% THIS BIENNIAL PROCESS.
% >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
% >> IN ELECTION NEWS, FOLLOWING
% CONSPIRACIES ON STEROIDS IN THE
% 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACE AS A
% FORMIDABLE SWING STATE,
% WISCONSIN IS NOW GEARING UP FOR
% 2024.%WITH THAT, A NEW CHAPT
ER OF THE
% GROUP CALLED KEEP OUR REPUBLIC
% LAUNCHED HERE THIS WEEK.
% IT'S A BIPARTISAN ADVISORY
% COUNCIL DESIGNED TO BUILD TRUST,
% RESPECT AND CONFIDENCE IN THE
% WISCONSIN ELECTION SYSTEM.
% MEMBERS IN WISCONSIN INCLUDE
% FORMER DEMOCRATIC LIEUTENANT
% GOVERNOR BARBARA LEIGHTON, DAVID
% BOWEN, MILWAUKEE DEMOCRAT AND
% FORMER GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON.
% DIRECTOR OF THE KEEP OUR
% REPUBLIC IS FORMER REPUBLICAN
% STATE SENATOR AND LONG-TIME
% COUNTY ELECTION CLERK, KATHY
% BERNIER.%SHE JOINS US FROM CH
IPPEWA
% FALLS.%THANK YOU FOR BEING WI
TH US.% >> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.
% IT'S MY PLEASURE.
% >> SO HOW DO Y DO YOU BUILD TRUN
% THE ELECTION SYSTEM?
% >> WELL, IT STARTS WITH
% EDUCATION AND BUILDING KNOWLEDGE
% AMONG THE AVERAGE ELECTORATE AND
% SO THAT IS OUR MISSION, TO GO
% AROUND THE STATE AND EDUCATE
% INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITY
% LEADERS ON HOW THE ELECTION
% SYSTEM WORKS, WHERE THE CHECKS
% AND BALANCES ARE AND THE
% CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN HOLD
% THAT EVERYTHING IN THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN IS BACKED UP ON PAPER.
% >> WHY DID YOU FEEL IT WAS
% IMPORTANT TO NOT JUST JOIN THIS
% GROUP BUT NOW BE ITS DIRECTOR IN
% WISCONSIN?
% >> AS YOU KNOW, I WAS A VOCAL
% CRITIC OF PEOPLE WHO QUESTIONED
% THE ELECTION OFFICIALS IN THE
% ELECTORAL SYSTEM, AND FRIEND OF
% A FRIEND CONTACTED ME TO ASK ME
% IF I WOULD CONSULT AND ADVISE,
% KEEP OUR REPUBLIC.
% I LOOKED INTO THEIR MISSION, I
% SPOKE WITH THE EXECUTIVE
% DIRECTOR, AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS
% A REALLY GOOD FIT FOR ME.
% AND SO WE ARE JUST OFF AND
% RUNNING.
% >> SO WHAT DO YOUR FELLOW
% REPUBLICANS ACROSS WISCONSIN
% THINK ABOUT THIS GROUP?
% >> WELL, NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN
% THEY THOUGHT ABOUT ME.
% THEY APPRECIATED MY HONESTY AND
% MY OPENNESS AND THIS IS TRULY A
% BIPARTISAN GROUP AND IT'S NOT
% JUST ME.
% I REALLY WANT TO GIVE ACCUSED TO
% MY ADVISORY -- KUDOS TO MY
% ADVISORY COUNCIL.
% WHEN I ASKED DEMOCRATS AND
% REPUBLICANS TO SERVE IS ON THIS
% ADVISORY COUNCIL, THEY WERE
% EAGER.
% BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
% HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR
% ELECTORAL SYSTEM IN GENERAL,
% THAT ELECTION DENIAL IS NOT
% UNIQUE TO JANUARY 6th PEOPLE.
% IT'S GONE ON SINCE, CLEARLY,
% 2016, AND EVERY ONE WANTS TO DIG
% IN AND SAY ONCE ALL ELIGIBLE
% VOTERS HAVE VOTED, ONCE THE
% VOTES HAVE BEEN CAST, ONCE
% THEY'VE BEEN COUNTED, WE ALL
% NEED TO RESPECT AND ACCEPT THE
% ELECTION RESULTS.
