Doug Chapin: WCPT 820 Candidate Interview

Yeah, look, I mean, there's, there, there's bad news and good news, right? I mean, the bad news is that the president, uh, is more than any president, almost more than any politician in, I'm gonna say recent memory, in quite a while, um, seems to be actively hostile to the idea of the right to vote and the opportunity of people to choose the direction of their country, to choose the people who lead them.

Um, one of my favorite books is this book called The Right to Vote, and it talks about how the franchise in this country has grown over time.

But what's interesting is that it doesn't, it hasn't grown linearly.

Mm-hmm.

It hasn't continued to expand.

It expands and contracts based on the politics of the moment.

Right.

Um, but it does expand over the long term.

Um, the good news is, is that the mechanics of elections in this country, registering to vote, casting your ballot, tracking your ballot, has never been stronger, has never been better in this country.

I have people ask me all the time, "Are we gonna have an election? Is the election gonna be fair?" I, I can assure you it will be.

Um, the women and men I have met across the country are absolutely dedicated to democracy and the idea of free and fair elections.

I always say that I've never met an election official who didn't love democracy.

Mm-hmm.

And then I have to say that I've never met Tina Peters.

Uh, but the-

[laughs]

...

this idea that, that the, the folks at the state and local level across this country who manage the machinery of elections are on the job, and whatever tantrum the president has, whatever noise his allies make, the process will go forward, and it will work.

So people should make sure to exercise that right to vote.

Yeah, look, I mean, there's, there, there's bad news and good news, right? I mean, the bad news is that the president, uh, is more than any president, almost more than any politician in, I'm gonna say recent memory, in quite a while, um, seems to be actively hostile to the idea of the right to vote and the opportunity of people to choose the direction of their country, to choose the people who lead them.

Um, one of my favorite books is this book called The Right to Vote, and it talks about how the franchise in this country has grown over time.

But what's interesting is that it doesn't, it hasn't grown linearly.

Mm-hmm.

It hasn't continued to expand.

It expands and contracts based on the politics of the moment.

Right.

Um, but it does expand over the long term.

Um, the good news is, is that the mechanics of elections in this country, registering to vote, casting your ballot, tracking your ballot, has never been stronger, has never been better in this country.

I have people ask me all the time, "Are we gonna have an election? Is the election gonna be fair?" I, I can assure you it will be.

Um, the women and men I have met across the country are absolutely dedicated to democracy and the idea of free and fair elections.

I always say that I've never met an election official who didn't love democracy.

Mm-hmm.

And then I have to say that I've never met Tina Peters.

Uh, but the-

[laughs]

...

this idea that, that the, the folks at the state and local level across this country who manage the machinery of elections are on the job, and whatever tantrum the president has, whatever noise his allies make, the process will go forward, and it will work.

So people should make sure to exercise that right to vote.