• Home
  • Independent Voter News
  • Quizzes
  • Election Dissection
  • Sections
  • Events
  • Directory
  • About Us
  • Glossary
  • Opinion
  • Campaign Finance
  • Redistricting
  • Civic Ed
  • Voting
  • Fact Check
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Civic Ed>
  3. civic ed>

Meet the reformer: Geoff Pallay, a political encyclopedia wizard

Our Staff
October 11, 2019
Geoff Pallay

Geoff Pallay works out of his South Carolina home to be closer to his two children, including 5-year-old Cameron.

Geoff Pallay

Geoff Pallay is the editor in chief of Ballotpedia, a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia created a dozen years ago to provide a comprehensive chronicling of federal, state and local politics, elections, and public policy. He was hired in 2010 as a staff writer covering state legislatures and has had the top newsroom job since 2015. Originally from New Jersey, Pallay, 35, lives in Charleston, S.C., with his wife, Megan, and their two children. His answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

What's the tweet-length description of your organization?

We preserve and expand knowledge about politics by providing objective information about federal, state and local politics.


Describe your very first civic engagement.

Well, that's a fun question. I know I certainly accompanied my parents to vote when I was under 18. And I definitely stayed up late watching presidential returns. I think the true first civic engagement would be working for the student newspaper in college in Atlanta, The Emory Wheel. It is certainly the civic engagement that had the earliest impact on my career.

What was your biggest professional triumph?

We're closing in on 300,000 articles on Ballotpedia.org, which will become what I consider my biggest professional triumph once we get there. When I joined the staff we had about 60,000 articles. When I reflect on that question I think about the Ballotpedia readers. I think our company growth and increased readership is what I am most proud of. I am grateful to our readers for continuing to make Ballotpedia a part of their political information journey. And I am grateful and honored to work with an incredible team of people who continue to get better every day to meet those increasing needs from readers.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

And your most disappointing setback?

In 2012, Ballotpedia.org crashed on Election Day. That was, of course, frustrating. The site was functional, but we were not able to edit it and add any results. Our carefully laid plans were made defunct when the servers were unable to keep up with traffic. This was a frustrating day, but we learned a lot from that event.

How does your identity influence the way you go about your work?

Work is a part of our life. I never tell my kids that I have to go to work. I choose to work. And I am fortunate enough to love my job, the company I work for and the purpose of our work. That makes me want to work more, not less.

People are happiest and most effective if they can clearly commit to the moment. Whether you are parenting, working, playing tennis or out on a date, you need to be present in the moment to truly excel. The way to do that is to set very clear boundaries and plan ahead.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Only worry and stress about what you can control. Life throws a lot at you. But if you focus on what you can control, then you'll lead a happier, more centered life. Don't let yourself get worked up about what is outside of your control.

Create a new flavor for Ben & Jerry's.

Well, I asked my 5-year-old son and he started combining all sorts of peculiar things like gummy bears and chocolate ice cream and Oreos. "Brewed to Matter" (which is basically coffee and chocolate chips) would be what I would create, except they already have it. So let's try this then. Mint chocolate chip cookie ice cream. You take mint chip, which is a classic, but then you insert mint chocolate chip cookies into the ice cream. And not just any mint chocolate chip cookies, but ones that have been made with fresh mint melted into the butter. We can call it "Masters of Mint."

The West Wing or Veep?

Oh, that's a tough one. I think I'm going to have to take option C though: Parks and Recreation. One of my all-time favorite shows. I just loved all of the local government action.

What's the last thing you do on your phone at night?

I'm a big habits person. My morning habits are the exact same, seven days a week. My evening habits are pretty similar as well. In truth, I had a hard time answering this one, because the last thing I do at night is essentially avoid my phone.

What is your deepest, darkest secret?

I hate peanut butter. No, really. I hate it. I know, it is delicious. But I hate it. I have such disdain for it that at times I will say I am allergic so I won't get the follow-up question, "What do you mean you don't like peanut butter?" My son tells me that I am fake allergic — as he stuffs his face with peanut butter.

From Your Site Articles
  • Past turnout success complicates future ballot initiatives - The Fulcrum ›
  • Ballotpedia's 2021 Elections To Watch - The Fulcrum ›
civic ed

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

How a college freshman led the effort to honor titans of democracy reform

Jeremy Garson

Our poisonous age of absolutism

Jay Paterno

Re-imagining Title IX: An opportunity to flex our civic muscles

Lisa Kay Solomon

'Independent state legislature theory' is unconstitutional

Daniel O. Jamison

How afraid are we?

Debilyn Molineaux

Politicians certifying election results is risky and unnecessary

Kevin Johnson
latest News

How the anti-abortion movement shaped campaign finance law and paved the way for Trump

Amanda Becker, The 19th
17h

Podcast: Journalist and political junkie Ken Rudin

Our Staff
18h

A study in contrasts: Low-turnout runoffs vs. Alaska’s top-four, all-mail primary

David Meyers
23 June

Video: Team Democracy Urges Citizens to Sign SAFE Pledge

Our Staff
23 June

Podcast: Past, present, future

Our Staff
23 June

Video: America's vulnerable elections

Our Staff
22 June
Videos

Video: Memorial Day 2022

Our Staff

Video: Helping loved ones divided by politics

Our Staff

Video: What happened in Virginia?

Our Staff

Video: Infrastructure past, present, and future

Our Staff

Video: Beyond the headlines SCOTUS 2021 - 2022

Our Staff

Video: Should we even have a debt limit

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: Did economists move the Democrats to the right?

Our Staff
02 May

Podcast: The future of depolarization

Our Staff
11 February

Podcast: Sore losers are bad for democracy

Our Staff
20 January

Deconstructed Podcast from IVN

Our Staff
08 November 2021
Recommended
Bridge Alliance intern Sachi Bajaj speaks at the June 12 Civvy Awards.

How a college freshman led the effort to honor titans of democracy reform

Leadership
abortion law historian Mary Ziegler

How the anti-abortion movement shaped campaign finance law and paved the way for Trump

Campaign Finance
Podcast: Journalist and political junkie Ken Rudin

Podcast: Journalist and political junkie Ken Rudin

Media
Abortion rights and anti-abortion protestors at the Supreme Court

Our poisonous age of absolutism

Big Picture
Virginia primary voter

A study in contrasts: Low-turnout runoffs vs. Alaska’s top-four, all-mail primary

Video: Team Democracy Urges Citizens to Sign SAFE Pledge

Video: Team Democracy Urges Citizens to Sign SAFE Pledge

Voting