Elections
Former Democratic US House member Ron Kind joins Republicans for election security town hall Thursday in La Crosse
With voting already started and the fall election nearing a close, former members of Congress on both sides of the aisle come together Thursday night to discuss election security, and take questions from those who want to know more.
Former Democratic US House Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin’s 3rd District joins three Republicans to take part in the town hall from 7-9 p.m. at the Pump House Regional Arts Center in downtown La Crosse. It’s free and open to the public — register here.
Kind said Tuesday on WIZM’s La Crosse Talk that he feels an event like this is now needed, because of the constant barrage of misinformation out there trying to sow doubt into US elections.
“If you lose the confidence at the ballot box, that’s when people resort to self help and other means of trying to achieve political power in our country, and that’s something that we’re trying to avoid,” Kind said.
Also taking part in the event are former Republican colleagues of Kind’s in the US House, including Scott Klug, Tim Petri and Reid Ribble. La Crosse County clerk Ginny Dankmeyer will also be on hand, as she’s in charge of elections in the county.
“ Our message is to generate a discussion about the common concerns related to election security and election integrity in Wisconsin and throughout the country,” Kind said. “And to try to reassure people — for those of us who were on the ballot, who ran campaigns, who watched us very closely — that we have nothing to be worried about in regards to the fairness, the accuracy, the vote counting in Wisconsin. We have extremely professional election officials.”
LeaderEthics-Wisconsin executive director Lee Rasch helps host the event. Rasch spoke Wednesday on WIZM, talking about what one might expect from the town hall, plus the Q&A afterward.
“ Probably take some of the misinformation that’s out there and try to explain how it’s really operating,” Rasch said. “But I think you’ll also get some insight from their personal views — the members of Congress. I’ve heard Reed Ribble speak, for example, on these topics, and he shares his stories, when he was in Congress, and about how some members can believe that a piece of truth is equivalent to all the truth.”
Kind sees the town hall as a way to show those who still might question the 2020 election, or this upcoming one, that is not the case, and to answer their questions.
“ There’s a substantial portion of people who still feel that election fraud is a major issue in our country today, and it just isn’t,” Kind said. “And so I’m happy to do this forum, along with Republican colleagues, who are speaking very forcefully and pushing back against what former President Trump has been saying out there.”
Lee noted that it wasn’t that long ago, that things like Republicans and Democrats getting together for a town hall was pretty normal.
“ I’ve heard Reed Ribble and Ron Kind refer to each other as friends,” Rasch said. “And see, one of the things that I think we forget, because of the divide today, is that there was a lot more interaction between the parties, but with members in Congress or even in the state legislature. And today those kinds of interactions are almost verboten.”
