All right.
Even as the president and members of
his cabinet make campaign swings
through Wisconsin this week, the
Trump administration is working
behind the scenes on the electoral
process leading up to the November
elections.
This week, the U.S.
Postal Service released its proposed
rule attached to the president's
March executive order titled
Ensuring Citizenship Verification
and Integrity in Federal Elections.
That's an order Governor Tony Evers,
at the time, called BS.
The order instructs the Departments
of Homeland Security and Social
Security to send state election
officials lists of confirmed
U.S. Citizens and prevents
mail-in ballots to anyone not
on the list.
Add to that the FBI has been
in Milwaukee interviewing and
seeking to talk with election
officials who worked the 2020
election that Trump declares he
actually won, but didn't.
Trump maintains his loss was
a result of widespread voter fraud,
which never proved out.
Set against all this, we turn
to Wisconsin Elections Commission
chair-elect, Republican member
Don Millis.
And Mr. Millis, thanks very much for
being here.
Great to see you.
So is it another rough-and-tumble
election cycle staring down
the Wisconsin Elections Commission?
Well, more of the rough and tumble
certainly is gonna be in the
political ads that are run between
the candidates.
You know, this has always been an
issue for the elections
commission.
You know there'll be lawsuits and
counter lawsuits and proposed
regulations.
You know I'm not too worried about
it. I know that the things
that really bother me the most or
that concern me the more are making
sure that absentee ballots, if
they're mailed like a week or two
before the election, they get their
own election day.
Those are things that we're working
to try to.
Working with the post office to make
sure that that happens.
Those are the things that concern me
the most
Because WEC has called on the
U.S. Postal Service to speed up
deliveries of absentee ballots after
I read two-thirds of
clerks reported mail delays during
the April 7 election.
How bad was it?
Well, it was so bad that when
the commission staff sent out a
questionnaire to clerks, they got
an overwhelming and historic
response from clerks.
Typically, clerks don't respond.
There was a huge, huge concern.
The staff have met
with the postal service officials.
We are trying to get what's known as
enhanced delivery procedures
that they would agree to when
we have elections. This would mean,
for example, that when you...
Put a return a
ballot to Madison or
Grafton or Eau Claire,
it wouldn't have to go to Milwaukee
or Minneapolis, it
would go straight to the clerk.
And so those are things we're
working on. Those are the things we
do behind the scenes that no one
really seems to pay much attention
to. I'm glad that you're paying
attention to it, that we can really
make sure that our elections
are done effectively and
efficiently.
Have you had any response from the
USPS on that?
I think the staff have indicated
that it was generally a
very positive response.
I think there's a dedication to
making sure that absentee ballots
are returned promptly,
having multiple deliveries on
election day, things like that.
I think it was a very constructive
conversation.
As to these federally generated
voter lists for delivery
of absentee ballots, do you think
that's a good idea?
Well, I think it's problematic.
I mean, one of the concerns is
they want to use intelligent mail
barcodes On the return
we use we use those on the
when ballots are sent out
Again, the problem with that is that
it delays it I'm guessing
that as with so many other executive
orders and regulations that have
come out of the Obama Trump Biden
Trump White houses The
the courts are gonna have their say
if it looks like it's gonna pass
muster with the courts
That's when we probably become
concerned and we'll certainly have
contingency plans.
It looks like it's going to fall
into place.
But what was published
last week was just a preliminary
notice and comment in
the federal register.
I'm not, I think it's unlikely
that that regulation is going to be
in play for the November election.
So what is your response to the FBI
poking around on the 2020 election
in Wisconsin, specifically in
Milwaukee?
Well, I've seen politicians on the
press report about it.
Everything that I've see in talking
to people who've been interviewed
is that the interviews have been
professional, they've been done by
career employees, and
it wasn't really what I call an
investigation. I think there's an
effort to prepare
a report for probably someone
higher up in the Department of
Justice or the FBI.
I am not confident that anything
more will come of it.
Certainly, the conversation that was
reported in the press with
a. Election Commission staffer,
the questions that were asked were,
can you debunk these election
conspiracy theories?
I think the staffer did a very good
job of that.
And so I'm not sure that we'll
have an investigation.
I think it's hopefully doubtful that
we'll see the FBI come in to
any clerk's office in
Milwaukee or Madison or elsewhere
with a search warrant.
I think mostly what's going on is
that they're trying to draft a
report so that those in Washington
can evaluate.
With all of this happening behind
the scenes really, what should
voters do to make sure they can cast
a ballot that is counted?
Well, certainly go on
my vote, make sure that you're
voting in the right place.
If you're going to vote absentee and
we don't want to discourage people
from doing that, make sure you get
your ballot, fill it out, send
it back early.
Or if you're concerned about the
mails, place it in
a secure drop box if your
municipality has one or deliver
it to your clerk. That's the most
important.
We leave it there.
Don Millis, thanks very much.
Thank you, have a good weekend.
Perfect timing.
Thank you.
Well, it's more due to you, and I
try not to filibuster
So like yeah, maybe some of your
guests
You got that right.
We're talking to an
early childhood association
about the elimination
or the end of
those child care subsidies.
We have Donald Trump.
We are not interviewing him, but we
are showing him.
Is it today?
Is today the day he's in Wisconsin?
Yeah, Chippewa County.
Cool.
We have a nice story about...
The number of closures of rural
schools.
Yeah. Oh.
Oh, you know, good news as usual,
all over the place.
Yeah, I guess so.
OK, well, good enough.
Have a good weekend.
Thank you, you too.