AE Staff Spotlight: Chief Executive Officer Kahlil Byrd
What is your goal for Americans Elect in the 2012 election?
The primary objective of Americans Elect is to put the people's choice on the ballot in all 50 states. We want to demonstrate that a blend of the newest technologies and most traditional American values can result in a new and improved way to evaluate and elect our leaders.
What is your role in the organization?
I’m the Chief Executive Officer. That means I humbly work with the extended Americans Elect team to bring this organization to life and complete our core mission. At this point, more than 2,500 people have labored to take Americans Elect from good idea to an organization that is keeping its promise to deliver 50-state ballot access and an online nomination process that re-imagines the way we choose a presidential ticket.
In the end, however, Americans Elect will be made up of much more than people who officially "work" for the organization. Our community will consist of, we hope, millions of people who are giving their time, attention and dollars to make a change in presidential politics that has a lasting effect.
Why did you choose to work with Americans Elect?
I’ve spent my career working on all sides of the political spectrum—for Republicans, Democrats and in the middle. Now, my primary focus is working full time for the American people. Americans Elect goes beyond complaining about the problem and is emerging as a real part of the solution.
Americans Elect is innovating on several interconnected fronts and is making an extraordinary change in the way we think about nominating presidential leadership. First, we are bringing competition to the political process by getting on the ballot in 50 states. Next, through our voting platform, AE is creating a technological benchmark. This benchmark can be deployed on the both the national or state level as soon as the 2012 convention is completed. We’re also taking traditional party functions and putting them in the people's hands. Our delegates are shaping the issues candidates will talk about, are directly drafting and supporting the ticket that will emerge from the AE convention, and shaping the rules of engagement. These changes will have an impact for a long, long time.
Will you be one of the Delegates voting in the online convention?
I can’t wait to vote in first-ever online convention. Some of my best memories are of going to my local library in Boston, marking my ballot and placing it in the voting box. Taking that process online in the first ever national on-line caucus is in the next step in electoral evolution. Having participated in primaries my entire adult life, I know voting is most satisfying when folks know they’re the ones driving process and shaping issues.
If Americans Elect is successful, what role do you see AE playing in future elections?
Honestly, that's up to the people. The Delegates and winning ticket of the Americans Elect nomination will innovate in ways we can only imagine. We anticipate that our Delegates will be involved and committed in supporting the candidate and that the results in 2012 will spur innovation in local and state elections for years to come.
Are there any misconceptions about Americans Elect you'd like to address?
The main misconception is that Americans Elect is a third party. It's not. Americans Elect is a second--and we believe -- better option for nominating a presidential ticket. It's a way to find, nominate and elect our leaders using a platform that allows everyone to be included in the process.
Any interesting quirks about yourself you’d like to share?
You could say that calling my wife during this interview to ask her about my quirks is a quirk in itself. (My wife wasn’t available, so I had to come up with this answer without Sarah's help.) So here you go: I’ve seen—at least three times each—every episode of “The Wire” and “The West Wing,” plus “The American President,” "The Candidate", "All the President's Men", “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “All The Kings Men.” That’s a lot of hours, and just a slice of my political viewing list. Ideas are welcome.
