Here & Now

Millis Says Elections Commission Will Be More Transparent

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE NEWLY-CREATED ETHICS AND ELECTIONS COMMISSIONS HELD MEETINGS THIS WEEK AND IN THE NEAR TERM THEY WILL OPERATE A LOT LIKE THE OLD GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD. WITH THE AUGUST PRIMARY AND NOVEMBER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COMING UP SOON, THERE’S NO TIME FOR LEARNING ON THE JOB. HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT TRANSITION IS DON MILLIS, A MEMBER OF THE ELECTION COMMISSION. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

DON MILLIS:

MY PLEASURE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

YOU WERE APPOINTED TO THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION BY REPUBLICAN SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SCOTT FITZGERALD. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT LABEL IN TERMS OF HOW YOU DO YOUR JOB AND HOW THE PUBLIC PERCEIVES WHAT THE COMMISSION DOES?

DON MILLIS:

WELL, I DON’T THINK IT MATTERS WHAT PARTY APPOINTED ME. I THINK EVERY DECISION THAT WE’VE HAD THUS FAR WE’VE HAD SOME PRE-MEETINGS THAT WE’RE ALLOWED TO HAVE. EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE HAS BEEN UNANIMOUS. THE REPUBLICANS AND THE DEMOCRATS HAVE AGREED. I THINK WE ALL HAVE THE SAME INTEREST IN HAVING FAIR AND FULL PARTICIPATION IN OUR ELECTIONS. I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS NOT SO MUCH THAT IT’S REPUBLICAN, BUT THAT IT’S PARTISAN INPUT OR PEOPLE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH HOW ELECTIONS RUN. I THINK ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES OF THE FORMER ARRANGEMENT WAS THAT YOU HAD PEOPLE — YOU HAD STAFF PEOPLE AND FOLKS THAT WEREN’T REALLY INVOLVED IN ELECTIONS. I THINK ONE OF THE STRENGTHS OF THE NEW SETUP IS YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE, FOUR OF US, ACTUALLY ALL SIX OF US, WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED EITHER PARTICIPATING IN ELECTIONS OR ACTUALLY RUNNING THEM, LIKE THE TWO CLERK MEMBERS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, DO YOU AGREE WITH THE DECISION TO ELIMINATE THE OLD GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD?

DON MILLIS:

I THINK THIS WILL BE A BETTER SITUATION, IN A COUPLE OF WAYS. ONE IS I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEPARATE THE ELECTIONS FUNCTION FROM THE ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE. I THINK UNDER BOTH THE OLD ELECTIONS BOARD AND UNDER THE GAB, I THINK IT’S POSSIBLE THAT THE EMPHASIS ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO POLLING PLACES AND HAVE BETTER PARTICIPATION, I THINK THEY GOT LOST AND I THINK UNDER THE NEW SETUP IT WILL BE EASIER TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF ACTUAL ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ALSO MAKING EARLY VOTING MORE UNIFORM AND ACCESSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN SOME RURAL AREAS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, KEVIN KENNEDY HAS SAID THE TRUE TEST WILL COME WHEN THE FIRST BIG ISSUE COMES BEFORE THE COMMISSION. DO YOU THINK IF THIS COMMISSION HAD BEEN HERE DURING THE RECALL TIME, WOULD PARTISAN MEMBERS HAVE VOTED TO CERTIFY THOSE RECALL PETITIONS?

DON MILLIS:

OH, I DON’T KNOW. IT’S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT WOULD OCCUR. I THINK THAT WE WOULD FOLLOW THE LAW. WHEN I WAS ON THE ELECTIONS BOARD, THERE WERE CERTAINLY TIMES IN WHICH WE HAD SITUATIONS WHERE I’M SURE PEOPLE APPOINTING ME WOULD HAVE WANTED A DIFFERENT RESULT. BUT WE’RE THERE TO ADMINISTER THE LAW. IF WE DON’T DO IT PROPERLY, A COURT WILL TELL US OTHERWISE. SO I DON’T KNOW IT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE AT ALL.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD IS GONE BECAUSE OF THE JOHN DOE INVESTIGATION AND SOME OF THE ETHICS CONCERNS RATHER THAN HOW THEY ADMINISTERED ELECTIONS?

DON MILLIS:

I THINK IT’S PROBABLY A COUPLE OF THINGS. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HASN’T GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION IS NOT JUST IN THE JOHN DOE PROBE BUT IN GENERAL, THE GAB OPERATED IN SECRECY. I’M AN ATTORNEY. I REPRESENTED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEFORE THE OLD GAB, CANDIDATES, DONORS, POLITICIANS, PUBLIC, CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES. WE OPERATED IN SECRET. I HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE INVESTIGATED BY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THOSE RESOLVED, PAY FORFEITURES OR FINES AND NO ONE KNEW ABOUT IT. NOW, THAT WAS GREAT FOR ME AND MY CLIENTS. I DON’T THINK IT WAS GOOD FOR THE PUBLIC. SO I’M HOPING THAT THE NEW SYSTEM, I THINK THE ETHICS COMMISSION WILL BE ABLE TO OPERATE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENTLY.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ONE OF THE FIRST ACTIONS WAS TO HIRE MIKE HAAS A FORMER GAB EMPLOYEE AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THIS NEW COMMISSION AND THERE’S BEEN SOME KICKBACK ALREADY FROM REPUBLICANS SAYING HEY, THE NEW BOSS LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE OLD BOSS.

DON MILLIS:

I’VE WORKED A LITTLE BIT WITH MIKE WHEN HE WAS ON THE GAB. STEVE KING, ANOTHER REPUBLICAN APPOINTEE, WORKED WITH HIM YEARS AGO PRIOR TO HIS INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS. I THINK MIKE DID RUN AS A DEMOCRAT FOR STATE OFFICE A FEW TIMES. I THINK EVERYONE INVOLVED KNOWS HE’S A STRAIGHT SHOOTER. I PERSONALLY TALKED WITH SEVERAL CLERKS AROUND THE STATE. THEY THINK MIKE’S A STRAIGHT SHOOTER AND A COMPETENT FELLOW. I SUPPOSE NOT EVERYONE’S HAPPY BUT I DON’T THINK WE’RE GOING TO PLEASE EVERYONE. MIKE WILL BE UP FOR SENATE CONFIRMATION AFTER THE 1ST OF THE YEAR, AFTER THE ELECTION. SO WE’LL FIND OUT. IF THE ELECTION GOES WELL AND THINGS GO SMOOTHLY AND WE DON’T HAVE THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF HANGING CHADS IN WISCONSIN, I THINK THAT HE’LL PROBABLY BE CONFIRMED. BUT TIME WILL TELL.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE’VE GOT LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT. YOU MADE YOUR FIRST BIG DECISION, AND THAT’S HOW TO SPEND A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS ON PROMOTING VOTER ID THIS FALL. WERE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THE PROCESS WENT IN THAT FIRST MEETING?

DON MILLIS:

I THINK IT WENT WELL. I HAD A LITTLE CONCERN ABOUT SPENDING MONEY ON BROADCAST ADS. I THINK WE WANT TO TARGET THE MONEY TOWARDS THOSE POPULATION, THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING HOW TO GET A VOTER ID OR TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT. I THINK WE NEED TO TARGET FOLKS. WE KNOW SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY. THAT’S WHERE WE WANT TO SPEND OUR MONEY. I’M CONFIDENT THE STAFF AND THE CONSULTANT THAT WE HIRED WILL DO A GOOD JOB.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

DON MILLIS:

YOU’RE WELCOME.