Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan

Oct. 27, 2016

Transcript:

TED SIMONS: WE JUST HEARD FROM THE MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER ON ELECTION CONCERNS. WE NOW GET A STATE-WIDE VIEW OF THE UPCOMING VOTE WITH ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE, MICHELE REAGAN.

MICHELE REAGAN: THANK YOU.

TED SIMONS: WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE OUT THERE REGARDING THE ELECTION? WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?

MICHELE REAGAN: WE ARE TESTING ALL THE BALLOT EQUIPMENT IN ALL 15 COUNTIES. MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE AND ARE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT WE CHECK ALL THE BALLOT EQUIPMENT IN EVERY COUNTY BEFORE EVERY ELECTION. SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE GOING AROUND THE STATE FOR THE FOURTH TIME THIS YEAR.

TED SIMONS: WE KEEP HEARING THE ELECTION IS RIGGED OR COMPROMISED. HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

MICHELE REAGAN: IT WOULD BE HARD TO DO BECAUSE THE EQUIPMENT IS CENTRALIZED. THEY ARE NOT HOOKED UP TO THE INTERNET. THEY ARE OFF LINE. WE DO PAPER CHECKS AND HAND COUNTS. THERE IS A LAW IN ARIZONA THAT SOME STATES DON'T HAVE AND WE ARE PROUD OF THE LAW AND HOPE WE KEEP IT AND THAT IS EVERY VOTE HAS TO HAVE A PAPER AUDIT TRAIL. A VERY IMPORTANT LAW IN ARIZONA MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WE HAVE. SO IF YOU ARE USING ONE OF THOSE TOUCH SCREEN MACHINES IN THE POLLING PLACE IT IS RECORDING YOUR VOTE ON PAPER AS WELL. THERE IS ALWAYS A PAPER AUDIT TRAIL.

TED SIMONS: KIND OF LIKE AN ATM MACHINE?

MICHELE REAGAN: CORRECT.

TED SIMONS: SO WHEN SOME FOLKS SAY THE ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM IN ARIZONA AND AMERICA, THAT CAN BE AND IS BEING COMPROMISED.

MICHELE REAGAN: THERE IS TWO SEPARATE SYSTEMS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VOTING. ONE IS THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM AND ONE IS THE TABULATION SYSTEM. THE TABULATION SYSTEM IS WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH ON ELECTION DAY AND FOR THE MOST PART THAT IS OFFLINE, NOT HOOKED UP TO THE INTERNET. THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM IS WHAT WE DEAL WITH ALL YEAR AND THAT IS ONLINE AND A BIG DATABASE EVERYONE IS TAPPING INTO. THE STATE, ALL 15 COUNTIES, AND THAT WAS SUBJECT TO AN ATTEMPTED BREACH IN LATE JUNE EARLY JULY. WE HAD A HACKING INCIDENT IN ONE OF THE COUNTY COMPUTERS. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND I THINK THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SAFETY MEASURES AND A LITTLE LUCK WE DID GET LUCKY THERE AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO BREACH THE DATABASE.

TED SIMONS: BUT THAT IS A CONCERN.

MICHELE REAGAN: ABSOLUTELY.

TED SIMONS: IT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE FUTURE?

MICHELE REAGAN: IT IS A CONCERN AND SOMETHING WE ARE VIGILANT ABOUT EVERY DAY AND THAT DOESN'T END ON NOVEMBER 8TH. WE ARE CONCERNED WITH THAT ON NOVEMBER 9TH AND 10TH AND ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW BIG AND SERIOUS THAT ISSUE IS JUST LAST MONTH IN SEPTEMBER 192,000 TIMES OUR OWN I.T. DEPARTMENT HAD UNWANTED INTRUSIONS INTO OUR SYSTEMS. OUR SECRETARY STATE SYSTEM, 160-PERSON DEPARTMENT HAD A 192,000 TEAMS AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM. THEY DETERMINED 11,000 OF THEM WERE MALICIOUS MEANING THEY WERE PEOPLE SETTING OUT TO DO US HARM.

TED SIMONS: FISHING.

MICHELE REAGAN: THAT IS JUST IN ONE MONTH. IF WE THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN STICK OUR HEAD IN THE SAND AND SAY WE GOT LUCKY ONCE AND WE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE LUCKY. WE ARE FOLLOWING PROTOCOL FROM THE FBI, BEST PRACTICES FROM OUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. WE ARE OPEN TO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO KEEP PEOPLE'S INFORMATION SAFE.

