Here & Now

Elections Commission Chair Shares Latest On Recount

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE JILL STEIN IS GETTING WHAT SHE WANTED AND HAS SO FAR PAID $3.5 MILLION FOR IT IN THIS STATE. A RETABULATION OF WISCONSIN’S NEARLY THREE MILLION BALLOTS CAST IN THE NOVEMBER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. BALLOTS THAT PENDING THE RECOUNT PUT DONALD TRUMP UP 22,000 VOTES OVER HILLARY CLINTON. THE STEIN CAMPAIGN TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY THIS WEEK TO MANDATE A STATEWIDE HAND COUNT OF BALLOTS. STILL, MANY COUNTIES HAVE CHOSEN ON THEIR OWN TO HAND COUNT. HERE’S HOW IT ALL BREAKS OUT. 47 COUNTIES PLAN TO RECOUNT BY HAND. 13 COUNTIES PLAN A COMBINATION OF OPTICAL SCANNERS AND HAND COUNT. 12 COUNTIES PLAN TO USE OPTICAL SCANNERS. THE DEADLINE FOR COUNTY BOARDS OF CANVASSERS TO COMPLETE THEIR RECOUNT WORK IS 8:00 P.M., MONDAY, DECEMBER 12. THE COMMISSION PLANS TO CERTIFY RESULTS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13. MARK THOMSEN IS CHAIR OF THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION. HE JOINS US AT THE END OF A HECTIC WEEK FROM MILWAUKEE. MR. THOMSEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

MARK THOMSEN:

GREETINGS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, SO HOW IS THIS RECOUNT PROGRESS GOING NOW ONE DAY INTO IT?

MARK THOMSEN:

FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, I THINK IT’S GOING REMARKABLY WELL. YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE PETITION MIDDLE OF THANKSGIVING WEEKEND. LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON WE CONTACTED FELLOW COMMISSIONERS TO SCHEDULE A MEETING FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING, KNOWING THAT WE HAD TO BE DONE BY DECEMBER 13. YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT AMONGST THE THREE DEMOCRATS, THREE REPUBLICANS THAT THIS STATE WOULD GET IT DONE, GET IT DONE TIMELY FASHION AND WE FULLY ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL CONFIRM THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MEANWHILE, HOWEVER, A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED IN FEDERAL COURT IN MADISON SEEKING TO STOP THIS RECOUNT. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESPONSE AND REACTION TO THAT?

MARK THOMSEN:

I THINK PERSONALLY I WAS SURPRISED THAT A PAC ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WOULD TRY TO STOP THE RECOUNT. IT WAS OUR INTENTION TO FOLLOW STATE STATUTES AND GET THIS DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION. WE HAVE 72 COUNTY CANVASSING BOARDS WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK, OR VIRTUALLY AROUND THE CLOCK, WORKING VERY, VERY HARD. AS OF LAST NIGHT, WE HAD TWO COUNTIES COMPLETE, MENOMINEE COUNTY, IRON COUNTY. IT CONFIRMED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A NET CHANGE OF VOTES BETWEEN THE CLINTON AND TRUMP CAMPAIGN OF ONE VOTE. YOU KNOW, LAST TIME THERE WAS A STATEWIDE COUNT THERE WERE ABOUT 300 VOTES THAT CHANGED OUT OF 1.5 MILLION. FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, I WANTED THIS COUNT, THIS RECOUNT TO BE COMPLETED TO CONFIRM THAT WE’RE NOT COUNTING ILLEGAL BALLOTS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND THAT HARD-WORKING WISCONSINITES ARE GETTING IT DONE. WITH RESPECT TO THIS ATTEMPT TO STOP THE RECOUNT, I THINK IT’S VERY, VERY IRONIC. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO CONFIRM THAT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WON THIS RACE AND THAT THERE IS NOT ANY ILLEGAL CONDUCT GOING ON STATEWIDE. AND WHY NOW THE WINNER OR FRIENDS OF WINNER WOULD WANT TO STOP IT IS BEYOND ME. THE ONLY REASON I CAN GUESS IS THAT THEY DON’T WANT THE TRUTH TO COME OUT THAT WE’RE NOT COUNTING ILLEGAL VOTES, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, THIS IS AN ACCURATE PLACE. WHY ELSE WOULD THEY WANT TO STOP THE COUNT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE’RE TRYING TO CONFIRM THAT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WON.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOU KNOW, IN FACT EARLIER THIS WEEK PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP COMMENTED THAT THERE WERE MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL VOTES CAST ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN THE ELECTION, GIVING HILLARY CLINTON THE POPULAR VOTE. WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? YOU KNOW, ALSO IN KEEPING WITH THIS LAWSUIT SEEKING TO STOP DOWN YOUR RECOUNT?

