THANKSGIVING, SO WE DON’T HAVE
TO RUIN PEOPLE’S THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAYS OVER THIS PROCESS.
>> CLERK McDONALD, THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN SAID IN A STATEMENT
ANNOUNCING THAT IT WAS
PETITIONING FOR A RECOUNT,
SAYING THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS
COMMISSION DIRECTED WISCONSIN
MUNICIPAL CLERKS TO ILLEGALLY
ALTER INCOMPLETE ABSENTEE
BALLOTS, CONTRARY TO WISCONSIN
LAW.
CLERKS WERE INSTRUCTED THAT THEY
COULD RELY ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL
KNOWLEDGE OR UNSPECIFIED LISTS
OR DATABASES AT HIS OR HER
DISPOSAL TO ADD IN MISSING
INFORMATION ON RETURNED ABSENTEE
BALLOTS.
SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT FOR US,
IF I CAN, SIR.
ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY SUCH ISSUES
IN DANE COUNTY?
>> WELL, THAT WAS THE ADVICE WE
GOT FROM THE ELECTION
COMMISSION.
IT’S A BIPARTISAN BODY THAT
VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO SAY, YES,
YOU CAN FILL IN THE ADDRESS OF A
WITNESS IF IT’S NOT THERE, IF
YOU CONTACT THEM.
THAT’S WHAT EVERY CLERK HAS BEEN
DOING ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE
FOR SEVERAL ELECTIONS INCLUDING
THIS ONE.
SO TO POINT OUT MILWAUKEE OR
DANE AS THIS BEING AN ISSUE, IT
DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE.
IT WAS HAPPENING STATE-WIDE.
IT HAD BROAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
FOR YEARS.
AND IT’S JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF
THINGS THEY’RE MAKING UP.
>> SO TO THAT POINT, LET ME ASK
YOU ABOUT YOUR RESPONSE TO THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN’S ALLEGATIONS AND
WERE THERE ANY MAJOR ISSUES THAT
CAME TO LIGHT DURING THE
ELECTION FROM WHAT YOU SAW IN
YOUR COUNTY?
>> NO.
THIS WAS A VERY SMOOTH ELECTION.
I WAS, ON ELECTION DAY, I WAS
HAPPY ABOUT HOW UNHECTIC IT WAS,
TO BE HONEST.
AND WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE
CANVAS, AGAIN, NO ISSUES AT ALL.
SO FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THIS
WAS A VERY SMOOTH ELECTION.
AND I’LL JUST REMIND VIEWERS
THAT FOUR YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A
RECOUNT, AND I TOLD DEMOCRATIC
VOTERS, LOOK, DONALD TRUMP IS
GOING TO BE VICTORIOUS.
22,000 VOTES IS TOO MUCH TO
OVERCOME.
WE HAVE A CLEAN, EFFECTIVE
SYSTEM.
AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.
DONALD TRUMP PICKED UP 150 VOTES
STATE-WIDE.
SO THE SAME THING IS GOING TO
HAPPEN THIS TIME.
>> CAN I ASK YOU QUICKLY HOW
LONG YOU ANTICIPATE, CLERK
McDONNELL, FOR YOUR RECOUNT IN
YOUR COUNTY TO TAKE PLACE?
>> YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW.
WE’RE HOPEFUL WE’LL BE ABLE TO
DO IT WITHIN A WEEK.
WE’RE RAMPING UP.
WE HAVE BEEN RAMPING UP FOR
DAYS.
YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE
SLOWER TRYING TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND PROTECT THOSE WHO
ARE WORKING ON THIS RECOUNT.
SO BUT WE’LL DEFINITELY GET DONE
IN TIME FOR ALL OF OUR
DEADLINES.
>> LET ME ASK YOU BOTH ABOUT
YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND
THAT OF YOUR PERSONNEL AND YOUR
STAFF.
THERE’S NO DOUBT AS WE HAVE SEEN
IN OTHER COUNTIES, THERE’S BEEN
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INTENSITY
AND SOMETIMES VIOLENCE AND
THREAT DIRECTED OR LEVELED
AGAINST THOSE INVOLVED IN THE
ELECTION WORK.
