Secure Elections, Threat of Noncitizen Voting, Process is King | Cleta Mitchell, Chairman of EIN

[00:00:00] There's lots of training available. Our goal is to get citizens equipped so that they can reclaim control over their elections

[00:00:09] Keeping our republic is on the line and it requires patriots with great passion, dedication and eternal vigilance to preserve our freedoms

[00:00:18] Jenny Beth Martin is the co-founder of Tea Party Patriots

[00:00:22] She is an author, a filmmaker and one-of-time magazine's most influential people in the world

[00:00:27] But the title she is most proud of is mom to her boy girl twins

[00:00:32] She has been at the forefront fighting to protect America's core principles for more than a decade

[00:00:39] Welcome to the Jenny Beth Show. My next guest is one of the top attorneys in the conservative movement

[00:00:44] She served in the state legislature of Oklahoma and then went to Washington DC three decades ago as one of the leaders in the movement for term limits

[00:00:52] As an attorney she's represented some of the top names in conservative politics including President Trump in 2020

[00:00:59] National Journal has named her one of the top 25 most influential women in politics

[00:01:04] Clita Mitchell is a senior legal fellow at conservative partnership institute where she's been laser focused on election integrity issues around the country

[00:01:12] In this episode we discuss a highly concerning issue of non-citizens voting in our elections

[00:01:19] Clita Mitchell, thank you so much for being with me today. Well, thank you for having me Jenny Beth

[00:01:23] This is quite an honor. Well, I am so glad to have you on my podcast. We've known each other for many years

[00:01:29] I consider you a friend my attorney and my mentor and you kind of check all the boxes

[00:01:35] You are very active on the election integrity front and before 2020

[00:01:40] The way I would introduce you to people is I would say you were the best election law attorney on the center right

[00:01:48] And that means you understand the laws related to elections

[00:01:52] And if you understand that then you understand how they can be violated and manipulated to cause problems

[00:01:59] Um, how did you get active in this area of the law?

[00:02:03] And what are your biggest concerns right now as we look to the future?

[00:02:07] Well, I've always my whole career has been in the area of law

[00:02:13] politics and public policy and how those intersect

[00:02:17] And I think that

[00:02:19] The most important thing for a lawyer is to understand exactly what your client is dealing with

[00:02:27] And so when I was in my

[00:02:29] Private practice for many many years and in the area of election and political law campaign finance

[00:02:36] lobbying laws all the business and regulation

[00:02:39] Of politics and public policy. There are there are quite a lot of regulations

[00:02:45] Notwithstanding that the first amendment says congress shall make no law

[00:02:49] Congress has made quite a lot of laws on this subject, but

[00:02:53] To understand what your client is going through and because of my background

[00:02:57] I was a former state legislator in oklahoma. So I've been a candidate. I've been an elected official

[00:03:03] I've been actively involved in some issue organizations as both counsel and strategist

[00:03:10] um, and so I've

[00:03:13] I always felt as though I knew what my clients

[00:03:16] Needed because I'd been in their shoes. I've been I'd done the things that they were doing

[00:03:22] And one of the things I also cut my political teeth as a democrat

[00:03:26] When I was in the oklahoma legislature and sometimes I look at republicans

[00:03:30] And say don't you understand that for the left?

[00:03:35] The process is king

[00:03:37] If you can control and change the process the rules

[00:03:42] Then you can control the outcome and the policy outcomes

[00:03:46] And I always said that for the left that for democrats

[00:03:50] The golden rule they believe in the golden rule and that is he who makes the rules wins the gold

[00:03:57] And I've always been very focused on the process because those are the rules and regulations. So when it comes to elections

[00:04:06] That the left has spent between

[00:04:09] Capital research center estimates between 11 and 14 billion dollars since about 2012

[00:04:16] Changing the way we vote

[00:04:18] Changing the way votes are handled how they're cast the calendar

[00:04:23] Uh, how they're counted and tabulated

[00:04:26] And we have been basically absent when I say we I'm talking about

[00:04:32] Conservatives and republicans and we've made a lot of times

[00:04:36] Democrats will bring in the state legislatures these changes and republicans just vote for them

[00:04:40] They they didn't realize what they were doing and I could give you a very long list of changes

[00:04:45] I wouldn't let me pause you for just a minute when they asked me the left has spent between

[00:04:51] Around 14 billion dollars. This is outside groups. It doesn't include government spending to upgrade the election systems, right?

[00:04:59] Correct. Good point. That's a very good point. These are leftist billionaires

[00:05:03] Pierre Omidyar being the number one donor to these efforts for about a decade now and

[00:05:10] They basically spent that time and that money creating nonprofit organizations 501c3 is 501c4

[00:05:19] That have focused on

[00:05:21] very

[00:05:22] Specific minute parts of the election process if you think of it as a system

[00:05:27] From the time you register to vote until the ballot is cast counted certified and they have focused

[00:05:33] They have multiple groups that focus on just one small aspect and they get one thing changed and then like another set of them

[00:05:40] Go and they get another thing changed. So now what we have are these, you know, we have election season

[00:05:47] We don't have election day anymore and we have

[00:05:51] Created

[00:05:53] We have it they created with our complicity these massive

[00:05:59] Man ways in which people can vote. I call it unsupervised voting. You think about all the protections that exist

[00:06:06] at the polling place

[00:06:08] when you go to

[00:06:09] Balloting, you know at home with mail voting if none of those protections

[00:06:15] So anyway, those are the things that I've been doing for many many years

[00:06:19] I've really been focused on that the last three years since I left my law firm in February of

[00:06:26] 2021 after having been a volunteer attorney in georgia for president trump where you as a non-attorney were the

[00:06:32] MVP in my opinion, but um, anyway, so we've been focused on

[00:06:37] telling people what they can do getting people involved and engage

[00:06:42] empowering citizens to be able to impact change in their local election

[00:06:48] office and their local election system because remember all voting is local

[00:06:54] So what are some of the most important things that you think an individual citizen can do?

