Announcer:

The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

Frederica Freyberg:

Partisans make their final push before Tuesday’s primary election with national headliners Donald Trump and Mike Pence flying in to stump for their chosen GOP gubernatorial candidates. And election officials are working hard to keep voters confident in the process.

I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” Zac Schultz provides a blueprint of the GOP candidates who hope to take on Tony Evers in the fall. A dedicated voter explains the barriers that exist for voters with disabilities. Milwaukee’s top election official outlines preparation, and a conversation with the new chancellor of Wisconsin’s flagship university. It’s “Here & Now” for August 5th.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:

The fall primary election is next Tuesday, and the most heated race down this stretch has been the Republican primary for governor. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz has the story on what separates the three main candidates.

Zac Schultz:

The Republican primary candidates for governor don’t differ that much from each other in policy, but they are vastly different in terms of what elements of the modern Republican Party they represent.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Well, I feel great about where we are.

Zac Schultz:

Rebecca Kleefisch represents establishment Republicans, the branch of the party that looks back fondly to her eight years as lieutenant governor under Scott Walker.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

I intend to lead this state into the new revolution of conservative reform.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Michels is the businessman outsider, president of a large construction company. He’s running as the millionaire who doesn’t need to ask for money.

Tim Michels:

I am not inside the bubble. The insiders did not recruit me, and they are not bankrolling my campaign. And I’m not beholden to the PACS, the lobbyists or the special interests. I refuse their money, don’t need it, don’t want it, won’t take it.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Ramthun is a different kind of outsider, one from inside the Assembly.

Tim Ramthun:

I’m being attacked and accused of things like I’m a conspiracy theorist. No, I’m not. I just want truth and transparency. Everybody else should too.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun gained national attention for attempting to reclaim Wisconsin’s electoral votes. An effort his own party ignored as unconstitutional. He was encouraged to run for governor after repeating false claims that large scale fraud tainted the 2020 presidential election.

Tim Ramthun:

I got engaged and I got known all over the state and then while I’m going up, you need to run for governor.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun wasn’t the first person in the race but he was the first to shake it up by injecting it with Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about stuffed ballot boxes, hacked voting machines and counterfeit ballots.

Tim Ramthun:

In my humble opinion, with the evidence I have, I can show nefarious acts, illegal acts, fraudulent elections for the last 2 1/2 decades. I got data that goes back to Clinton against Dole in 1996.

Zac Schultz:

All of these claims have been debunked, and when pressed, he could only say the evidence is coming.

Tim Ramthun:

Judicial, prosecutions, convictions, all of that’s coming. So I’ve been on the right side of the fence the whole time. I know I have in my heart. I know I have in my head.

Zac Schultz:

In reality, as governor, Ramthun would dramatically rewrite Wisconsin election law, eliminating the Wisconsin Elections Commission, requiring a hand count of millions of ballots on Election Day, and scaling back absentee voting.

Tim Ramthun:

There’s no chain of custody when you put it in the mailbox. A lot of concerns about that. We need to have same day, you know, on paper, same day, hand count. You know, we’ve got to have that kind of stuff done.

Zac Schultz:

As for the August primary, Ramthun plans to conduct his own forensic audit.

Tim Ramthun:

I have very little confidence that we will have fair, safe and legal elections starting in August. We’ll have a rerun in November of 2022.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Everyone needs to take things with a grain of salt until I can become governor and sign a whole bunch of reforms that Tony Evers has already vetoed.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch doesn’t repeat the same election conspiracy theories but hopes to capitalize on the anger among conservatives.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

That’s what we need in order to actually have a Republican wave in November. We need people who, yes, are frustrated but use that frustration as a motivation to show up.

Zac Schultz:

In a televised debate, Michels seemed to place blame on Kleefisch and Walker for creating the WEC in the first place.

