I grew up in the beautiful foothills of the Wasatch mountains in Utah. I have since adopted a more urban lifestyle with stops in Washington D.C. for work, New York City to finish college, back to D.C. for more work, and now in a palacial 700 sq. ft. apartment in Berkeley, CA. Since moving to Berkeley, I have earned two graduate degrees (JD and MPP) and had two children. As it turns out, graduate degrees cost as much money as children but they are not nearly as fun or fulfilling.

Though it is becoming harder to find the time, my wife and I enjoy traveling together. In the picture at right we are resting atop the Lares Valley in Peru after a long week of hiking in 2010. From 2004-2005 we lived in Thailand and had the distinct opportunity to work as election monitors for the Asian Network for Free Elections during the 2005 national election. It was our first encounter with election administration and one we will never forget. In particular, I still remember watching the ballot counting process, which can only be described as "shock and awe." The chaos of the moment was nothing short of galling, yet the experience was wholly inspiring and I was hooked.

When I am not writing about elections, I enjoy riding my bike in the Berkeley hills and grazing in my neighborhood gourmet ghetto. For the past five years I have also anchored the right infield as second baseman for "Money Sandwich" of the Berkeley City Men's Softball League. Our play can also be described as shock and awe, but often for the wrong reasons.