[00:06:59] And then we can talk about what groups are doing and all of that

[00:07:02] But let's first start with just an individual citizen

[00:07:05] Well, I I would say the number one thing that people should do is understand that they

[00:07:10] They do control this. You don't think you do but you do the power is in your hands

[00:07:15] It's just like when the wizard told ruby told Dorothy those ruby slippers. You've had that power all along

[00:07:22] We have the power because as I said all all voting takes place locally

[00:07:27] and so other than overseas voting, but that's a different issue but

[00:07:31] So I would say, you know, I wrote in

[00:07:34] 2021 and we

[00:07:36] Published and disseminated many thousands of these for free the citizen's guide to building an election integrity infrastructure

[00:07:43] And if you go to the website who's counting dot us, you can download it for free

[00:07:48] And there are training videos how to start a local election integrity task force

[00:07:53] How to work on a lot of the issues how to clean voter roles

[00:07:57] How to protect vulnerable voters in group homes and nursing homes in your area

[00:08:02] How to understand the role of the post office in your area and we give people specific steps that they can follow

[00:08:09] I would say get through it for people in your town sit down with the citizen's guide form a task force

[00:08:14] Make sure that you know what's going on at your local election office get to know those people

[00:08:19] Not in an adversarial way, but just get to be familiar attend the meetings of your electoral board

[00:08:25] And

[00:08:26] It's just like parents going to school board meetings. It's exactly the same

[00:08:30] We have the citizen power. We just have to exercise it

[00:08:35] That's that's very very important to understand and I one of the things that the way that I describe

[00:08:43] How we can be active when it comes to election integrity is that just like

[00:08:48] The united states constitution has checks and balances up and down congress

[00:08:53] The legislative branch checks the executive branch the judicial branch checks and balances the other branches the states

[00:09:00] Check and balance the federal government the citizens also have a role in the checks and balances

[00:09:06] We vote and determine who is going to represent us

[00:09:09] And then when it comes to elections, we have a role in the check and balance by being observers being pull-watt workers

[00:09:17] Their roles for an individual citizen and that helps keep keep it honest. Well all but one state

[00:09:27] has a

[00:09:28] Framework whereby citizens are

[00:09:31] Expected there's it's in the statutes where you have representatives

[00:09:35] Most of the states not all but most of the states say that they want that the political parties a point observers

[00:09:42] It's the democrats watching their republicans. It's the republicans watching the democrats

[00:09:46] It's transparency. It's so that it's an open process

[00:09:50] So that you should know everything about your election system except how an individual votes

[00:09:56] All of that should be open and transparent and

[00:09:59] We've made a lot of progress but not nearly enough

[00:10:03] But we've learned a lot in the last three years and citizens have learned so much about how it operates in their home states

[00:10:10] And their home counties or cities and I just promise you the way we reclaim our elections

[00:10:17] Is by having millions of americans involved in the process

[00:10:22] Come on in the water's fine. Don't be afraid

[00:10:25] It's our election system and we have to reclaim it from the left

[00:10:30] Absolutely, and that's part of what you've been working on right? So you've got the website who'scounting.us

[00:10:36] In the election integrity network talk about that

[00:10:40] Well, I really am a firm believer that we have to have a permanent infrastructure so that people don't just show up

[00:10:47] It is vital for people to show up and be observers and

[00:10:51] And not just on election day by election day two-thirds of the votes have been cast and counted

[00:10:56] So it's important for people to know what the process is in their state so that they can be observers and watch what's going on

[00:11:04] And so but but beyond that it's important to watch

[00:11:09] All day every day, you know have people who are going to the election board meetings

[00:11:12] People who are looking at the local at the local election offices in the voter rolls

[00:11:17] People who are working in the local community. So we tell people how they can be involved

[00:11:22] Have a local task force then those task forces knit together into a statewide coalition

[00:11:28] We now have coalitions and uh, half about half the states

[00:11:32] And

[00:11:33] Those citizens groups are meeting. They're working together. They're

[00:11:38] Sharing notes, uh, they're finding out what's going on how absentee ballots are processed

[00:11:44] Whether they have transparency

[00:11:46] What are they doing to ensure and verify the identity of people who cast their votes by mail?

[00:11:50] So there are a lot there's a lot for us to

[00:11:54] Unwind over the last decade and we're never going to have the money that the left has and we're never going to have all the paid

[00:12:00] Entities that they have but we have patriots and if people will just get involved

[00:12:06] And be there

[00:12:08] We'll make it. We're making a difference. We're getting

[00:12:11] Things done people i'm i say we that's a collective. We it's really the people the citizens out there who doing it and so

[00:12:18] There are nine national working groups that meet regularly by zoom

[00:12:23] On every topic that i've mentioned from cleaning voter rolls to protecting vulnerable voters to understanding how the post office works

[00:12:30] And how mail voting by mail works

[00:12:33] Um, so

[00:12:35] How to start a local task force?

[00:12:37] Uh, how to communicate with your local media?