% >> AS YOU NOTED JUST A BIT AGO,
% YOU PUSHED BACK ON THESE
% CONSPIRACIES IN THE 2020
% ELECTION.
% WHAT IN YOUR MIND WAS THE MOST
% EGREGIOUS OF THOSE?
% >> I THINK THERE WERE SO MANY OF
% THINGS.%I THINK THE INDIVIDU
ALS THAT
% CAME TO THE CAPITOL AND THE
% INDIVIDUALS CALLING TO DECERTIFY
% THE ELECTION AND FOR THE BLAZING
% GUN THAT THEY FOUND, THE SMOKING
% GUN, THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE AND
% THAT WAS AN ISSUE WHEN, IN FACT,
% ALL THEY NEEDED TO DO WAS TO GO
% TO AN ELECTION OFFICIAL SKID
% MARKS THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
% INFORMATION THAT THEY THINK THEY
% HAVE OR THE WISCONSIN ELECTION
% COMMISSION, AND GET THE FACTUAL
% INFORMATION BEHIND WHAT THEY
% WERE SAYING.
% THAT WAS THE MOST FRUSTRATING
% THING, IS THEY WEREN'T EAGER TO
% FIND OUT THE FACTS AND THE
% TRUTH.%THEY WERE JUST GOING T
O
% DISSEMINATE MISINFORMATION.
% IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING.
% >> HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO EDUCATE
% PEOPLE ACROSS WISCONSIN ABOUT
% HOW ELECTIONS WORK IN WISCONSIN?
% >> WELL, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS
% I HAD TO DO IN THE FIRST TWO
% MONTHS THAT I SERVED IN FOR KEEP
% OUR REPUBLIC IS SET UP AN
% ADVISORY COUNCIL AND THEN I HAD
% TO CREATE A PLAN.
% SO PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN ARE
% ALSO CREATING PLANS ON HOW TO
% EDUCATE THEIR PUBLIC.
% IN WISCONSIN, LOCAL GOVERNMENT
% IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR
% COMMUNITIES AND TO THE VOTERS OF
% THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
% SO THE FIRST THING I DID IS
% CREATE A PLAN THAT INVOLVED
% COUNTY CLERKS, CO-WORKERS,
% MUNICIPAL CLERKS AND OTHERS
% WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO COME
% TOGETHER AND ONCE WE HAVE THE
% CONVERSATION, EDUCATE EACH OTHER
% ON THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM, THAT
% THEY CAN THEN DISSEMINATE
% FACTUAL INFORMATION TO THE
% VOTERS.%>> WITH JUST ABOUT A
MINUTE
% LEFT, AS FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD
% TRUMP WINDS INTO HIS RE-ELECTION
% CAMPAIGN, WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS
% FOR WISCONSIN?
% >> MY CONCERNS ARE ALWAYS THE
% SAME PERSONALLY.
% KEEP OUR REPUBLIC DOESN'T CARE
% WHO IS ON THE BALLOT.
% WE ARE BIPARTISAN AND
% NON-PARTISAN, AND SO WHOEVER IS
% ON THE BALLOT, HEARS WHAT WE
% PLAN TO DO -- HERE'S WHAT WE
% PLAN TO DO, BUT IT DOESN'T
% REALLY CONCERN ME WHO IS ON THE
% BALLOT.
% IF DONALD TRUMP HAS HIS LEGAL
% ISSUES, IF JOE BIDEN OR HIS
% FAMILY HAVE THEIR LEGAL ISSUES,
% GOOD, THAT IS WHAT OUR MEDIA AND
% OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED
% TO DO.
% WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS JUST
% LISTEN AND WATCH AND LEARN FROM
% ALL OF THE CANDIDATES RUNNING
% FOR OFFICE, DEMOCRAT AND
% REPUBLICAN, AND WE WANT HOUSTONY
% AND INTEGRITY IN THE INFORMATION
% YOU GIVE US.
% THAT SIMPLE.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.