Support for the 400 and 19AWE original celebrating Northwest Ohio is provided by the University of Toledo, preparing graduates who contribute to our workforce, advancing research that addresses our region's challenges and caring for our community through the region's only academic medical center.

We are the University of Toledo.

Work.

Spring.

Work spring helps businesses and clients with HR expertise, workforce training, employee wellness solutions, and personalized support to help make work life easier, workplaces healthier, and teams stronger.

Learn more at work.

Springborg.

Tata, now in its 56th year of delivering public transportation to Lucas County and Rossford through its fixed route service, Tata Move Paratransit and Tata Flex on demand.

More@tata.com.

Destination Toledo.

Discover something new in the Glass City with local favorites, upcoming events, dining and things to do.

It's easy to plan your time in 419 at Visit Dawg.

And now the 490 with Gretchen De Backer, Matt Killam, and Kevin Mullin all.

Welcome into the 419.

I'm Kevin Mullin.

Gretchen.

Becker, Matt Killen.

This is our election day preview show.

Yes.

Right.

Tomorrow is Election Day, arguably the most important day in our country.

An opportunity when the way it was founded is this is this is how we get our voice and its.

Use it or lose it.

That's right.

I'm excited about Election Day.

It's one of my favorite days of the year.

I have never missed the opportunity to vote and any election since I was 18 years old.

I'm very proud of that fact.

And so I look, I, I also like to not early vote, even though plenty of people have.

But I like to go on election Day to, to my polling place and cast my vote.

So I'm looking forward.

To it on the same way my parents took me, let me pull the curtain back when I was doing that.

So as part of a large I think we have a good take.

True 419 version of an election show, right?

We've got some real political experts who have been around a while to talk about what they've seen in terms of times have change.

I think voting, they have experienced this.

To your point, there's a lot of noise out there.

So we'll try to cut through that.

And representative of both the Young Democrat and Young Republicans, I'm interested to hear their thoughts on since it's a historically low turnout age group, are we feeling them or are they feeling us in between?

So I'm interested in seeing their point of view.

Are you happy the Metroparks doesn't have a levy on this time around?

I am ecstatic.

You know, it's right now it's our job just to extenuating is keep our promises.

Right.

So it is the best time to just be in service as opposed to.

I've heard the line.

I think it was Sam Melvin told me there's only two ways to run a campaign.

Unopposed or scared.

And I think, you know, this is the.

This is the day.

This is the evening that every single person who's on the ballot, is either unopposed or they're going to sleep scared about what's going to happen tomorrow.

I like you, Gretchen.

If somebody who I like to vote on Election day, I like the feeling of that, I do too.

You know, and I and I am of all the things.

You know, what we what we should have done is talk about the incredible human beings that dedicate their day to work the polls.

That is a thankless job.

And I have said I would love to someday, do that.

I would love to be able to give back the community in that way.

It's a fun day.

It's a long day.

I think that we would be remiss not to extend that.

The people who were running right.

Indiscriminate of your politics.

People are dedicating their lives to being service, right?

All the hyperbole and nuance and sort of darkness aside, people could do anything right in the deciding to to be in service and, I don't know, talk about a 24 over seven job.

Right.

And also commuting your family and all things to then the public scrutiny so indiscriminate of what happens in the next 48 hours or so.

We owe everyone who ran and contributes a thanks for public service.

And that's just not for the people who are running.

Right?

That's our our mayors in the area who we've had on our city council.

People.

Right.

Superintendents, people are giving back.

And that is a tough, tough gig.

So we thank all of them, indiscriminate of their politics.

As someone who's run and lost, I can tell you it's, it's a lot of work, but you and all of these people that have run at every level, you know, they put themselves out there, they put themselves in this mess of an election, system.

And it's and it's merciless in many ways, very busy on family and friends.

I know that they are going to want a couple of days rest after tomorrow.

When did you.

You and I haven't had haven't really talked about your campaign, but like, I mean, did you know going in that like, I don't know if this is going to work out or, or is this something where it was close enough the whole time that that it was, well, more crushing the night of.

I was running for you kind of have to suspend you have to believe it.

Yeah.

Or you or you couldn't do it.

You couldn't.

But, you know, they don't do polling.

I was running for a municipal court judge.

They don't pull.

You have no way of knowing.

No way of knowing.

And and I'm sure Mike Beasley could talk to us about municipal turnout as opposed to presidential turnout and gubernatorial turnout.

So it's just different.

But no, I didn't I didn't know it was a yeah you hopeful.

But yeah.

So well I think it's you know, whether you are the the cliche for a candidate right is like I'm running representing this party but once I'm elected I represent everybody.

Yeah.

And that is certainly the, the approach that I hope that all of the candidates running have.

But it's also our responsibility as voters to hold them accountable to that.

Right.