[00:12:40] Lots of there's lots of training available

[00:12:44] because

[00:12:45] Our our goal is to get

[00:12:47] People citizens equipped so that they can reclaim control over their elections. And so it's very

[00:12:54] Um, it's very exciting to me and very rewarding

[00:12:57] It's very hard for me to talk about without tearing up

[00:13:00] Because i just am so proud of what people all over the country are doing. It's very encouraging

[00:13:05] It it's wonderful to see them taking action and working to make to make a real difference with it

[00:13:11] And not just complaining and going oh no, we can't trust the system

[00:13:15] That's saying how can we fix what's wrong? How can we get involved to make a difference?

[00:13:19] Well, remember that the declaration of independence says in the very first paragraph

[00:13:24] That governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and the way we give consent to our government officials is by

[00:13:34] We give and withdraw consent

[00:13:36] Through our votes that that's the way the constitution of the united states

[00:13:41] Created a process for us to be able to give and withdraw consent. It's through elections

[00:13:47] If we don't participate in the elections

[00:13:50] Then we are not participating in giving or withdrawing our consent

[00:13:54] We have to do that and that's I think that's one of the reasons the left wants to manipulate the election system

[00:14:01] So that they

[00:14:04] I believe they really are trying to

[00:14:06] To make it possible for us to not be able to give and withdraw consent

[00:14:10] Even though we don't like what's going on that if they can control the election process

[00:14:15] Then we can't withdraw our consent. Well, we're not going to let them do that without a fight

[00:14:21] So that's what this is all about. We're fighting for the future of our country

[00:14:26] So as you look at

[00:14:28] What as we look to the 2024 election, what are some of the concerns that you have right now about it?

[00:14:35] And how might we make a difference with those concerns? Well, I would say there are three concerns number one is

[00:14:42] We want to make certain that election administrators follow the law

[00:14:46] As you saw in georgia after the 2020 election when we put together our election contest

[00:14:52] for president trump, which we filed and

[00:14:55] People don't realize 64 page complaint over 1100 pages of exhibits and verified affidavits

[00:15:01] Which you were largely responsible for getting done

[00:15:06] And we never got a judge appointed to hear the case

[00:15:08] So when people say oh president trump lost all of his election

[00:15:12] Challenges i'm going well. He didn't lose ours because he never got his day in court. Well, and he got a judge on

[00:15:18] January the fourth yes, and then she set a date for january the eighth right and it was moot

[00:15:25] On january the fifth

[00:15:28] Over january world's on the sixth but but when they certified the georgia electors

[00:15:33] So but it but this is supposed to have been an expedited proceeding and it was supposed to be over by

[00:15:37] Before christmas before christmas, and that's what courts usually do at the election contest

[00:15:42] But this one didn't happen

[00:15:43] But so i would just say but what we saw in that

[00:15:47] Were all the ways that the elections code

[00:15:50] From the state of georgia

[00:15:52] The ways in which that had been violated

[00:15:55] And since then we have documented

[00:15:58] Excuse me in many states

[00:16:01] That there were laws that were just disregarded courts have reviewed those cases since then and it said yes

[00:16:08] that the ballot drop boxes

[00:16:10] in wisconsin were unlawful

[00:16:13] and

[00:16:14] That that the manner in which philadelphia conducted its election violated pennsylvania state law

[00:16:21] There are many at there's a lot of documented evidence and findings about the fact that the law was not followed in 2020

[00:16:30] And we've seen some of that again in 2022 and now then we've been able to document it in real time

[00:16:36] because of all the observers because of all the citizens who were there and watched it and

[00:16:41] That's why it's so important to have citizens there. So now we know what they're doing in some of these places

[00:16:47] And we're working to try to make sure that those things don't happen in 2024 and that they follow the law because number one rule election office

[00:16:55] Follow the law and

[00:16:57] That's the first thing the second thing is i'm very worried about non-citizen voting and that uh, how many of those

[00:17:05] Illegals that have come across the border since the uh, biden took office

[00:17:09] How many of those who've been who are being shepherded into states across the country?

[00:17:13] DHS says they don't know where all these illegals are which is kind of scary

[00:17:18] Uh, they're either lying or they're telling the truth that either neither is good

[00:17:23] And where are they and are that is our system now so porous

[00:17:27] That it's it's possible that uh, non-citizens will be able to get

[00:17:32] Registered to vote at dmvs when they're getting drivers licenses or in the case in wisconsin where the state election office

[00:17:40] Is almost opening the door for illegals to register and vote

[00:17:45] And so i'm worried about that and the only way we're going to have any impact on that is citizen involvement

[00:17:50] Which brings me to the third thing so it's follow the law

[00:17:54] It's what can we do to stop non-citizen voting and the third thing is

[00:17:58] Will enough people be willing to step up and help

[00:18:03] Provide oversight and get involved as observers as workers

[00:18:07] Uh

[00:18:09] Get involved in a local task force find out what's going on in your community

[00:18:13] Are there uh, are there groups of illegals that have been brought to your county?

[00:18:17] And then what's going on in terms of?

[00:18:20] um

[00:18:21] Whether or not they're being given

[00:18:23] Uh identification cards that that are going to be used to register to vote and i'm not talking about just battleground states

[00:18:29] I'm talking every state as you you did a

[00:18:32] Uh a documentary a few years ago that said every state is a border state

[00:18:37] Yes, yes, and now i've hear people say that I think well jenny bett did that documentary was at 10 years ago

[00:18:43] It was it was in 2014. That's what i was thinking

[00:18:46] And so every state is a border state now and citizens in every state need to be engaged and vigilant

[00:18:53] It's almost like a national neighborhood watch

[00:18:56] To find out what's going on in my community with regard to illegals. Are there pockets?