CLERK CHRISTIANSON, LET ME BEGIN
WITH YOU.
HAVE YOU OR YOUR STAFF
EXPERIENCED ANY OF THAT SINCE
NOW YOU HAVE BECOME THE FOCUS OF
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN’S EFFORT TO
RECONSTITUTE THIS ELECTION IN
THEIR FAVOR?
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, YES.
WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME
THREATENING PHONE CALLS AND OF
COURSE ANY OF THOSE WERE
REFERRED TO THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WORKED HARD TO
WORK WITH EVERYONE TO MAKE SURE
THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW THE
PROCESS WORKS.
AND TO MAKE THIS RECOUNT, WHICH
IS UNNECESSARY AND AS CLERK
McDONNELL SAID, WON’T CHANGE THE
RESULTS, BUT TO MAKE IT AS
TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE.
WE RENTED THE WISCONSIN CENTER,
WHICH IS A 188,000 SQUARE FEET
TO MAKE SURE MY PERSONNEL, MY
STAFF, AND THE PUBLIC ARE SAFE,
FORCING PEOPLE TO COME INTO AN
ENCLOSED AREA WHEN WISCONSIN IS,
LIKE THE COUNTRY, AT THE HEIGHT
OF A PANDEMIC, THAT’S BEEN
POORLY RUN BY OUR PRESIDENT, IS
JUST IRRESPONSIBLE.
>> YEAH, AND THAT’S CERTAINLY A
VALID POINT AS WELL.
SAME QUESTION TO YOU, CLERK
McDONNELL.
BRING US UP TO SPEED ON THE
SITUATION YOU AND YOUR STAFF ARE
FACING.
ARE YOU FEELING THE SAME KIND OF
ANIMOSITY, THREATS, VITRIOL THAT
WE HAVE SEEN OTHER POLL WORKERS
GO THROUGH?
>> SO FAR, I HAVEN’T GOTTEN ANY
PERSONAL THREATS.
AND YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE
A PRETTY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE LOCAL REPUBLICAN PARTY.
YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS.
THAT COULD CHANGE, BUT SO FAR, I
HAVEN’T RECEIVED ANY THREATS AT
ALL.
>> LET ME ASK YOU REALLY
QUICKLY, THEN, CLERK McDONNELL,
ABOUT THE SHEER VOLUME OF
MISINFORMATION COMING FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE ABOUT SO-CALLED
IRREGULARITIES.
HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH IT?
>> IT’S SO FRUSTRATING.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE TRAINED.
GEORGE AND I TRAINED FOR A YEAR
AND A HALF OR MORE FOR THIS KIND
OF DISINFORMATION TO COME FROM
THE KREMLIN.
YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHAT WE WERE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WERE
GOING TO TRY TO MITIGATE THAT
DISINFORMATION AND POINT IT OUT.
A LOT OF THESE -- WE NEVER
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COMING FROM
OURSELVES, FROM WITHIN THE
UNITED STATES, AND IT’S SO
FRUSTRATING.
YOU KNOW, WE WORKED SO HARD TO
MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS
TRANSPARENT, THAT YOU CAN
OBSERVE EVERY POINT OF THE
PROCESS, THAT YOU CAN BE IN THE
POLLING PLACE AND OBSERVE PEOPLE
VOTING.
YOU CAN BE AT THE CANVAS.
YOU CAN BE AT THE RECOUNT AND
WATCH IT.
YOU KNOW, IN DANE COUNTY, WE
EVEN PUBLISH EVERY BALLOT IMAGE
TO THE WEB.
YOU CLICK THROUGH EVERY SINGLE
ONE, BUT IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP
UP WITH THE PRESIDENT’S TWITTER
ACCOUNT AND HOW THAT REPLICATES,
SO YOU KNOW, IT’S TOUGH ON
CLERKS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BUT ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE
WISCONSIN.
>> WE’RE CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE
OF ALL OF THE WORK ALL OF YOU