TED SIMONS: I IMAGINE IT HELPS A LITTLE BIT THAT IT IS NOT ALL COMPLETELY -- THE VOTE ITSELF IS NOT ALL COMPLETELY ELECTRONIC LIKE THE REGISTRATION AND YOU DO HAVE THE PAPER TRAIL SO THERE IS A RECORD ON PAPER.

MICHELE REAGAN: THERE IS A RECORD AND PEOPLE ARE TABULATING AT THE END OF THE NIGHT WITH COUNTY RECORDERS. THEY ARE DOING HAND COUNTS TO MAKE SURE THE MACHINES ARE COUNTING CORRECTLY. SO THERE ARE SO MANY CHECKS IN THE SYSTEM ON THE TABULATION SIDE. THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEPARATE TABULATION AND REGISTRATION. WE ARE CONFIDANT THE TABULATION SYSTEM ISN'T ABLE TO BE RIGGED OR HACKED. THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM IS A CONSTANT CONCERN. I WOULDN'T BE DOING MY JOB IF I WASN'T CONCERNED ABOUT THAT DAY AND NIGHT. WE SAW IT IN JUNE. OTHER STATES HAVE SEEN IT.

TED SIMONS: ANOTHER QUESTION QUICKLY REGARDING THE VOTE. THERE IS CONCERN REGARDING VOTER INTIMIDATION. EVERYONE HAS MONITORS. TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT THE PARTIES ARE ALLOWED TO DO WITH THEIR MONITORS AND WHAT THE AVERAGE JOE CITIZEN CAN DO JUST TO SIT OUT THERE AND MAKE SURE THERE IS NO HANKY-PANKY AS THEY SAY.

MICHELE REAGAN: WE KNOW PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THE ELECTION AND WANTING TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE POLLS AND WE WELCOME THAT. THE MORE EYES AND EARS THE BETTER AS LONG AS THERE IS NO INTIMIDATION. IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED AND OUTSIDE AND WATCHING YOU JUST NEED TO GET PERMISSION FROM YOUR PARTY COUNTY CHAIRMAN. SO THE DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CHAIRMAN OR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN. YOU ASK FOR PERMISSION TO BE ONE OF THEIR POLL WATCHERS AND THEY IN TURN GET PERMISSION FROM THE COUNTY RECORDER SO WHETHER IT WAS HELEN YOU JUST INTERVIEWED IN MARICOPA COUNTY OR ONE OF THE OTHER 14 COUNTY RECORDERS AND THEY WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A LETTER SAYING YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BE THERE. WE WELCOME PEOPLE WATCHING THE POLLS BUT WE DO ASK THAT YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO DO THIS.

TED SIMONS: AND THERE IS A 75-FOOT BUBBLE IS THERE NOT? IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING ALL THIS --

MICHELE REAGAN: IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LETTER STAY OUTSIDE THE 75 FOOT BUBBLE.

TED SIMONS: AND ONCE YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF THAT YOU CAN YELL AND SCREAM?

MICHELE REAGAN: WE HOPE PEOPLE DON'T YELL AND SCREAM. I BELIEVE ARIZONA RESIDENTS ARE BETTER. AS A CANDIDATE I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE 15-16 YEARS AND NEVER SEEN ANYONE YELLING AND SCREAMING.

TED SIMONS: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. APPRECIATE IT.
TED SIMONS: FRIDAY ON ARIZONA HORIZON, IT'S THE JOURNALISTS' ROUNDTABLE. WE'LL DISCUSS REPORTS THAT DES DIRECTOR TIM JEFFRIES CREATED AN ENEMIES LIST OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. AND APS LAUNCHES A 1-MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN TO ELECT GOP CANDIDATES TO THE CORPORATION COMMISSION. THHAT'S ON THE NEXT JOURNALISTS' ROUNDTABLE. REMINDER IF YOU WANT TO WATCH TONIGHT'S SHOW AGAIN OR SEE WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB. AZPBS.ORG/HORIZON. I AM TED SIMONS AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. YOU HAVE GREAT EVENING. "ARIZONA HORIZON" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE FRIENDS OF ARIZONA PBS, MEMBERS OF YOUR PBS STATION, THANK YOU. CLOSED CAPTION PRODUCTIONS WWW.CCPRODUCTIONS.COM 844-335-0911