WEBVTT 1 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:22.679 And we are back with another edition of the Federalist 2 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:26.359 Radio Hour. I'm Matt Kittle, Senior Elections correspondent at the 3 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:30.920 Federalist and your experience shirpa on today's quest for Knowledge. 4 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:34.240 As always, you can email the show at radio at 5 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:38.640 the Federalist dot com, follow us on exit FDRLST, make 6 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.560 sure to subscribe wherever you download your podcast, and of 7 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:44.359 course to the premium version of our website as well. 8 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:48.439 Our guest today is Jay Christian Adams, President and General 9 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:52.799 Counsel for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, and we talk 10 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:58.600 about the critical topic of election integrity and the battles 11 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:03.439 ahead in this critical midterm election year. Christian, thank you 12 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:05.200 so much for it for joining us in this edition 13 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:06.319 at the Federalist Radio Hour. 14 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:08.719 Thank you so much for having me. Great to be here. 15 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.719 Absolutely, we have a lot of ground to cover. As 16 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:14.840 they used to say in the Smoky and the Bandits song, 17 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:16.840 We've got a long way to go, but a short 18 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:20.879 time to get there, or something like that. We're beginning 19 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:25.040 our conversation today with the big story, a Supreme Court 20 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.920 decision that I think will have a significant effect moving forward. 21 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:36.799 It addresses standing of political candidates. The Supreme Court ruling 22 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:38.799 on that case. As we speak, I was wondering if 23 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:41.680 we could delve into that and what that will all 24 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:42.760 mean moving forward. 25 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:46.840 Yeah, So it's the Boss case was decided by the 26 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.920 Supreme Court effectively, I think four to two to two. 27 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:55.680 And the big issue there that's important is who can 28 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.680 sue for violations of election law. 29 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:00.439 Good news. 30 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:03.200 There's good news and bad news, just so we can 31 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:07.079 do both. The good news is this expands the universe 32 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.319 of people who can bring a lawsuit to candidates. In 33 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:13.240 other words, if you're running for Congress and an election 34 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:17.159 law is being broken, then you can sue. I get that. 35 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:20.319 That's a good thing that the Supreme Court ruled the 36 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:24.560 way it did and said candidates can sue. What's a 37 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:26.719 little important to understand on the other side of the 38 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:31.439 ledger is this probably we need a lot more than 39 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:33.080 just candidates having the right to sue. 40 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:34.120 The public. 41 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:37.639 Interlegal Foundation files lawsuits. We filed a lawsuit exactly like 42 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:42.719 this case actually in North Dakota challenging their acceptance of 43 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.080 mail balance late and we lost on standing just like 44 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.840 Judicial Watch did in Illinois. On today's case, and ours 45 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:52.520 is not a candidate. It was essentially an election official. 46 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:57.080 So the standing issue at is a big deal. It 47 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:59.560 needs to go further. Today was a good step in 48 00:02:59.560 --> 00:02:59.919 the right. 49 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:03.039 To It is a huge issue. And I'm thinking too, 50 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:06.599 it wasn't settled today, but there were lawsuits in the 51 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:12.800 last election cycle about state senators or lawmakers having standing 52 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:17.120 in these issues, and we saw a pretty famous Pennsylvania 53 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:19.680 case stalled out on that front. Where do you think 54 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:23.960 that is heading for these others like lawmakers who file 55 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:25.840 lawsuits in these election cases. 56 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.360 Yeah, well that's what the Supreme Court resolved. 57 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:33.360 It's settled now in the Boss case bost by the 58 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:38.439 way that a candidate would have standing. That's what the 59 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:40.800 big opinion was the Supreme Court. Now, it was a 60 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:47.439 fractured opinion. Amy Cony, Barrett and Kagan disagreed with it 61 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:51.639 and said, yes, they're standing for this particular person, but 62 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:55.240 it's because they're wasting and spending money after. 63 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.919 The election to make sure the law was followed to 64 00:03:58.039 --> 00:03:58.400 you know. 65 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:01.120 Send observers and that kind of So they kind of 66 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:06.280 had dollar bill standing in the concurrence, and of course 67 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:10.039 two justices dissented said there is no standing. You're going 68 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:13.360 to open up the floodgates to crazy people like the 69 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:14.560 normal stuff. 