[00:19:01] Are they in a shelter? Are they uh in a group home? I mean in one respect

[00:19:08] They're the most vulnerable voters or vulnerable people in our in our society right now because they

[00:19:14] Don't speak the language and they're being manipulated. I think by some of these left-wing NGOs

[00:19:20] Who are giving them our?

[00:19:23] They're getting money the NGOs are getting money from the state department

[00:19:27] Our tax dollars to and then they're basically taking them into pockets around the country cities and all and

[00:19:35] We need to make sure that those NGOs are not

[00:19:38] Manipulating these vulnerable voters by getting them registered to vote and then basically

[00:19:44] Voting them because they don't know what's going on and I just worry that that's

[00:19:50] There are some nefarious things going on. I don't blame the illegals

[00:19:54] I blame um

[00:19:56] The people who should know better and who should be protecting them and they shouldn't be here in the first place

[00:20:01] But I think the only way we're going to be able to stop it

[00:20:04] Because there's not enough time to change all the laws to require documentary proof of citizenship and all to register to vote

[00:20:11] We're going to try to do that in a few remaining states that we can

[00:20:15] But the only way we're going to do able to do much about it. I think as we're shining the is by shining the light on it

[00:20:22] We need a lot of people involved and engaged in that so i'm hoping that we can all work together to let people know

[00:20:29] Specifically do this do this do this go to your election office find out what they're doing to document are there are there

[00:20:35] Is there a flood of new registrations? And if so

[00:20:40] What is the address where where are they registering and then go to that address get people to go to that address see what it is

[00:20:47] Is it a shelter or these do these people have proof of citizenship?

[00:20:51] Do they even have proof of residence?

[00:20:53] So there's a lot of things people can do in their home communities and that's what we hope people will do

[00:20:57] and it with what you just said make sure that

[00:21:02] We want to make sure that they're very careful especially we have going to research something like that

[00:21:08] Yeah, knock on somebody's door. You've got to be very careful about that because we don't want any

[00:21:14] Accusations of intimidating voters. No, that's true. We don't and so basically what i'm saying is find out whether there is

[00:21:21] I mean, I say go to address. I don't necessarily mean knocking on the door. I just want to make sure we're clear about that

[00:21:26] No, it's just but but if you're looking at your local voter rolls

[00:21:31] If you're looking at an influx of new registrations all of a sudden 20 or one address, right?

[00:21:36] Just have some people always go in pairs

[00:21:39] And and just go and take a picture look at the address and compare it then look it up on the

[00:21:45] There are you can look it up on your property tax rolls in your county

[00:21:48] there's there a lot of public documents that you could look at or public records databases

[00:21:53] And if that says well, this is a church or this is okay. Well, then maybe you call the pastor of the church, but

[00:22:00] Be all you want to know is you're trying to find out information and if you can just get

[00:22:06] Documentation that perhaps that's not a residential address and your state law is that you can only be registered at your permanent residence

[00:22:13] then take that information back to your election office and

[00:22:18] We're going hopefully we can create a

[00:22:21] A reporting back system where people can

[00:22:23] Report things and post things and then there'll be a way for us to track what's going on around the country

[00:22:29] DHS doesn't know where anybody is, but maybe the citizens can find out right

[00:22:34] Okay, no people will push back and they will say it's illegal for non citizens to vote

[00:22:40] You have to be a citizen to vote at least in most

[00:22:43] Steeds around the country and definitely for federal elections

[00:22:47] So how could someone who's not a citizen vote? Well, it's illegal to rob banks too, but people still rob banks

[00:22:54] So, you know, it's illegal to drive over the speed limit, but we all do it. So

[00:22:59] The question is what is the enforcement mechanism and like I say

[00:23:04] The the illegals the people who are here and being shepherded by these

[00:23:10] leftist NGOs

[00:23:12] non-governmental organizations

[00:23:14] To my way of thinking

[00:23:16] They're not really they don't really much care about the law

[00:23:19] um, that people are not supposed to be coming across the border without

[00:23:23] Permission and authorization. We have laws that say that right so they've already broken the law

[00:23:28] I don't know. So yes, it's illegal

[00:23:31] But who's going to do we think that the biden administration is going to prosecute anybody for voting?

[00:23:38] If they're not a citizen, no, they're not going to prosecute and they're not going to the Department of Justice

[00:23:42] Is not going to do anything to try to stop these NGOs from getting people on the voter rolls

[00:23:48] That's what they want

[00:23:50] They they probably they probably have a policy written or unwritten

[00:23:54] That they want these people to vote because I think that they think that that's how they'll win

[00:24:00] um

[00:24:01] And

[00:24:02] Do you have to show proof of citizenship when you registered of it?

