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THE CHIEF ELECTION OFFICIALS IN THEIR STATE. IT’S THEIR JOB TO OVERSEE THE PROCESS, MAKE SURE PEOPLE’S VOTES ARE SECURE, AND MAKE SURE THOSE WORKING THE POLLS ARE SAFE, AND MAKE SURE THERE’S A TRANSPARENT AND FAIR PROCESS THAT THE PUBLIC TRUSTS. SCOTT SCHWAB IS THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE STATE OF KANSAS. HE’S ALSO THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES OF STATE. IT’S NICE TO HAVE YOU IN OUR STUDIO. IT’S HONOR TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. SO I GUESS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE UPCOMING ELECTION? WELL, WE’RE FEELING GOOD. MANY FOLKS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF RHETORIC, AND I’M REALLY CLEAR TO EXPLAIN. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CAMPAIGN SIDE AND THERE’S THE ACTUAL ELECTION SIDE. AND WE’RE ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS MOSTLY ABOUT 40 SECRETARIES OF STATE ARE WE’RE FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IF YOU CAN GO THROUGH A PANDEMIC AND AND DO AN ELECTION, WE CAN DO THIS. ARE THERE SPECIFIC STEPS THAT YOU’VE BEEN TAKEN THAT YOU WOULD SAY ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE DOING TO ENSURE, IN FACT, THAT IT’S SAFE AND IT’S ACCURATE AND IT’S VALID? AND THE THE, THE PUBLIC TRUSTS IT? YEAH, IT’S AN ONGOING PROCESS. RIGHT? WE’RE CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH OUR STATES ON LAWS AND ALSO MAKING SURE THINGS ARE FUNDED TO THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO BE. BUT OVERALL WE CAN’T. WE’RE RUN BY VOLUNTEERS. I MEAN, FEW COLLEGES HAVE DEGREES IN ELECTIONS. IT’S YOUR ELECTIONS RUN BY YOUR NEIGHBORS. IF YOU DON’T TRUST YOUR NEIGHBORS AND THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH YOU, BUT BY AND LARGE, IT’S IT’S WE WE TRUST WHAT WE DO. AND OUR NEIGHBORS SAY THEY MAY BLAME ANOTHER STATE, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT THEY OFTEN LIKE THE WAY THEIR STATE RUNS THE ELECTION THAT IS ALMOST LIKE THE DEFINITION OF AMERICAN POLITIC RIGHT NOW. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN MEETING WITH PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE FBI. WHAT KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS ARE YOU HAVING? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THOSE PARTNERS? SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE THE CONVERSATIONS SOMETIMES LIKE THE TOUCH SCREEN VOTING MACHINES, THAT’S REALLY NOT OUR CONCERN. WE’RE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR POLL BOOKS AND OUR DATA. WHAT’S A POLL BOOK? SO WHEN YOU REGISTER TO VOTE, WE HAVE YOUR INFORMATION. WE HAVE WHERE YOU LIVE. SO WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF BALLOT YOU’RE GOING TO GET. OUR CONCERN IS IF A FOREIGN ADVERSARY WERE TO GET ACCESS TO THAT AND MANIPULATE THE DATA. SO NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT BALLOT. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE’S A LACK OF TRUST IN ELECTIONS. AND THEN WHEN YOU HAVE LACK OF TRUST IN ELECTIONS, YOU END UP DESCENDING INTO CHAOS. HOW WORRIED ARE YOU THAT THE ELECTION ITSELF GOES FINE. BUT WHEN PEOPLE THERE’S A NARRATIVE, IF YOU WILL, OF PEOPLE SAYING, WELL, THOSE RESULTS ARE COMPLETELY FABRICATED. YEAH. SO MY COLLEAGUES AND I WROTE AN OP ED PIECE SAYING, YOU KNOW, BOTH PARTIES ARE TO BLAME ON THIS BECAUSE STACEY ABRAMS IN GEORGIA HAD FIVE LAWSUITS. NONE OF THEM WON. AND SHE CLAIMED IT WAS VOTER SUPPRESSION IN GEORGIA. AND THEN GEORGIA AGAIN UNDER TRUMP SAID IT WAS VOTER FRAUD. IT SEEMS LIKE THIS PENDULUM ALWAYS SWINGS BACK AND FORTH DEPENDING ON WHO WINS AND WHO LOSES. WELL, WAS IT VOTER SUPPRESSION OR WAS IT VOTER FRAUD? BUT WHEN WE AUDIT OUR ELECTIONS, NOTHING CHANGES. I’M GOING TO USE KANSAS AS AN EXAMPLE. WE HAD THE FIRST ABORTION CONSTITUTIONAL VOTE AFTER THE DOBBS DECISION, AND IT LOST. AND THE GENTLEMAN WHO COULD NOT BELIEVE IT LOST PUT $180,000 ON HIS PERSONAL CREDIT CARD TO HAVE RECOUNTS, AND NOT A SINGLE COUNTY FLIPPED. NOTHING CHANGED. AND AND AFTER THAT HAPPENED, ALL THE VOTER FRAUD CONCERNS PEOPLE HAD BECAUSE THEY SAW SOMETHING ON THE INTERNET, THEY HEARD A STORY. OUR PHONES QUIT RINGING BECAUSE THEY SAID, WELL, IT’S I MEAN, YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH THE RESULT THAT’S BEEN HAND COUNTED. A LOT OF THE NARRATIVE, THOUGH. AROUND JANUARY SIXTH, WHICH I THINK THERE IS NO OTHER SIDE COUNTER NARRATIVE, IF YOU WILL. WAS THIS ELECTION WAS A SHAM. WE’RE GOING TO STORM IT AND WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CHANGES. SO THAT’S THAT’S THAT WAS SCARY. I REMEMBER I WAS HOME WATCHING THAT UNFOLD AND IT WAS CRAZINESS. I CRIED THAT DAY. I LOVE OUR CAPITAL. UM, BEING SOMEONE WHO JUST IS A COLONIAL HISTORY BUFF, KNOWING HOW THAT CITY WAS. BUILT, IT JUST IT WAS A SAD DAY. HOWEVER, WE’RE STILL AMERICA AND WE’RE STILL THE GREAT IDEA AND AND WE ALWAYS HAVE DARK POINTS. I THINK IT WAS WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID THE AMERICANS ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING, BUT NOT TILL EVERY OTHER OPTION HAS BEEN EXPIRED AND, AND AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY. SOMETIMES BAD THINGS HAPPEN. SOMETIMES WE DO IT TO OURSELVES, BUT EVENTUALLY WE’RE STILL A GREAT COUNTRY AND I THINK AMERICANS STILL LOVE AMERICA. SCOTT SCHWAB, A SECRETARY OF STATE FROM THE GREAT STA