70 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.959 And so it was essentially a four too two opinion. 71 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:22.079 Yeah. No, I think I didn't ask that question correctly. 72 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:25.480 I know that the candidates now have standing according to 73 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.680 the Supreme Court. But in the last elections, and we've 74 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:34.600 seen this before, legislatures have sued collectively or many members 75 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:40.279 of a state legislature have sued in an election dispute, 76 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.480 and particularly election integrity questions. In a case in Pennsylvania 77 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:48.160 comes to mind, where you had a federal judge there 78 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:53.000 say I'm sorry, we rely on these previous cases to 79 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:59.680 assert that legislation, legislators, the legislature does not have standing 80 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:03.360 in the these cases because of you know, a lot 81 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:07.720 of different things. I don't think this case dealt with that. 82 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:11.639 Where do you think that might be heading based on 83 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.959 and perhaps informed by this Supreme Court case? 84 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:18.759 Yeah, terrific question. My apologies. I'd assumed in your question 85 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:22.360 the legislators were on the ballot, right, and that's the difference. 86 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:24.839 So you're exactly right. 87 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:29.759 This case does not say legislators have standing simply because 88 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:34.720 they're legislators. If they were candidates, they would have standing. 89 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:37.839 But if there's simply legislators who aren't on the ballot 90 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:39.480 that is unchanged. 91 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:42.839 All right, gotcha? And again the Supreme Court kind of 92 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.199 paused on that. One would say, maybe bulk at that 93 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.040 and we'll see perhaps down the road. Now we are 94 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:54.480 in another critical It sounds hyperbolic to say that every 95 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:57.000 election cycle is critical. If you look at it from 96 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.399 the point of view of do you want to save 97 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:03.920 this republic? That's pretty critical. So all of that said, 98 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.639 what do you see at PILF as being the biggest 99 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:13.480 election integrity issues as we head into the twenty twenty 100 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:15.519 six mid term election year. 101 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.639 Yeah, I got to tell you it's related to the 102 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:23.120 Supreme Court case, which this case didn't reach the bigger issue. 103 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:26.600 It only reached the small issue of whether Cannon set standing, 104 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:30.199 And that's the federal law that requires male ballots or 105 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:35.199 ballots to be received by election day. That's the underlying 106 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.759 litigation and boss that was not touched by the Supreme Court. 107 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:44.040 And I think that late arriving ballots that cause late 108 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:50.079 announcements of winners is the single most destabilizing component of 109 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:54.360 American elections. It's destabilizing to the country. I think it 110 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:59.800 creates doubt, it invites mischief, and that issue is going 111 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:04.040 Supreme Court in another case that will hopefully be resolved 112 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:05.360 well before election day. 113 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.040 Yeah, that is critical. I know that you folks have 114 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:12.120 been dealing with this for a long time. Ask some 115 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:16.399 of the candidates in Nevada how critical that was. There's 116 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:19.120 a gentleman who ran for Senate a few years back 117 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:21.000 who can tell you all about that. But it's not 118 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:24.639 just there, it's California, it's in so many different states. 119 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:30.800 Where do you think that case will end up given 120 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:31.920 what you've seen so far. 121 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:36.680 Yeah, it's a great question, and it's a statutory text question. 122 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:42.560 The question is does federal law require all ballots to 123 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:45.480 be in by election day? That's the issue before the 124 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:50.639 Supreme Court, and the statute says election day they have 125 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:52.519 to be cast by election day. 126 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:54.879 And so it's going to turn on what the meaning 127 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:55.800 of cast is. 128 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:01.040 And I think that cast means you're gets dropped in 129 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:02.600 the official basket. 130 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.120 It doesn't mean it gets dropped in the mailbox, are 131 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:05.600 given to. 132 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:08.879 Some contractor who comes to your front porch and takes 133 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:09.600 the mail away. 134 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:13.439 And so I think that it's huge. 135 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.240 I think it's probably going to come out the right way, 136 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.560 but I certainly won't want to bet put all my chips. 