Tim Michels:

I want to make sure that we don’t have these questions ever again in Wisconsin. These election fraud issues should have been fixed in previous administrations, but here we have a mess right now.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Michels did not agree to a sit-down interview for this story. He’s only done a few interviews and skipped an earlier Republican debate, something Kleefisch made sure to highlight.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

And to my opponents, Tim, thank you for being here. Tim, thank you for showing up tonight. My priorities are our first budget making sure that —

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch does not shy away from her establishment credentials.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

You know, you hear a lot of talk about everyone running as the outsider. Well, I’m not going to apologize for knowing what I’m doing. I mean, I’ve spent eight years inside, making sure that I know how to run this state, making sure that I know how to make a budget that is going to be beneficial to all of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

The legislature is expected to remain under Republican control, so any of these candidates could expect to see their agenda passed in full. One area that Kleefisch says won’t change is the 1849 abortion law. She doesn’t expect to add in new exceptions.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

We already have a life of the mother statute on the books, and as far as I can see and tell, that will stay. And that is my position, which has not changed.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun takes a harder line and would end all exceptions and even eliminate abortifacient birth control that prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg.

Tim Ramthun:

Prolife without exception, life begins at conception, life is a gift from God. It’s not the baby’s fault in how they were conceived. We have to stop killing babies.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch wouldn’t clarify if she would ban any forms of birth control.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Birth control will remain legal in the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

All forms of birth control?

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Birth control will remain legal in the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

Some Republican primary voters may choose simply on who they think has the best chance to beat Democrat Tony Evers in November — the electability factor. Michels and Kleefisch have been up on Ramthun in publicly released polling but he doesn’t care. He says the silent majority are voting for him.

Tim Ramthun:

The other candidates for this position for the governor’s seat, they talk grassroots. Can’t hold a candle to it compared to me. These people adore what I’m doing because I’m the fighter they wanted for decades.

Zac Schultz:

In the debate, Michels said it is his outsider status that will carry him to victory.

Tim Michels:

People come up to me all the time and say, Tim, thank you for running. I’m tired of politics as usual. I’m tired of the usual politicians. I want an outsider. I want a veteran. I want a businessman. We need change. I say, if you want to keep politics as usual, vote for the usual politicians. This is our time to make a difference and lead Wisconsin and get it headed in the right direction.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch has already won four statewide races for lieutenant governor and says voters should go with the proven winner.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

If they want to make their decision on electability, that’s fine by me because obviously, I am the one who can beat Tony Evers.

Zac Schultz:

Reporting from Madison, I’m Zac Schultz for “Here & Now.”

Frederica Freyberg:

Earlier this week, clerks around the state began the process of publicly testing the voting machines for each municipality. In West Bend, the city clerk brought each of the tabulators into the council chambers and conducted tests to show the machines were properly counting ballots or rejecting ballots that were improperly marked. After the tests, the machines are cleared to ensure they start counting at zero on Election Day. A handful of first-time election inspectors and poll workers were on hand to see how the machines work and ask questions before Tuesday’s primary. West Bend uses Dominion voting machines, which were central to a number of unfounded conspiracy theories spread by supporters of Donald Trump after he lost the 2020 election. City clerk Lizbet Santana says hopefully conducting tests like these helps eliminate questions and conspiracy theories.

Lizbet Santana:

There’s rumors, theories and, I mean, people don’t know. They’re not informed. They’re not educated in some areas. And again, for the city of West Bend, I do training sessions with them. Any questions that they have, I want to make sure they are aware of how things work.

Frederica Freyberg:

Baseless claims of election fraud is one driving factor behind calls to reform the absentee ballot system. But these changes could create a chilling effect for voters with disabilities. Marisa Wojcik brings this story from Milwaukee.

William Crowley:

I typically vote in every election.

Marisa Wojcik:

William Crowley is a dedicated voter.

William Crowley:

National, federal, presidential and the Congress races down to state and local government races.

