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 CHAPTER 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 CHIPPEWA
FALLS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH 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 INDIVIDUALS 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 TO
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.