137 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:20.199 In the center of the table. 138 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:24.759 At the same time, we have to think about the 139 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.319 dirty voter rolls out there. That's something the Public Interest 140 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.759 Legal Foundation has thought a lot about over the years. 141 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:35.039 You've got a lot of cases in motion right now. 142 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:40.000 We have seen some really awfully dirty voter rolls and 143 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:42.879 the fruits of those voter rules. Of course in the 144 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:47.320 last couple of years. In particular, where does that stand 145 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:51.120 and where do your legal actions stand on that front? 146 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:53.840 Well, I got some bad news there the Six Circuit 147 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:56.559 Court of Appeals in the case we brought against Joscelyn 148 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:01.159 Benson in Michigan, we're having twenty five thousand dead people 149 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.759 on the active voter rolls, which is barely subject to dispute. 150 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:10.919 It's lock solid evidence. The Sixth Circuits said, Hey, states 151 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:13.159 don't really have to be effective in how they clean 152 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.559 the roles. They just have to try to. And we're like, Nope, 153 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:19.000 that's not what the law says. And this we have 154 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.440 a petition with the US Supreme Court. If the Supreme 155 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:26.480 Court doesn't take the case, guys, there is a court 156 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:28.320 decision by the Six Circuit Court. 157 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.519 Of Appeals that says states really. 158 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:33.320 Don't have an obligation to keep clean voter rolls, and 159 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:38.080 so this is a huge issue. I think some Republican 160 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:43.200 Party groups helped us, but we didn't get enough. We 161 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.960 didn't get it much in the way of broad energy 162 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:50.480 on this. Nobody from Michigan. Nobody, And it's sort of 163 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:54.200 sort of discouraging because this is the ballgame whether we're 164 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:55.519 going to have clean voter roles or not. 165 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.519 Why is that? Why didn't you get that energetic response? 166 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:02.360 I mean, is really where the rubber meets the road 167 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.320 in terms of election integrity? 168 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:07.039 I don't know, I really don't. 169 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:09.480 Maybe that's something you can do a show on and 170 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:13.399 ask the people who should have But it's discouraging. Look, 171 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.399 all we can do is try as hard as we can. 172 00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:19.799 We litigated this. We went to the grave sites of 173 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:22.879 the voters. We visited them in the graveyard with video. 174 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:26.039 You can go to Public Interest Legal Foundation and google 175 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:27.639 Michigan video graveyard. 176 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:30.200 We actually went to the site. 177 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:32.440 Some of these people have been dead since the nineties 178 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:34.519 and they're still in the active voter rolls. 179 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:38.679 Well, what is the argument from Joscelyn Benson. I'm again, 180 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:41.240 like a mediocre attorney. I know the answer to this, 181 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.919 But what is the answer from the Joscelyn Benson's of 182 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:46.919 the world, who, by the way, want to move from 183 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.360 Secretary of State to be the next governor of Michigan. 184 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:51.639 Keep that scary thought in mind, But how do they 185 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:54.120 justify these dirty voter rolls? 186 00:10:54.440 --> 00:10:57.600 So there's two ways they do. The first is the 187 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:01.759 proportionality way. They say, hey, this is only twenty five 188 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:06.120 thousand dead people on the active roles out of six millions, 189 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:10.440 so we're and we removed one hundred and fifty thousand 190 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:14.000 dead people last year, so we're making a reasonable effort 191 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:15.000 to keep the roles clean. 192 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:15.639 Go away. 193 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.480 That's the first argument. It's a tiny fraction of the problem, 194 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:22.440 and they removed a bunch of people. The second argument 195 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.240 they're making is the law doesn't require them to be effective. 196 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.960 It just requires them to give it the old college 197 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:32.679 try and if they fail, oh well they're not liable. 198 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:35.080 And so those are the two arguments. And you could 199 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:39.080 see how if these two arguments got legs, which they're getting, 200 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.159 it's going to affect the entire country, not just Michigan. 