Marisa Wojcik:

For him and thousands of other Wisconsinites with disabilities, the option of voting absentee is paramount to fulfilling this constitutional right.

William Crowley:

I’ve done a mix of voting styles. Since COVID, it’s been absentee by mail, just trying to avoid large crowds of people standing in line. And I have pre-existing conditions where the virus would have been more burdensome for me.

Marisa Wojcik:

But confidence in fulfilling that right has been eroded recently, with investigations, court cases, and direct challenges to voters who cast an absentee ballot.

William Crowley:

There’s been questions this year about voting absentee after the Teigen lower court decision came out.

Marisa Wojcik:

In Teigen versus the Wisconsin Elections Commission, a Waukesha County judge ruled in January that someone cannot have anyone else turn in their absentee ballot for them, calling it ballot harvesting. For Crowley, that created a direct barrier.

William Crowley:

I’m a quadriplegic with a spinal cord injury. Due to my spinal cord injury, I have limited upper body movements and strength. If I were to go to a post office mailbox, I’m unable to open it and throw an envelope in on my own, so I’m limited in that way when it comes to mailing my vote.

Marisa Wojcik:

Because of that court ruling, instead of voting absentee in April, he went to the polls, and then faced another barrier.

William Crowley:

To get around, I use a electric wheelchair. I went to the polling place, and actually the elevator in the building that would get me to the actual room that the voting was happening in was out of order. And so I couldn’t get up to that room.

Marisa Wojcik:

Federal election law says any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice. Wisconsin state law says that for disabled voters, when assistance is requested, the elector may select any individual to assist in casting his or her vote. But when the Wisconsin Supreme Court took up the Teigen case, they agreed that drop boxes and ballot harvesting are illegal. But they did not address protections for disabled voters getting assistance handing in their ballot. Saying, we do not decide at this time whether the law permits a voter’s agent to place an absentee ballot in the mail on the voter’s behalf. And because of this legal gray area, a challenge has already been filed by four people with disabilities, asking a federal judge to declare that they can get help turning in ballots. Even with federal protection, there’s a lingering fear that his ballot could be challenged by people claiming fraud occurred.

William Crowley:

That is a concern that I have, that somebody would try to challenge either my vote or someone else with a disability that has assistance mailing their ballot just because voting has become such a contentious issue.

Marisa Wojcik:

Crowley wants voters with disabilities to know these rights, and to not get discouraged.

William Crowley:

These are big elections coming up, and everyone who wants to make their choice heard should vote, and that absolutely includes people with disabilities.

Marisa Wojcik:

For “Here & Now,” I’m Marisa Wojcik reporting from Milwaukee.

Frederica Freyberg:

The Wisconsin Elections Commission this week voted unanimously to send an email to local clerks, reminding them that federal and state law allow people to assist disabled people in voting. How does that square with the recent state Supreme Court ruling that banned absentee ballot drop boxes and requires voters to themselves put a ballot in the mail or deliver in person? And is this just one more gray area as next Tuesday’s primary election fast approaches? We check in with the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, Claire Woodall-Vogg, for her take, now four days until the election. Thanks very much for being here.

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

Thank you for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

So as for voters with a disability, what’s your guidance for them and for clerks with returning their absentee ballots?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

So in the city of Milwaukee, we have been very consistent ever since the Supreme Court ruling came out that voters with disabilities do have federal protections, and so if they need an agent to return their absentee ballot for them, we have been accepting it. We just need confirmation that they needed assistance returning their ballot. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruling left it very gray, and so many clerks have been left to interpret it themselves and, you know, there’s 1800 clerks in the state, so luckily with the Wisconsin Election Commission guidance and reminder, hopefully all clerks will be making sure that voters with disabilities are protected.

