Election security; Milwaukee fire chief, others in new ad campaign
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski is used to talking about fire safety. Now, he is talking about safety of another sort – elections.
FOX6 News learned Lipski is part of the "Leadership Advisory Council" of a group called "RightCount" and he'll be featured in the group's ads. He's not only a fire chief, he also serves as a poll worker.
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"I've seen firsthand how the elections actually function, from the inside. And it’s been frustrating to watch and you can see at the table when you’re working at an election site, you can see how it impacted public opinion about not just the election process but perhaps behavior towards people who are volunteering their time or making just chicken scratch for money, to go and implement this critical part of our country, the election process."
RightCount plans to target Republicans with the message to trust elections using people Republicans say they trust. The organization worked with pollster The Tarrance Group, which found Republicans and Republican-leaning independents place trust in veterans, firefighters, local police and small business owners when it comes to election issues.
"I just wanted to lend my voice, hopefully as a voice of calm and reason to reinforce that there are a number of control measures supporting the integrity of our elections," Lipski said in an interview. "To me, it’s neither here nor there who it’s targeted to, I guess it’s sort of a side detail for me."
About 60% of Wisconsin Republicans were not confident votes were accurately counted in 2020, a Marquette Law School Poll found this year. The same poll found about 90% of Democrats said they were confident.
So, RightCount is trying to reassure Republicans.
The group was in Milwaukee on Wednesday to shoot new campaign ads, which will feature the city's fire chief. The other people featured in the video are Republicans, including Oconto County Clerk Kim Pytleski.
"Yes, I’m a Republican. I’m also a clerk, so when I put my clerk hat on, I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat. The work that we do, we’re going to make sure is accurate. So, it is hard when you hear your own party speak out about the work that you’ve done, but I think you just continue to do the good work and it will speak for itself," said Pytleski.
For years, former President Donald Trump questioned the 2020 election – despite recounts, random audits and lawsuits all finding that Joe Biden won that election. This week, the former president was on a podcast, where he admitted he lost the 2020 election "by a whisker."
"I want people to have confidence in 2024. The work that is being done in their name is accurate, it’s secure," said Pytleski. "Yes, you can trust Wisconsin elections. The people who are doing the work, they are your neighbors. They are your elected officials, they are the people who are making sure your voice is heard."
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Pytleski pointed to the voting machines test done in public before Election Day, and the random audits done across the state after the election, which are hand counts of the paper ballots to verify the machines counted correctly.
"The audit is probably my favorite part of the electoral process because it verifies the good work that’s been done on election day," Pytleski said.
The chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Campaigns and Elections is also a member of the advisory council and will be featured in the ads.
"I can guarantee you 100% our elections are safe and secure in Wisconsin," said State Rep. Scott Krug, a Republican.
Kim Pytleski, Oconto County Clerk
The full list of members of RightCount's Leadership Advisory Council in Wisconsin:
Jason Church: veteran, former Congressional candidate
State Rep. Scott Krug
State Rep. Tony Kurtz
Chief Aaron Lipski
Former Congressman Reid Ribble
Kim Pytleski: Oconto County Clerk
State Rep. Donna Rozar