201 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:45.639 Yeah, no doubt about it, because every state that doesn't 202 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:49.639 value election integrity and quite frankly, Let's be honest here. 203 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:54.399 They want to use dirty voter rolls to the advantage 204 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:59.960 of their political favorites. They're going to not only can 205 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:02.519 you need to do this, but they're going to, you know, 206 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:06.200 expand the issue, and that becomes very critical in twenty 207 00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:09.120 twenty six. So I ask you that in this vein, 208 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:15.240 do you believe that we are going to see without 209 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:18.960 COVID But who knows the kind of nonsense that we 210 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:24.159 saw in twenty twenty because the left sure seems desperate 211 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:24.399 to me. 212 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:27.879 Yeah, Look, the good news is I don't think we're 213 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:30.240 ever going to see anything like we did in twenty twenty. 214 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:32.840 We didn't see it in twenty twenty four, we didn't 215 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:34.440 see it in twenty twenty two. 216 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:38.200 Twenty twenty is going to go down. 217 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:41.600 In history as the year the guardrails were taken down 218 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:47.440 and all of the nonsense that occurred in violating state laws, 219 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:52.720 suspending state laws. You know, sometimes courts signed off on that. 220 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.519 But the point is, I don't think we're going to 221 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:00.240 see that again. The Left pulled off and inside right 222 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:05.039 that year, and too much effort has gone into making 223 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:06.240 sure it never happens again. 224 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:09.879 What is the status of the save Act that certainly 225 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:15.679 ties into the voter roles. And yeah, the Save Act. 226 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:19.679 You know, the idea that the vast majority of Americans 227 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:21.360 agree with is that you have to be a US 228 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:25.919 citizen to vote in a US election, and it requires 229 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:32.960 you know, documented proof of that fact. Is it has 230 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:35.799 passed in the House. It has been stalled in the Senate. 231 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:38.879 Do you know why and what is the status of 232 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:42.360 the Save Act right now as we get closer and 233 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:44.080 closer to voting in this midterm. 234 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:46.679 Well, my understanding is it just doesn't have the votes 235 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:51.559 in the Senate, that it just doesn't have the votes 236 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:57.120 necessary to pass. And so, you know, I'm not close 237 00:13:57.240 --> 00:13:59.519 enough to Senate issues on this that I can tell 238 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:02.440 you why that is. But at least my understanding is 239 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:03.879 it's just a game of math. 240 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.279 I am curious though, I've heard that there are some 241 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:12.799 Republicans who do not support this basic constitutional issue, this 242 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:18.320 basic election integrity issue, and that baffles me as well. 243 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:25.039 Well. Washington's housing fixes backfire. The watch Doot on Wall 244 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:28.360 Street podcast with Chris Markowski. Every day, Chris helps unpack 245 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.720 the connection between politics and the economy and how it 246 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:34.240 affects your wallet. Trump plans on purchasing billions and mortgage 247 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:37.399 backed securities, as well as allowing people to use retirement 248 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:40.399 to make down payments. Does adding more cash bring down 249 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:42.840 the price or at fuel to the fire. Whether it's 250 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:45.080 happening in DC or down on Wall Street, it's affecting 251 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:45.720 you financially. 252 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:46.320 Be informed. 253 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:48.519 Check out the Watchdot on Wall Street podcast with Chris 254 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:51.519 Markowski on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 255 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:00.080 What are the other big issues that you will be 256 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:04.360 fighting in court this year? I know you have sent 257 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:10.320 out a number of warning letters and letters too. Your 258 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:14.720 lead researcher, Logan Churchill has written plenty of these saying hey, 259 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:18.360 we can help you with this. A secretary of state 260 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:22.320 elect state election official, we can get you in compliance 261 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:25.600 with election law election integrity. What kind of issues are 262 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:26.600 you you're delving into. 263 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:30.639 Yeah, so one is we're dealing with the race base 264 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:34.120 for districting in California. We have a lawsuit against California 265 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:39.440 there where the new congressional maps are jerry rigging the 266 00:15:39.480 --> 00:15:43.639 system to create race districts. We're also looking at a 267 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:47.360 secret ballot in Texas. We have a lawsuit being argued 268 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:49.840 this week there as to whether you have a right 269 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:52.600 to actually have a secret ballot. I know that sounds shocking, 270 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.200 but it hangs in the balance. And then there's the 271 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:58.240 whole voter roll problem around the country. We continue to 272 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:01.759 spend money and time to find dead people, people who 273 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.279 moved away in the voter roles and make the data 274 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:08.600 available to election officials. It's it's something that is fixable, 275 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:13.799 and it's something that everybody should agree needs to be improved. 