Frederica Freyberg:

So also what are clerks to do after votes and rulings in the legislature and the state elections commission about filling in missing information on absentee ballots?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

Again, another gray area where clerks have been really left to interpret things themselves. The guidance from 2016 that the Wisconsin Elections Commission issued is still valid, and so if a voter’s witness didn’t complete their full address, we see a lot of times they leave off — here in Milwaukee, they leave off Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We have been hearing those and contacting voters if we need information.

Frederica Freyberg:

What is it like to have all of these changes swirling around as you ready to administer this election?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

You know, for us, we are very used to it. Election administrators are used to interpreting and reacting, but unfortunately for Wisconsin voters, it’s adding to greater confusion, and that ultimately results in more distrust of the process itself when you’re having court rulings within 30 days of an election, when absentee ballots had already been mailed out two weeks before that ruling.

Frederica Freyberg:

Your city polling places like other municipalities across the state tested your voting equipment this past week. Were any problems encountered?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

No, there were no problems. We test all 180 machines here in Milwaukee, and then we held our public test where we did have one member of the public who came and a few news media, but there were no issues. Our machines are reading and transmitting results exactly as those paper ballots are cast.

Frederica Freyberg:

Still, Milwaukee County has been singled out by Republicans for potential fraud. Does Milwaukee administer elections any differently than in the rest of the state?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

No. You know, I think that’s one thing to really highlight, is that we continue to be singled out but we are administering elections just like every other municipality, every other county in the state. Our equipment is used elsewhere in the state, and our policies and procedures are following state law and Wisconsin Election Commission guidance.

Frederica Freyberg:

Following the 2020 election, you were threatened by election deniers. Does that persist?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

It does persist unfortunately. I think that it was odd in that we saw the greatest amount of threats actually come almost a year after the election, and nearly two years after the election, we are still seeing a lot of election deniers, conspiracy theorists that I battle and that our election officials, you know, are answering questions that are very complicated on Election Day, and we’ve had to do additional training to make sure that they’re comfortable working on Election Day.

Frederica Freyberg:

What kinds of trainings and preparations have you made with any kind of expectation of continuing threats to election officials?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

So just this summer, we trained all of our chief election inspectors on managing and maintaining control of the polling place, de-escalation techniques and really trying to prevent anything from becoming a potential violent situation, trying to kind of nip it in the bud before it would escalate to that point, and really going over the polling place procedures in case you need to remove someone.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have you lost a number of people working at the polling places because of all this?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

You know, to our knowledge, we haven’t. I think most of our election officials really feel like this is a civic duty, and you know, feel like if they were to abandon their civic duty, that that would be a greater threat to democracy. But it’s really important to us that we make sure they feel equipped to go to work on Election Day and feel safe doing so.

Frederica Freyberg:

Just with about a minute left, what concern do you have that people may have tried to illegally test the online absentee ballot request process, like those people in Racine who are now under investigation?

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

You know, before they were trying to highlight and test it and did so illegally, we have not seen any evidence of any type of widespread abuse or misuse of the online system. We monitor and see if there’s any type of unusual mailing address being requested. Voters had to submit photo ID unless they’re indefinitely confined, and I would just say as a reminder, that’s a felony. It is voter fraud to abuse the system, and we take that very seriously and anything that we see, we refer to the district attorney’s office.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Well, we wish you luck with this primary election upcoming and with the general election, Claire Woodall-Vogg, thank you.

Claire Woodall-Vogg:

Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

The new UW-Madison chancellor started the job this week. Dr. Jennifer Mnookin comes to Madison after serving as dean of the School of Law at the University of California-Los Angeles. She becomes the 30th chancellor of UW-Madison. We should note PBS Wisconsin is part of the university. Dr. Mnookin joins us now. Thanks very much for being here.

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thanks so much for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

Welcome. What is your first order of business as you take this job?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thank you. Well, today is day one, and it’s a very busy day, and it’s really the beginning of a chance to listen and learn and talk to lots of members of this community, as well as broader stakeholders around Wisconsin. About what we want to see for UW-Madison in its next chapter. I am very excited to build a vision collectively but I strongly believe we’ve got to start with talking to lots of people about what’s working well right now and where there might be opportunities.