[00:24:08] No, not in most states. There are some states that

[00:24:11] Even though in arizona

[00:24:13] They have put it arizona has been trying for 20 years 21 years

[00:24:18] And this is a an actual border state now just every student is a border state. They have a border

[00:24:25] The bottom of their seat is the united states. Mexico border. They have a real border

[00:24:30] They are a real border state

[00:24:32] And so they have been trying for 20 years to be able to

[00:24:35] Require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote and they have had

[00:24:39] They've been sued by every left-wing group and they have they have cases that have gone up to the supreme court

[00:24:45] One one or more times

[00:24:47] They recently with a new bill that was passed two years ago. They reiterated

[00:24:53] Getting proof of citizenship and how to prove citizenship to register to vote

[00:24:56] they were sued by a left-wing group and the

[00:25:00] federal judge obama pointy judge ruled that

[00:25:03] But

[00:25:04] That state

[00:25:06] Has an interest in making sure that only citizens register and vote

[00:25:11] But said that because of a

[00:25:14] 10-year-old supreme court decision

[00:25:17] That they could not

[00:25:19] Enforce this provision of their statute. So it's a really difficult

[00:25:24] Situation, but I think that what has to happen is legislatures have to just go ahead

[00:25:30] And start looking at the procedures and fall and start creating

[00:25:35] The statutory framework for requiring proof of citizenship before someone is added to the voter roles and then if

[00:25:44] Republicans ever get control of congress in the white house

[00:25:48] I think that

[00:25:49] Hopefully we'll see some movement to amend

[00:25:52] A 31-year-old bill motor voter

[00:25:56] Which was bill clinton's number one priority when he was elected president. It was hr1

[00:26:01] It's always the process bills are always hr1 when the democrats take control of congress

[00:26:07] And that's the bill that requires the

[00:26:10] dv dmv when you go get a driver's license or renew your license or get a title for your car

[00:26:16] Whatever that you will be given the opportunity to register to vote and so

[00:26:21] They're not requiring proof of citizenship even though in the states that have adopted real id

[00:26:28] You're supposed to prove citizenship to get your id to get your

[00:26:33] Real id driver's license. So there are very few states that have any system for

[00:26:40] I really don't know of a system that requires proof of citizenship at the time you read

[00:26:44] You're at the dmv to register to vote even though they're requiring

[00:26:48] Prove of citizenship in order to get your driver's license. So it's crazy. It's crazy. It's crazy, but we I don't think

[00:26:57] You know circumstances have changed and I and most of these

[00:27:00] Statutes were written at a time when you never we didn't really think about the fact that there might be non-citizens voting

[00:27:07] Many states all but five states allow

[00:27:11] You someone to use a student id

[00:27:14] As an id for voting well, you don't have to be a citizen

[00:27:18] To get a student id

[00:27:20] You don't have to be a you don't have to be a resident of the state to get a student id

[00:27:25] So you have non-residents and non-citizens using student id's to vote in every in all but five states

[00:27:32] And so and then you know

[00:27:35] There's been a big push by the left to put polling places on college campuses

[00:27:40] And what does that do? Well

[00:27:42] If you have same-day registration and you can use your student id and the polling place is on campus

[00:27:47] It drives up student voting, right?

[00:27:49] And those polling places

[00:27:51] Generate about 85 90 percent votes for democrats

[00:27:55] So it's as I say they've been very systematic

[00:27:59] In how they've changed our election laws and I you know even in states like north carolina and wisconsin that have

[00:28:06] statutory rules that you can't put a polling place

[00:28:09] Anywhere that might benefit or confer an advantage on one political candidate or one political party over the other

[00:28:16] When you put polling places on college campuses, you're violating that law

[00:28:21] It's it's just

[00:28:24] They they violate the law and there are no consequences to it and then people don't trust right

[00:28:29] They don't trust the system and what we're saying is even when you explain all these bad bad things that are happening

[00:28:35] We you still can make a difference by getting involved

[00:28:38] Absolutely, and I well, I mean I could give you many many victory stories. I'll I'll share some victory stories. So

[00:28:46] The left divides the system about 10 years ago where all the students on college campuses who uh

[00:28:53] Institutions that receive federal aid which is I think all campuses except for about hillstale and grow city

[00:29:01] So there's a student information form that all the students fill out under federal law

[00:29:06] Well, that data is not supposed to be given to any third party. It's supposed to be retained by the institution except that

[00:29:14] The left figured out this system where they actually turn all the student data over to a

[00:29:20] non-profit

[00:29:23] run by left-wing groups and then that data flows through a group

[00:29:28] Uh a center at Tufts University funded by peer omitiar and then the data flows from there to

[00:29:36] um catalyst or l2

[00:29:38] Both are data companies that are involved in

[00:29:42] political data for voting and all and

[00:29:48] So that they know

[00:29:50] All this data is known to

[00:29:53] The left they know everything about every student on every campus

[00:29:57] And so there's been a real push for that, you know to for the left to do that

[00:30:02] but when

[00:30:03] A researcher who's been researching things since 2020 just on her own when she did this report a group of

[00:30:11] volunteers in tennessee took it to their state legislators took this information to the state board of regents

[00:30:17] And they are just getting ready. They either something this week. I don't know if it's happened yet or it's getting ready to happen

[00:30:24] Um where that is going to be now

[00:30:27] The sharing of data from the campuses is actually being enforced

[00:30:32] In tennessee to say and it's all because like a small group of citizens three or four people

[00:30:36] Showed what was happening. So they're stopping it. They're stopping the sharing of the student data in tennessee

[00:30:43] And that's all done with a group of citizen volunteers

[00:30:46] And I just think that I could tell you many many many stories like that

[00:30:50] So

[00:30:51] It does matter. It may not seem like a lot, but if you cut off the

[00:30:55] If we can identify and cut off the sources of the bad things happening

[00:31:00] We've taken a step to reclaiming our elections

[00:31:02] And it and that's how we have to do it and it's going to be

[00:31:06] One step at a time time time time. We all want change instantly

[00:31:11] But the the things that we're upset about didn't happen instantly. That's right

[00:31:16] It took a decade

[00:31:17] It took more than a decade and a lot of money by the left

[00:31:21] And we have rolled back and and created some

[00:31:25] Really strong protections in

[00:31:30] The voting laws and the election codes since 2020 which the left has howled about they hate that