276 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:17.799 Where does that California issue stand? And I asked that 277 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:22.159 in the main, there are a lot of liberal states 278 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:28.279 looking to you know, rig their maps so that they 279 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.639 can they can grab more congressional seats. Where does your 280 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:34.120 lawsuits stand? Where does the issue stand? In general? 281 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:36.879 Yeah, it's it's in the hands of a federal court, 282 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:39.759 three judge panel. Actually, when you do a challenge like this, 283 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:42.720 you get three federal judges and. 284 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.399 You know where it stands. 285 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.360 As like, we're in the middle of combat with litigation 286 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:53.480 with California, and hopefully, you know, we get some good 287 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:56.320 news from the Supreme Court on another redistricting case shorty 288 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:01.360 called Louisiana versus Cala, which has a brief in there, 289 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:05.519 and hopefully redistricting law moves in a better direction this 290 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:06.279 calendar year. 291 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:07.839 You bet. 292 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:12.200 Our guest today is Jay Christian Adams, President and General 293 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:16.440 counsel for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, talking election integrity, 294 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:21.400 all the battles ahead in this critical midterm election year. 295 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:26.599 Will A lot has changed since the election of twenty twenty. 296 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:33.160 We are seeing citizen only voting laws in place or 297 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:38.960 amendments to constitutions, a growing movement on that front. Are 298 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:44.160 we going to see the movement at least in these 299 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:47.720 blue states that didn't change these issues? Are we going 300 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:54.079 to see a bigger movement with liberal election offices working 301 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:58.680 with far left non profits so to speak, so called 302 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:01.680 nonpartisan election groups. 303 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:06.680 Yeah, great question, And two things of note. First of all, 304 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:10.160 a PILF has been doing a deep dive into the 305 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:14.279 personnel in a very blue state's election offices, and we've 306 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:18.279 been harvesting resumes and we will eventually have a more 307 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:23.200 comprehensive report, but I can tell you from a preliminary standpoint, 308 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:26.279 it really makes it hard to have a lot of 309 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:30.119 confidence in these election offices while we're seeing. The other 310 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:33.319 thing that's happening is states are passing these mini voting 311 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:38.559 rights acts like New York did, Virginia did, California did 312 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:42.319 to radicalize election law in these states, so like lock 313 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:45.599 it down, like this is never changing, We're always going 314 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:50.119 to be hyper progressive, crazy and at a challenge to 315 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:54.279 Some of these voting rights acts on stay level really 316 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:57.000 need to be made and we look forward to doing that. 317 00:18:57.400 --> 00:18:59.480 Well, let's go into detail on some of those, because 318 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:05.400 what these politicians and these activist groups are calling voter 319 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.279 rights acts is just a lot of times and end 320 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:16.119 around to you know, basic election integrity rules, basic integrity laws. 321 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:18.759 What are they trying to do in some of these states. 322 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.079 Well, two things they do, of note they do a 323 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:22.759 lot more than that, but I'll just give you two. 324 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:27.200 One is they make race the center of state election law. 325 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.359 In other words, you can bring. 326 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:34.559 These cases to demand race based districts like I want 327 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:37.759 a black district for Congress, I want to well Congress 328 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:42.279 and even down to school board, and they dispense with 329 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.279 the federal rule. They get rid of the federal rule, 330 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:48.799 which is really hard to satisfy. It's a really complicated 331 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.160 way to do it, and they make it really super easy. 332 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:55.640 So what happens is you create all these race based 333 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.000 districts under state law. That's the first thing The second 334 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:02.519 thing they do is they give state attorneys general, the 335 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:07.759 bureaucrats in the state, basically the oversight power to review 336 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:11.359 everything that the local jurisdictions do about elections. You know, 337 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:13.559 if they want to change the time and place of 338 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:18.240 the office being open, changing a polling place, everything that 339 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:24.279 goes into state elections. These bureaucrats in Albany, Sacramento, they 340 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:29.000 get to veto at all, and that allows manipulation by 341 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:31.559 state employees in the process. 