Frederica Freyberg:

You have a very impressive vitae. Yale, MIT, Harvard. How do you relate to a largely in-state UW-Madison student population?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I’ve actually spent my entire career at large public institutions. Not in Wisconsin. I am new to Wisconsin but I’ve spent my career at the University of Virginia and then UCLA and large publics are really the form of education in which I most deeply believe. I think they offer the opportunity for transformation at scale for making a real difference in individuals’ lives and also for the states in which they exist. So I’m new to Wisconsin but not new to public education.

Frederica Freyberg:

In reading UW-Madison’s budget report about the cost of attendance, it states that half of our resident students have annual unmet financial need averaging $5,470. I know that Bucky’s Tuition Promise gives free tuition to about 3500 undergraduates but how do you keep the cost of going to UW-Madison attainable or sustainable?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thank you for the question. I think you’re exactly right, to be focusing on affordability. I think affordability is a critical issue. Here at UW-Madison, about 60% of our students do graduate with no debt. I’d love to see that number be even higher, but it is a pretty strong number compared to many of our peer institutions. So keeping our eye on affordability and how we can make sure that all students who are admitted can be here and thrive and flourish and graduate without really brutal debt loads is absolutely going to be a priority.

Frederica Freyberg:

Racial diversity at UW-Madison is objectively very lacking. What are your plans to recruit and retain more students of color?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I think that’s something we need to be looking closely at. Obviously the diversity numbers in terms of racial diversity haven’t moved dramatically here, though this entering freshman class is going to be one of the most diverse if not the most diverse in UW-Madison’s history. I think making sure that all students do feel a strong sense of belonging here needs to be a priority. That, yes, racial diversity is a piece of that, but only a piece. Gender, LGBTQ, first generation, urban/rural, and diversity of thought and perspective, making sure that all kinds of people feel that UW-Madison is for them and a place for them is something on which I both appreciate the work that’s been done, but is absolutely something that we’ll be talking about and looking at.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have you met yet with legislative leaders because some were decidedly unwelcoming when your hire was announced, Speaker Robin Vos blasting you for what he called your “wholehearted support of critical race theory” and your favor of vaccine mandates. What is your response to that?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I’ve begun meeting with legislators, both Republicans and Democrats and I’ve really enjoyed those meetings. That’s going to continue over the weeks and months to come and I’m very much looking forward to it. Look, it’s election season, I get that. I’m really looking forward to getting to meet people and talking to them directly so we can find all of the places where I think we share values and hopes and ideas.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have you yet met with Speaker Vos?

Jennifer Mnookin:

Not yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. What is the plan for when students return in the fall, should COVID cases continue to spike?

Jennifer Mnookin:

I think our goal will be to continue to do what UW-Madison has been doing, which is to follow public health authorities and to look carefully at how we can balance health and safety of our community with the critical importance of in-person education and an active campus life. I think that UW-Madison did an impressive job last year. These are challenging times and one of the things we’ve learned is to not make presumptions about what’s going to be around the next corner, but that’s what we’ll continue to do.

Frederica Freyberg:

As students return, reproductive healthcare, as you know, has done an about-face with Wisconsin now under an 1849 statute that outlaws abortion. We know University Health Services has stated it will work with students to find resources, including going to another state. What is your support for that?

Jennifer Mnookin:

We will absolutely follow the law. There’s no question about that. At the same time, we will work to make sure that both our medical students have access to the full panoply of training that is required for accreditation, and we will make sure to protect the health of our students just as we’ve always done. That will be a priority.

Frederica Freyberg:

Dr. Jennifer Mnookin, new UW-Madison chancellor, thanks very much.

Jennifer Mnookin:

Thanks for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.

Frederica Freyberg:

For more on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our website at PBSwisconsin.org and then click on the news tab. That’s our program for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.