A New York Times story today about Republican leaders and election officials of both parties combatting claims of “election rigging” quotes NKY’s Trey Grayson.
The story address presidential candidate Donald Trump’s frequent refrain on the campaign trail that the presidential election is “one big fix” and “one big, ugly lie.” Trump is claiming a rigged election and a conspiracy between the news media and the Democratic Party to commit vast election fraud, though he offers no evidence to support the claims. The rhetoric has spurred reactions from his supporters that deny the legitimacy of the election if he loses and run to threats of violence and insurgence.
Grayson is president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Kentucky’s former secretary of state where he was responsible for assuring integrity of the election process.
“It is so irresponsible because what he’s doing really goes to the heart of our democracy,” said Trey Grayson, a Republican, told the Times.
“What is great about America is that we change our leaders at the ballot box, not by bullets,” he said.
The Times reported that Trump’s running mate Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, “tried to play down Mr. Trump’s questioning of the fairness of the election. Mr. Pence said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he and Mr. Trump ‘will absolutely accept the result of the election.'”
The Times also reported:
* Jon A. Husted, the secretary of state of Ohio: “We have made it easy to vote and hard to cheat. . .We are going to run a good, clean election in Ohio, like we always do.”
* Balloting in many of the hardest-fought states will be overseen by Republican officials.
* Chris Ashby, a Republican election lawyer said that Trump was “destabilizing” the election by encouraging his supporters to deputize themselves as amateur poll monitors, outside the bounds of the law.”
* Jackie Schutz, a spokesperson for Gov. Rick Scott of Florida: “Our secretary of state, Ken Detzner, has been very focused on making sure we have a smooth election,” noting that Mr. Scott’s “goal is 100 percent participation and zero percent fraud.”
* In Wisconsin, David A. Clarke Jr, the sheriff of Milwaukee County, posted on Twitter on Saturday that it was “pitchforks and torches time,” along with a photograph of an angry mob wielding weapons.
* Civil rights groups have begun to express alarm at remarks from Mr. Trump that they see as goading his supporters to intimidate minorities at the polls.
* Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California: “He’s fine with the system when he wins the primary, but now he’s pre-emptively claiming precinct-level fraud?”
* Paul D. Ryan spokeswoman Ashlee Strong: “Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity.”