342 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:36.160 Well, now, wait a minute, I thought liberals Democrats weren't 343 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:40.200 all that keen on states' rights. It seemed like it. 344 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:44.359 For a long time. It was always federal central authority. 345 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:45.839 What changed there? 346 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:50.000 Well, look, they know that in places like New York 347 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:55.000 and Massachusetts and California and Minnesota, they love state power 348 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:56.119 because they're always. 349 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:56.680 Going to be in power. 350 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.680 Right Maryland, These are places where progressive is a culture 351 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:07.559 and there's no there's no competing political ideology. It's a 352 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:10.640 one party state, and so why not be in favor 353 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:12.319 of state power when you got the power. 354 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:13.000 Yeah. 355 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.480 Indeed, here's the headline from the Associated Press as we 356 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:21.799 talk today. Democrats will spend millions to shift voter registration 357 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:25.240 strategy ahead of the midterm elections, kind of what we 358 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:29.000 were talking about before. The Democratic National Committee will spend 359 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.920 millions of dollars to cement control of voter registration efforts 360 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:37.599 that have traditionally been entrusted to nonprofit advocacy groups and 361 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:41.960 individual political campaigns, a shift that party leaders hope will 362 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:46.119 increase their chances. What do you think about all of that? 363 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:51.160 Yeah, Look, this has been going on in small measure 364 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:54.480 all around the country. I mean, one example, the fight 365 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:59.519 was Texas where pardon these people went out to do 366 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:03.000 voter registration and they were putting on bad registrations, like 367 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:09.240 the fake registrations, and Texas passed the law that said, 368 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:12.599 if you want to sign people up to vote, you 369 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:15.200 have to go through training, you have to show you 370 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:18.640 know the law. And of course what happens next, Texas 371 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:22.279 got sued over this law like hey, this is suppression. 372 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:28.200 Well the Planner's lost, Texas won. But the same fight 373 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:32.319 is taking place around the country where the registration process 374 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:35.119 has basically been outsourced to activist groups. 375 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:39.519 And we've gone down this road before, where you know, 376 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:43.920 you have activist groups trying to you know, trying to 377 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:47.680 register voters, trying to register the kind of voter they 378 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:50.880 want to turn out. But at one point, of course, 379 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:56.480 they were deeply embedded in some of our election offices. 380 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:00.200 You know, we saw that certainly in twenty twenty where 381 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:07.400 you had a Democrat Party operative in Wisconsin working inside 382 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:12.839 Green Bay Office election office there and working alongside with 383 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:18.119 the largest blue cities. Do you see that happening again? 384 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:20.359 I know there have been some changes in the laws 385 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.000 on that front. 386 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:22.680 Oh for sure. 387 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:25.960 I mean, look, some of these election offices in Richmond, 388 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:33.839 or at least they were, are populated by volunteers parachuted 389 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.480 in from activists left as five to one C three 390 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:39.559 groups to work inside the election offices. 391 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:42.440 This is not a shocker. 392 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:46.599 This is the standard operating procedure in a bunch of 393 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:50.559 state capitals around the country. And I know people were shocked, like, well, 394 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:52.319 who would ever do that for free? Well, they do 395 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:55.799 it for free. They parachute people in. 396 00:23:56.359 --> 00:24:00.799 That leads us to ballot harvesting. You know has dealt 397 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:04.440 with this in the past. How big a role will 398 00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:09.920 ballot harvesting play in the twenty twenty six midterms. 399 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:12.440 Well, it depends on which state. A lot of states 400 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:16.680 have curtailed it. A lot of states it's a culture. 401 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:22.880