Guernsey’s Doc Aims to Lift Voices of Election Workers

The last presidential campaign cycle changed things for election officials. With people stoking false narratives of fixed elections, fingers are being pointed at election workers, or they’re being threatened.

Visual & Media Arts affiliated faculty member Margo Guernsey’s new short documentary, The Officials, on Time.com looks at election officials in four swing states during the current presidential campaign cycle. Guernsey discussed with Emerson Today why she made the documentary.

Watch the documentary on Time.com

(The movie will be live at 8 am on September 19)

Why did you make The Officials?

Guernsey: My producing/directing partner, Sara Archambault, and I made another film about election officials. It is called No Time To Fail, and it is available to stream for free through the WORLD Channel’s YouTube channel all fall. That film follows the behind-the-scenes work of election officials in Rhode Island during the 2020 contest.

We initially started filming with election officials because we wanted to pull back the curtain and show Americans the work that election officials do all year to make sure our right to vote is secure. It was intended to be a behind-the-scenes look at the invisible labor and infrastructure that provides us with our constitutional right to vote. 

When we began No Time To Fail in the summer of 2020, we had no idea how intense the attacks on election officials would become. In 2022, the film was complete and the harassment of election administrators continued to get worse. For this reason, we felt compelled to make a shorter film about election officials that would reach more people. They are essential workers, and we want more Americans to understand their work. Our goal with the format of this film is to lift up the voices of election officials telling their own stories, which is not happening often enough in the media right now.

Which battleground states did you film? And why did you choose those locations?

Guernsey: We filmed in Defiance County, Ohio; Marion County, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; and with the State Director of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. We chose the people in this film because they represented conservative and liberal areas of the country, urban and rural jurisdictions, and local and state-level officials. Our intention was to take a look at how election officials are handling their jobs in this diverse set of working conditions, in states that are considered “battleground states” this year, or have been close contests in past years.

The election officials featured in the film are (in alphabetical order):

Daniel Baxter, Chief of Operations, Department of Elections, Detroit, Michigan
Tonya Wichman, Director of Elections, Defiance County, Ohio
Wesley Wilcox, Supervisor of Elections, Marion County, Florida
Janice Winfrey, City Clerk, Detroit, Michigan
Meagan Wolfe, Administrator, Wisconsin Elections Commission

What surprised you from talking to interviewees?

Guernsey: Most Americans might not realize that conservative election officials have been threatened and harassed even more than officials in more urban and liberal areas of the country. It’s sometimes hard to wrap our heads around why that might be, but it is very true. While not surprising, one of the things viewers may take away from these stories is the degree to which having your integrity questioned by your own community is incredibly painful. The film’s core message is a reminder that election officials are your neighbors, and they work hard to do their jobs well. 

What do you want people to gain from watching The Officials?

Guernsey: Our hope is for viewers to walk away with a sense that election officials provide an incredible service that is too often misunderstood or overlooked. The harassment and targeting of election officials is inappropriate and horrifying, considering the work they are doing on behalf of all of us. At the end of the day, they provide the opportunity to vote in a safe and secure manner, and then they count the votes. The results are not up to them. The voters decide who will hold office. 

How has your experience in making this film made you a better educator for Emerson students?

Guernsey: A lot of what I bring to the classroom is my day-to-day experience directing and producing. I am very connected to the documentary landscape in its current form, and I can help students learn to navigate and succeed by sharing this work.