[00:31:38] And the georgia legislature has done terrific work at both in 2021

[00:31:43] 2022

[00:31:44] 2023 and they just adjourned last week as you know, and they

[00:31:49] They put a lot of good changes into the georgia election code and the only way they knew that those things needed to be there

[00:31:59] Is because of citizens working observing what was going on at their local election offices and coming back and saying uh-oh

[00:32:07] Here's a loophole. This needs to be fixed and I just think that that's

[00:32:13] It's just pretty remarkable and and I guess I would say this to people who say well, you know

[00:32:19] Pox on all their houses and oh, don't you know, I don't trust the system or a man of the republicans

[00:32:24] Or i'm not going to vote because of this and this let me just say something

[00:32:28] If you live in this country

[00:32:30] You've been given a gift and you have an obligation

[00:32:33] I think all of us have an obligation to do what we can do

[00:32:37] To save the system and we save it by participating and we save it by voting and I just don't really have a lot of

[00:32:47] Uh patience with people who say i'm just not going to vote because i'm so discouraged or I think it's not it doesn't do any good

[00:32:53] yes, it does good it does it does a lot of good and

[00:32:59] You know, I just think about

[00:33:01] What we've been given as americans and I never served in the military

[00:33:06] But I can do this. This is something I can do to try to try to serve my country

[00:33:11] And that's I think that's what a lot a lot of these volunteers all over the country

[00:33:16] That's what they believe. They're they're trying to save their country and I just urge everybody that you got to vote

[00:33:23] Right and getting involved is even better

[00:33:27] That is very true

[00:33:28] I want to step back before we close out and go through two more things that you mentioned in the beginning first

[00:33:34] elaborate more on

[00:33:37] What you left did and how they value the process

[00:33:41] Like really delve into that just a little bit

[00:33:44] Well, you know, jenny beth I've thought about this so many times because as you know

[00:33:49] We've been in a lot of the same meetings together over the years

[00:33:52] I found a power point that I had given to the conservative action

[00:33:57] project summit in december of 2013 and it was all about

[00:34:02] Explaining how these left-wing groups had announced that year that they were going to change our political system

[00:34:08] And I I just i've given these speeches. I've I've tried to explain to conservatives

[00:34:14] you have to care about the process and

[00:34:18] I don't know if it's a genetic deficiency or what it's just that it's just

[00:34:24] Between democrats and republicans between conservatives and liberals. There's just a gulf

[00:34:32] between understanding that the political process is the first thing the left wants to control because

[00:34:40] And it's all the campaign finance laws. It's all all the lobbying regulations. It's

[00:34:48] it's

[00:34:50] And it's not the kind of thing that republican officials or operatives have

[00:34:56] They just more or less have historically operated under the rules that are written by their opposition

[00:35:02] And I've just always tried to tell conservatives you care about the substantive issues taxes school choice

[00:35:09] government regulation

[00:35:12] All of those things

[00:35:14] We'll never get to those substantive issues if you lose on the process to get there

[00:35:21] And that's what's so important. I think that

[00:35:25] But let me tell you there are many millions of people who woke up on

[00:35:30] November 4th of 2020 and said what just happened

[00:35:34] And as they've gotten involved in the process, they they've seen what has been going on and they've ripped off the band aid

[00:35:42] And now they're saying we're not going to let this stand

[00:35:46] I I think it

[00:35:48] It's more it it definitely applies to

[00:35:51] The elections and election administration

[00:35:54] It's even more than that. And maybe it you said genetic deficiency

[00:36:00] I think it's partly because we as conservatives really abhor bureaucracy

[00:36:05] In general, we want less government. We want government out of the way

[00:36:10] and

[00:36:11] And we don't tend to go work for the governments. We don't have as many conservatives who are bureaucrats

[00:36:17] But once you're a bureaucrat and you're you're in there executing the process

[00:36:22] You learn how you can manipulate the process as well

[00:36:25] And we saw that throughout

[00:36:27] Trump's presidency

[00:36:29] The bureaucrats were able to use the system

[00:36:32] To prevent him from actually being the executive

[00:36:36] Well, that's true. And you know all of these kinds of laws and regulations sound so good

[00:36:42] You know remember it was a reaction to andrew jackson and the spoil system

[00:36:48] You know that used to be the democrats used to say

[00:36:51] Jefferson and jackson were the founders of the democratic party. They don't like to say that anymore

[00:36:56] But so they wanted to do away with the quote spoil system

[00:36:59] And that was written about in my history books as a kid growing up that the spoil system was terrible

[00:37:04] The spoil system being to the victor go the spoils is the old adage

[00:37:08] And if you won the presidency

[00:37:10] Or you won the governorship

[00:37:13] Then you could you could bring people in who supported you and put them in positions

[00:37:17] And the whole civil service system of the united states was created to to keep presidents

[00:37:24] From basically firing their opponents employees

[00:37:28] Or appointees and bringing in their own people

[00:37:31] Well, so what's happened over the years is that those permanent bureaucracies

[00:37:37] They're protected in their jobs. They they are entitled to many more protections or their jobs than people

[00:37:45] Outside the government

[00:37:47] They get higher pay they get more benefits used to be that people say oh well those poor government employees

[00:37:53] They don't make much money. Well, that's not true anymore. It particularly not with the retirements and all of that the benefits but

[00:38:02] That's a big problem

[00:38:03] And I think president trump understands that now and and I think a lot of people have proposed ideas

[00:38:10] For addressing the problems of the civil service system

[00:38:14] Because it keeps people in their jobs when they're not doing their jobs, right and and and not to mention