MARK THOMSEN:

FROM THE VANTAGE POINT AS CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION, BASED ON THE HISTORICAL PRACTICE OF HARD-WORKING PEOPLE STATEWIDE THAT HANDLE THESE ELECTIONS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS MY OPINION THAT IT WAS A FALSE CHARGE AGAINST THE PEOPLE THAT RUN OUR ELECTIONS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A VERY SAFE SYSTEM. IT HAS BEEN DOUBLE-CHECKED. IT’S HISTORICALLY BEEN AUDITED. THERE HASN’T BEEN ANY ALLEGATIONS OF SPECIFIC HACKS AROUND THE STATE. AND I BELIEVE AND PERSONALLY WANTED THIS RECOUNT COMPLETED SO THAT THE WORLD KNOWS THAT WE ARE COUNTING REAL VOTES, NOT ILLEGAL VOTES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE CONCERNS ON THE PART OF THE JILL STEIN CAMPAIGN THAT NOT COUNTING BY HAND ACROSS THE BOARD RISKS SCANNING PAPER BALLOTS THROUGH THE SAME COMPUTERIZED VOTING MACHINES THAT WERE USED FOR THE INITIAL COUNT, WHICH ACCORDING TO THAT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COMPUTER SCIENCE PROFESSOR MIGHT BE HACKED?

MARK THOMSEN:

THAT ISSUE WAS RESOLVED BY THE JUDGE IN DANE COUNTY. JILL STEIN HAD THE RIGHT TO APPEAL FROM THAT DECISION. SHE DIDN’T. THE LAW IS VERY CLEAR THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A COURT ORDER BEFORE YOU GET A RECOUNT. AND IT IS PROCEEDING ALONG THOSE LINES. I THINK I CAN SAY THIS. SIGNIFICANTLY, IN THE COUNT AT MENOMINEE COUNTY, IT CONFIRMED THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN ERROR AND 17 JILL STEIN VOTES HADN’T ACTUALLY BEEN COUNTED. SO HAVING THIS RECOUNT ACTUALLY HAVE — IT CONFIRMS THESE 17 VOTERS, THAT THEIR VOTE WILL COUNT. SO IT MAY BE A VERY EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING FOR THOSE 17 VOTES, BUT I’M SURE THOSE 17 PEOPLE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT THEIR VOTES ARE GOING TO BE COUNTED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

TO THAT LARGER ISSUE, COULD WISCONSIN’S VOTING MACHINES HAVE CYBERSECURITY RISKS?

MARK THOMSEN:

THERE’S NO INDICATION THAT WE’VE HAD THAT PROBLEM. YOU KNOW, HOMELAND SECURITY WAS HERE BEFORE THE ELECTION. MICHAEL HAAS AND HIS STAFF HAVE, YOU KNOW, DONE ALL THE DOUBLE-CHECKS. OF COURSE, THERE’S ALWAYS SOME OUTSIDE POSSIBILITY. BUT WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE IN THIS STATE TO HAVE A VERY, VERY COMPETENT STAFF, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THEM FULLY FUNDED. THAT’S THE NEXT BIG STEP HERE. ONCE WE GET THIS RECOUNT DONE, IS TO GET OUR STAFF FUNDED BY, YOU KNOW, THE LEGISLATURE. A LOT OF OUR STAFF RIGHT NOW IS FUNDED ON FEDERAL DOLLARS, AND IT’S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS RECOUNT MOVE TO GET THE BUDGET PASSED SO WE HAVE THE STAFF. IF WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THIS RECOUNT IS THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE A VERY COMPETENT, FULLY-FUNDED STAFF TO HANDLE THESE KINDS OF MATTERS. I MEAN, WE HAVE ASKED OUR STAFF AND THE STATEWIDE COUNTIES TO DO A MAJOR, MAJOR UNDERTAKING. AND AS YOU AND I TALK, THEY’RE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD. AND I HOPE THAT MY FELLOW CITIZENS REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I’M SURE THEY DO. MARK THOMSEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

MARK THOMSEN:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.