WEBVTT

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Alright.

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Even as the President and members of his cabinet make campaign swings through Wisconsin

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this week, the Trump administration is working behind the scenes on the electoral process

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leading up to the November elections.

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This week, the U.S. Postal Service released its proposed rule attached to the President's

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March executive order titled Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.

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That's an order Governor Tony Evers at the time called BS.

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The order instructs the Departments of Homeland Security and Social Security to send state

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election officials lists of confirmed U.S. citizens and prevents mail-in ballots to

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anyone not on the list.

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Add to that the FBI has been in Milwaukee interviewing and seeking to talk with election

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officials who worked the 2020 election that Trump declares he actually won but didn't.

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Trump maintains his loss was a result of widespread voter fraud which never proved out.

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That against all this, we turn to Wisconsin Elections Commission Chair-elect, Republican

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member Don Millis.

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And Mr. Millis, thanks very much for being here.

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Great to see you.

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So is it another rough and tumble election cycle staring down the Wisconsin Elections

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Commission?

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Well, more of the rough and tumble certainly is going to be in the political ads that

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are run between the candidates.

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You know, this has always been an issue for the Elections Commission.

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You know, there will be lawsuits and counter lawsuits and proposed regulations.

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You know, I'm not too worried about it.

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I know that the things that really bother me the most, that concern me the most are making

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sure that absentee ballots, if they're mailed like a week or two before the election, they

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get there on Election Day, those are things that we're working to try to, working with

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the post office to make sure that that happens, those are things that concern me the most.

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Because what has called on the U.S. Postal Service to speed up deliveries of absentee

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ballots after I read two-thirds of clerks reported mail delays during the April 7 election.

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How bad was it?

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Well, it was so bad that when the Commission staff sent out a questionnaire to clerks,

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they've got an overwhelming and historic response from clerks, typically clerks don't respond.

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There was a huge, huge concern.

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The staff have met with the Postal Service officials.

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We are trying to get what's known as enhanced delivery procedures that they would agree

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to when we have elections.

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This would mean, for example, that when you put a return, a ballot to Madison or Grafton

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or Eau Claire, it wouldn't have to go to Milwaukee or Minneapolis would go straight

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to the clerk.

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And so those are things we're working on.

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Those are the things we do behind the scenes that no one really seems to pay much attention

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to.

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I glad that you're paying attention to it.

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We can really make sure that our elections are done effectively and interested.

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Have you had any response from the USPS on that?

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I think the staff have indicated that it was a generally a very positive response.

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I think there's a dedication to making sure that absentee ballots are returned promptly,

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having multiple deliveries on Election Day, things like that.

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I think it was a very constructive conversation.

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As to these federally generated voter lists for delivery of absentee ballots, do you think

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that's a good idea?

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Well, I think it's problematic.

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I mean, one of the concerns is they want to use intelligent mail barcodes on the return.

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We use those when ballots are sent out.

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Again, the problem with that is it delays it.

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I'm guessing that, as with so many other executive orders and regulations that have come out

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of the Obama, Trump, Biden, Trump, White Houses, the courts are going to have their

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say, if it looks like it's going to pass muster with the courts, that's when we're probably

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become concerned.

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Well, I certainly have contingency plans.

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It looks like it's going to fall into place.

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But what was published last week was just a preliminary notice and comment in the federal

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register.

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I'm not, I think it's unlikely that that regulation is going to be in play for the

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November election.

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So, what is your response to the FBI poking around on the 2020 election in Wisconsin specifically

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in Milwaukee?

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Well, I've seen politicians on the press report about it.

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Everything that I've seen and talking to people who have been interviewed is that the

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interviews have been professional.

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They've been done by career employees.

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And it wasn't really what I call an investigation.

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I think there's an effort to prepare a report for probably somewhat higher up in the Department

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of Justice or the FBI.

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I am not confident that anything more will come of it.

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Certainly the conversation that was reported in the press with the Election Commission

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staffer, the questions that were asked were, can you debunk these election conspiracy theories?

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I think the staffer did a very good job of that.

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And so, I'm not sure that we'll have an investigation.

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I think it's hopefully doubtful that we'll see the FBI come in to any clerk's office

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in Milwaukee or Madison or elsewhere with a search warrant.

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I think mostly what's going on is that they're trying to draft a report so that those at Washington

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can evaluate.

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With all of this happening behind the scenes really, what should voters do to make sure

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they can cast a ballot that is counted?

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Well, certainly go on my vote, make sure that you're voting in the right place.

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If you're going to vote absentee and we don't want to discourage people from doing that,

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make sure you get your ballot, fill it out, send it back early, or if you're concerned

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about the mails, place it in a secure drop box if your municipality has one or deliver

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it to your clerk.

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That's the most important thing.

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All right.

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We leave it there.

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Don Miller's.

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Thanks very much.

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Thank you.

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Have a good weekend.

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Perfect timing.

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Thank you.

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Well, it's more due to you, and I try not to filibuster, so maybe some of your guests.

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What else do you want to make?

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You got that right.

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We're talking to early childhood association about the, you know, the elimination or the

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end of those childcare subsidies.

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We have Donald Trump.

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We are not interviewing him, but we are showing him.

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Is it today?

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Is it day to day?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Chippewa, Chippewa County.

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Cool.

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Oh, we have a nice story about the number of closures of rural schools.

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Oh, you know, good news as usual.

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All over the place.

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Yeah, I guess so.

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Okay.

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Well, good enough.

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Have a good weekend.

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Thank you.

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You too.