[00:38:21] In washington dc. These are heavily democratic counties

[00:38:26] Surrounding washington and the district of columbia where I lived for 20 years

[00:38:31] That my last official act as a resident of the district of columbia before I moved to north carolina was casting a ballot in 2012

[00:38:39] Of voting for mitt romney binary choice only thing

[00:38:43] My only option right and my husband and I were among the three percent who voted for romney in 2012 and they run our lives

[00:38:51] In washington dc and in I mean so there's been there've been ideas about moving

[00:38:57] Agencies out of washington moving department. I think that's a terrible idea because they're going to turn red parts of the country blue

[00:39:04] Because once you work for the government and your money comes from the government

[00:39:08] You're going to vote for your self-interest which is to keep funding the government so you keep getting your own money

[00:39:13] Do not move it outside of dc. I I I agree with that

[00:39:17] I I've I thought that it does find a way to reduce the staff

[00:39:21] Reduce the size of reduce the size of government but moving it outside of dc and hoping for attrition

[00:39:27] Then you're going to be stuck with the worst employees

[00:39:30] Potentially you're not you're not doing it based on on merit at all

[00:39:36] And it you're doing it based on people who are willing to move because they have to keep their job

[00:39:41] And then you hire people in those area. It just it's no no no

[00:39:47] Well, there are actually good proposals for reforming the civil service system

[00:39:52] And please tell me why why it is that an employee

[00:39:56] The federal government who is protected by all these laws and the civil service system, please tell me why they need a union

[00:40:04] I don't get that. I don't understand that

[00:40:07] And it's the it makes

[00:40:10] Makes no sense. So then they're double protected. That's why you cannot get you cannot get rid of

[00:40:16] Federal employee who no matter how bad a job he does. I had a friend who was an appointee

[00:40:22] political appointee for uh

[00:40:24] I think it was in the

[00:40:27] George h. W. Bush administration and

[00:40:31] There was a guy who just would sleep on his desk not under his desk

[00:40:34] But I get on top of his desk and sleep

[00:40:37] And you know and it took a year to get rid of him. It's craziness took a year

[00:40:42] I think that congressman barry louder milk during the trump administration tried to get some changes passed

[00:40:48] They never did but we need to revisit. Yes, we desperately need to that's a process issue

[00:40:53] See that right that civil service system is a process issue. It is and that is something that

[00:41:02] Historically republicans haven't paid attention to maybe they'll start paying attention now

[00:41:07] Well because they saw under what happened when president trump was president and then what happened in 2020 if

[00:41:14] if

[00:41:15] Trump is able to win and

[00:41:18] Republicans control both the house and the senate

[00:41:20] They're very serious changes that they must make immediately immediately and they're only going to have if all of that happens

[00:41:28] And I pray every night that it does and i'm working around the clock

[00:41:32] Yes, you are to make to make a difference

[00:41:35] Um if all of that happens we have 20 months from the time he's inaugurated until early voting begins in virginia in

[00:41:42] 2026 20 months to get the it isn't even two full years to get the work done

[00:41:47] That's right and maybe you win after the midterms or maybe you don't but you can't assume that you will

[00:41:53] No, you cannot assume that no, you can't

[00:41:56] Steven friend who is an fbi whistleblower. I've gotten to know him a little bit this year. I just got his book

[00:42:01] I haven't started it yet. He's

[00:42:03] he

[00:42:04] Man you could spend hours talking to him and you learn so much one of the things that i'm

[00:42:09] I'm pretty sure i'm not misattributing it to him. I'm pretty sure it was

[00:42:14] Steven who told me this is that when you work

[00:42:17] When all these people who are the bureaucrats who work for the government a new president comes in and let's see it's a

[00:42:23] Republican president

[00:42:24] They just sort of think okay, we're gonna have to deal with this for four years

[00:42:28] Maybe eight years

[00:42:28] But then it goes back to however it was before and they just kind of ignore the fact that they have a different president

[00:42:35] And they do things how they want to do them rather than

[00:42:38] Doing things based on what the president who was elected by the people remember you said consent of the governed

[00:42:45] Want to have happened it's such

[00:42:49] Eragance it is arrogance and it is because they're protected

[00:42:54] They because no matter what they do they can't it's very difficult to get rid of a federal employee

[00:43:00] So they get by with it because they don't have any of the market forces

[00:43:04] That other people working outside the government have right, you know where whether it's a public or private sector

[00:43:11] You normally

[00:43:12] You have to respond to whoever you work for otherwise it's in subordination. Yeah, that's right

[00:43:17] So none of those things matter when you're a government employee

[00:43:21] Okay, the other thing I wanted to delve into is

[00:43:24] You glossed over it and I know about this but but elaborate on this

[00:43:28] You were an elected official in oklahoma and you were a democrat elected official

[00:43:32] And you were one of the most conservative people who I know

[00:43:36] How how did that transition happen for you and why are you conservative?

