Paul Fagan, Lea Marquez Peterson, David Axelrod, Ben Ginsberg
PHOENIX, Ariz. (November 21, 2025) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) partnered with ASU’s Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory (MODL) to co-host an event that united more than 80 artificial intelligence (AI) experts, election officials, and civic leaders to discuss 2026 election readiness and AI’s impact on elections and government. This event was part of a two-day workshop designed to inspire, promote, and explore perspectives on principled leadership and creative AI applications and approaches with election officials from around the country.
“Artificial intelligence is the technology that will define this generation—it’s time to discuss adapting our electoral processes to reflect today’s technological landscape,” said McCain Institute Director of Democracy Programs Paul Fagan.
Moderated by MODL Director Bill Gates, the evening’s first panel, “Intelligence Reimagined: Charting AI’s Next Frontier,” featured Darwin Mastin, CEO and Founder of TwinWise AI and Synaptic Spike GenAI; Nadine Farid Johnson, Policy Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Katie Harbath, CEO and Founder of Anchor Change to explore how AI is changing civic spaces and what it means for the future.
“There is a huge opportunity for [election experts] to engage with AI companies,” said Harbath. “It feels daunting, but there is also huge opportunity as we go into this AI era.”
The second panel, “Governing, Integrity, and the Future of Politics,” moderated by McCain Institute Director of Democracy Programs Paul Fagan, convened Ben Ginsberg, Volker Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution; David Axelrod, Founder of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, Chief Political Analyst at CNN, and McCain Institute Global Advisory Council member; and the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Lea Marquez Peterson.
“Our elections have been an extraordinary feat for a long time [thanks to elections officials],” said David Axelrod, McCain Institute Global Advisory Council member, founder of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, and chief political analyst at CNN. “Every American should be grateful.”
“The future is multidisciplinary. It’s here. That’s the point. You get to decide what it should be,” said Darwin Martin, CEO and founder, TwinWise AI and Synaptic Spike GenAI.
This event is part of the McCain Institute’s Arizona Democracy initiative, designed to advance participatory democracy in Arizona. Learn more about the McCain Institute’s Democracy Programs HERE.
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