.

For the nearly 30 years that I have worked in the field of international electoral assistance, the concept of impartiality -- doing what is in the best interest of society rather than what is in my own or some other individual interest -- has been my guiding star. I have always understood that as an outsider, I have no business taking any action to influence the outcome of an election; my role has been to help my counterparts organize and administer their elections in the most professional manner possible.

As a member (and eventually vice chair) of the election commission that oversaw Afghanistan's 2004 presidential elections, I was part of a collegial decision-making body. In that setting, I knew that it was my role to express and explain my point of view on each issue coming before us but to accept and support the decisions eventually reached by the body. I also worked to ensure that every candidate was treated equally by the Commission and our staff.

In relation to elections at home, I also believe very deeply that election officials have no business taking any action to influence the outcome of an election; their job is to administer a technically sound process based on the existing legal framework through which the people's voices are heard and faithfully translated into outcomes that all will respect. If election officials are acting in ways that distort the people's voices, they become a dangerous destabilizing factor in our democracy.

In relation to drawing the lines here in California, I recognized while attending our local hearing of the CCRC eight years ago that there were speakers from the audience who had very strong partisan interests even as they were offering what were touted as "technical" proposals. I'm therefore under no illusion that it is easy to separate technical considerations from political considerations, but I do believe that with my experience in a wide variety of settings, I am capable of making the distinction and focusing the Commission's discussions on the technical considerations that need to guide them.

I have been a California resident for nearly 15 years and have found the state's diversity to be one of its biggest strengths. As part of my commitment to that diversity and based on my work around the world to promote the political participation of people with disabilities, I have served as an advisor to Riverside County's Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee since its establishment in 2015. I participated in two annual conferences of the Future of California Elections coalition and attended the 2014 annual meeting of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials. I have also participated in some of the Carter Center's work on ensuring the political participation of Native American communities.

In 2012, 2013, and 2016, I helped organize international delegations to visit California to see how our elections are administered, particularly in relation to promoting the political participation of people with disabilities. Some of the participants have returned home and implemented ideas that they saw in practice here in California.

I should mention that I am in the process of moving from an urban area (Palm Springs) to a rural area (Morongo Valley) and am involved in a newly formed community action group that has as one of its aims to maintain the small-town character of Morongo Valley. Group members come from a wide variety of social backgrounds, but we are all united in wanting to live in a better and stronger community and are able to work together on that basis.

I would also like to highlight that my elections work in other countries has required me to demonstrate an appreciation for the diversity of each of those countries, treating all communities and all citizens with respect. Additionally, the teams I have led have included as many as 65 nationalities, and I have always treated them as equals no matter their place of origin. I will do the same in the context of the CCRC.

Having studied Comparative Politics in the course of my doctoral work, I understand that some social cleavages are cross-cutting - with differing coalitions falling on different sides of various social divides - while others are reinforcing, with the same groups coming down on the same side of multiple social divides. This will be a factor that the CCRC will have to look at in each and every decision.

I also understand that for the survival of democracy, the rules (and the implementation of those rules) must be perceived as fair by the losers. Winners will always support the rules under which they won, but if substantial numbers of citizens feel that they are losing every fight as a result of rules that they perceive as unfair, or as a result of the implementation of those rules not being perceived as fair, they will eventually work to undermine the system. This is where the citizens of California have, in my opinion, done a great service to the entire country by establishing a successful model of how a citizens redistricting commission can be established in law and implemented in practice in a way that garners support across the political spectrum.

In my overseas assignments, the most important element in my work is familiarizing myself with the legal framework for the elections - the constitution, the electoral law, other relevant laws, and the rules and regulations established by the election office - and ensuring that it is fully respected. As vice chairman of the electoral commission for the 2004 presidential elections in Afghanistan, I led many discussions of the electoral law (which I had helped draft) and how we could apply it, even in situations that were not specifically contemplated during drafting. This was complicated by the fact that the commission comprised individuals from Afghanistan and five other countries, each of whom had their own understanding of the best way to proceed in any given situation. Later, as head of the UN's electoral team in Sudan, I led a review of Sudan's electoral law for my staff, after which they indicated that they had never had such a thorough understanding of a law they were working to implement.
As a senior advisor to UN officials, national authorities, and community-based stakeholders in highly charged political environments, I have had to assess information from a wide variety of sources, distinguish facts from opinions, understand the political interests at play, and offer solid professional advice. I have also had to explain highly complex electoral laws and procedures to candidates, journalists, election observers, and other stakeholders, seeking always to ensure that everyone has (as much as possible) the same understanding, since differing understandings easily lead to conflict.
I am accustomed to writing concise reports to senior officials on politically sensitive issues and was the international spokesperson for the election commission in Afghanistan. As a commissioner, I had to both internalize and help explain to other commissioners the importance of the chain of command: that the Commission as a whole provided policy direction to the Chief Electoral Officer, that it was his responsibility to ensure that our policy directives were carried out, and that we as individual commissioners had no direct role in instructing him or any member of his staff.
As Director of the UN's Electoral Division in Liberia for the 2005 elections, I oversaw a districting process, advising the Election Commission and other stakeholders on relevant legal provisions and the likely impact of Commission decisions.
I have collected maps since I was a teenager and am competent at using them. In my elections work, I use maps to review the placement of polling centers in relation to the distribution of the population.
I frequently use spreadsheet programs. As the UN's advisor to Jordan's Independent Election Commission, I used Excel to present the Board of Commissioners an analysis of the performance of district electoral bodies in conveying election results accurately.
I was the primary user liaison for the development of a PC-based relational database and a mainframe-based automated publishing program.
I took a statistics course as part of my formal education and used statistical software (SPSS) in analyzing public opinion data for my PhD.

I have been a campaign volunteer in two city council elections in Palm Springs.

I co-organized international election observer visits to Riverside County and Los Angeles County in 2012, 2013, and 2016.

I financially supported and participated in the organization and promotion of three "LAnCV" art shows in Indio (2014, 2015, 2016) to bring the work of contemporary artists from the Los Angeles area to the Coachella Valley Art Center

I have always gone by my middle name; I only use my first name when required by law and otherwise occasionally use my first initial before my middle name.

I recognize that my profile is far from typical, but I hope that you will find my broad background, generic skills, and commitment to impartiality and a professional redistricting process compelling.

I have worked in the field of international electoral assistance since 1990, first with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems at their Washington, DC headquarters, and since 2000 primarily with the United Nations System. The UN's electoral work is episodic, requiring intense dedication during periods of months or years alternating with periods where the need for senior experts is minimal. While I could have simply indicated that I was self-employed for the entire period since 2000, I felt that it would provide a more comprehensive understanding of my background if I were to set out each assignment separately.

Since starting with the United Nations in 2000, I have also been invited by other leading organizations in the field of international electoral assistance (Carter Center, IFES, International IDEA, Conflict Dynamics International) to undertake a variety of projects for them.
These outside consulting projects keep my skills sharp between UN assignments. I also devote time between UN contracts to community engagement, such as attending events organized by the Future of California Elections network and the California Association of Clerks and Recorders, ongoing education, and other activities that give me the energy and tools to go back into the field and work under intense and sometimes dangerous conditions. Breaks between UN contracts are also an opportunity to catch up on home projects and professional reading, brief and confer with colleagues at headquarters, apply for future contracts, and take care of medical clearances and other travel preparations.