[00:43:41] Well, that's a really interesting story jenny beth

[00:43:44] I think that you know, I was elected to the legislature right after I graduated from law school

[00:43:49] So I was in I was 25 when I ran. I think I just turned 26 when I got elected and

[00:43:55] um and I served for eight years and

[00:44:00] You know and everybody was a democrat in oklahoma then right but um

[00:44:05] But after I left the legislature and I was in private law practice. I got married. Um, I had stepchildren

[00:44:12] and I

[00:44:13] And I started thinking about

[00:44:16] Really with regard to my stepson what my mother had always raised me to believe about what makes

[00:44:22] How you raise children to be self-sufficient healthy mentally healthy responsible adults and

[00:44:29] I started

[00:44:30] thinking about seeing some things I didn't agree with with my stepchildren

[00:44:35] And my husband I had a bit of a discussion because my stepson was getting ready. It was it was like

[00:44:41] October of his sophomore year at the University of oklahoma

[00:44:46] And he still hadn't bought his books. Well, we'd send him the money to buy his books now when I went to school

[00:44:52] I was working my way through college at the University of oklahoma. I bought my own books

[00:44:56] So I those books meant a lot to me. I knew how much they cost and I'm going well, wait a minute

[00:45:00] We gave him the money for this

[00:45:02] And I started sitting down thinking you know

[00:45:05] I have this set of public policy beliefs where we have to be compassionate and we have to help people

[00:45:11] And then I know I have these private beliefs that you know, based on what

[00:45:16] I've been raised to know, you know the bible and things my mother taught me and I thought these two sets of beliefs are

[00:45:23] incompatible

[00:45:24] I can't have two completely contradictory set of beliefs. It's what psychologists call cognitive dissonance

[00:45:30] And I I really said I remember vividly sitting down and thinking

[00:45:35] I'm these can't both be right

[00:45:37] And so then I started thinking about that challenging and I read a book

[00:45:43] Called the dream and the nightmare it was written by myron magna who at the time was the editor in chief of

[00:45:51] The city journal, I think it's called for the Manhattan Institute

[00:45:55] But the dream in the nightmare the 60s legacy to the underclass

[00:45:59] and

[00:46:00] It talks about all these programs

[00:46:03] That were started by the people with the best of intentions to help people

[00:46:08] And how in the end what had happened was that it created a permanent poverty class and

[00:46:16] And so I just thought you know, I just can't do this anymore

[00:46:19] I can't participate and I started really looking at what the democratic party stood for and that's

[00:46:23] That was many decades ago

[00:46:25] When you look at what they stand for today, it's Marxism. It's utter Marxism. It's communism

[00:46:31] It's not even socialism. It's communism. It's communism. It's authoritarian

[00:46:35] It's eliminating not just the second amendment that where they want to eliminate our gun rights. It's the first amendment

[00:46:41] it's and so I

[00:46:43] I

[00:46:44] re-register changed my registration, but I from from democrat to independent and I was an independent for many years

[00:46:51] I didn't want to just jump out of one relationship into another

[00:46:55] And it took me a number of years then before I re-registered as a republican

[00:46:58] I started voting republican even when I was an independent which by the way just because somebody is unaffiliated doesn't mean they don't normally vote

[00:47:06] For one party or the other. That's a misnomer to think that everybody who's unaffiliated

[00:47:12] Doesn't really

[00:47:13] Have a party affiliation. So that was really what but I sat down and thought about it and I read things

[00:47:20] I read books

[00:47:22] Michael Barone wrote a book

[00:47:24] Uh

[00:47:25] Our country and it was it was really the political history of the united states from the 1930s through I can't remember where he stopped

[00:47:34] But he talked about the difference between what the congress and harry truman had proposed and done after world war two

[00:47:42] creating

[00:47:44] The gi bill

[00:47:46] Vha loans to help veterans

[00:47:49] Get back on their feet after the war and he said there was a difference in kind between what happened after world war two

[00:47:56] Versus what happened in the great society where where the post world war two programs were to help people

[00:48:04] Move into the middle class

[00:48:06] What the great society programs of the sixties did was to create a permanent poverty class dependent on government

[00:48:12] And that was in order to the for the democrats to have power

[00:48:16] And I just all of those things reading all those things and I I just now I see things that I'd never seen before

[00:48:24] That's really interesting and and it's good to know that people truly can can yeah

[00:48:30] If you pay attention and learn the facts right and and have a little self

[00:48:34] Being willing to say to yourself, you know, you actually might be wrong

[00:48:39] About this. That's what I said to myself. I said, you know what? You're wrong here

[00:48:42] We just got to figure out what's what's wrong

[00:48:45] So a lot of people have given up hope in the election system and and you you have mentioned that that they need to still go and vote

[00:48:53] What if they

[00:48:54] Would if they weren't sure whether their their vote is really going to make a difference?

[00:48:57] What are you telling people about that? Well, I have a theory. I have a rule which is that I do vip one

[00:49:05] Vote in person the first day of early voting. Go claim your vote. Go claim your ballot

[00:49:11] um

[00:49:12] You remember that we heard in 2020 people saying that when they went to vote on election day

[00:49:17] They were being told that they'd already voted. So make sure that doesn't happen

[00:49:22] Make sure that nobody is able to steal your vote

[00:49:25] But there is nothing more important than casting your vote. That's the number one rule

[00:49:30] That's that's the price you must pay for living in this country

[00:49:35] And you don't have the luxury none of us has the luxury of sitting at this one out

[00:49:40] We have to all be voting and I say go vote the first day of early voting in your state vote in person

[00:49:48] Early first day, but vip one be a vip one. Everybody should do that excellent vip one

[00:49:55] That's right. Well cleta. Thank you so much for spending time with me today

[00:49:58] Thank you so much for having me jenny beth and thanks for all that you do. You're a great patriot a great inspiration

[00:50:03] Thank you. The jenny beth show is hosted by jenny beth martin produced by kevin munihan

[00:50:10] and directed by luke livingston

[00:50:13] The jenny beth show is a production of tea party patriots action

[00:50:17] For more information visit tea party patriots dot org

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