If, if my candidate for governor wins or my candidate for school board wins, or my candidate for insert the blank judge, whatever, if they win or they don't win, at the end of the day, the person who did win now represents me right now.

Serves me, and I think that's, you know, to your point about the Metroparks, Matt, it's, you know, holding them accountable and say, hey, we I voted for this or I didn't vote for this, but you said you were going to do this, and now I need to see you do it.

All right.

We got a great show.

We got Mike Beasley on.

We'll talk about the history of elections.

I think he may have been around for the very first election.

So we'll talk about that.

Steven Hartman local attorney talking about voting rights.

And of course we'll have representatives from Young Democrats and Republicans talk about the future of elections and engagement from young people.

Excited for that conversation as well.

We'll take a break.

We'll be right back on the 419.

Support for the 419 comes to the Lake Erie West Regional Council, an organization of 83 local governmental members dedicated improving the quality of life in our region by leading collaboration, empowering connection and amplifying impact.

To me, community means connecting to others.

I'm Donnie Miller and welcome to the point.

I love you.

Yes.

We're a community committed to education.

Discover new ideas, dive into exciting subject, and engage with the world around you.

I would send them personally a t shirt crime doesn't pay in the old West End.

Pass it on.

That's how we cleaned up the neighborhood.

Vision loss for people is not the end.

It's a story.

It's the next chapter.

WD Public Media invites you to get out and play.

Dave.

Weekdays 5 p.m.

WGTE HD 3 p.m.

on FM 91 and.

Of course.

Always.org.

Where you come to watch, listen and learn.

Welcome back into the 419.

Election day is tomorrow.

There's a lot of issues a lot of candidates on the ballot.

We're not going to talk about any of those things.

We're joined now by an election expert.

Talk about the weather.

That's right.

You know, I mean, but I think, you know, broadly, we don't it doesn't serve us any any good to dive in on.

Hey, this candidate or that candidate or this issue or that issue.

You've got a lot of experience in this space.

We talked about, you know, Gretchen having run for office.

You've you've served in a number of political capacities.

Maybe if folks aren't familiar with your background, maybe catch us up on on the different stops along your train in the political space.

And why you've done this to yourself.

It's a long train.

I'm old.

Right?

So in my.

70s now, I started in local politics in the early 70s or late 60s.

So put that in context.

19, right?

Yes.

1976.

Not 18.

Yeah.

But in the world we're in.

I mean, I'm a former elections director.

I'm a former political party chair.

I'm a former president of the Young Democrats.

I'm a former election board chairman of a former one of the three members of the state Board of Voting Machine Examiners.

I used to be a pollster.

I made the commercials.

I all those things.

I used to work for channel 11 doing their election night returns, analysis and projections back in the 70s, of all things.

When I was in undergrad, I started doing that with them.

Been around a long time before we.

Get to, I guess, the meat and potatoes of that.

Your upbringing.

What?

How did you how did this find you, or are you it?

I came from a bad family.

Yeah.

I fell in with bad companions at an early age.

And you found your there this morning.

Neither my mother nor my father was active politically that much.

But we always talked about it.

And my mother got active with a group called League of Women Voters, and she actually produced one of the first locally produced shows on public television here in town, a show called Voters Voice with the League of Women Voters.

And so I would help with the candidate debates and get involved.

And I, you know, recognize that public policy is something that mattered, that leadership matters to a community, that getting elections right is important even from a structural mechanics side and from a policy side.

Who's going to win and what difference does it make?

But that's.

The part fascinates you the most, the the clinical policy side or the carbon based, bipedal, usually human portion of it?

I kind of love them both.

Okay.

Right.

And and they both go together.

The, the the technical side and the human element are just so important that they blend together as you go.

And I recognized I was into public policy.

I was a public policy geek when I was a kid.

You don't have to have the geek part.

Yeah.

That's redundant.

I was I was in the public policy.

I cared about it.

We were family that read the news, that talked about the news and watched the news and argued about it.

And, you know, there's lots of when I was a kid, lots of things going on.

There's things like Vietnam, Moore's and the civil rights movement and the women's movement and all those things were going on.

My family would be out marching for fair housing.

My mother used to be a decoy to go out and help make sure that people were being cheated because of their race on rental properties and things like that.

So they she worked with the Fair Housing Center and things like that.

So I was always engaged with those things from a young age and, and enjoyed the give and take that went with it.

Yeah.

One of the things that's so interesting about you and you your evolution in working in this space is what Matt was just sort of talking about.

You have a policy and then you have the electorate, and then you have the elected official or the elected body that's trying to get that thing done.

And I've heard you say many times over the year that the, the, sometimes you have to just get what you can get.

You can't make perfect the enemy of the good, right?

That's right.

This is something that you're just trying to get, maybe incrementally done, but your unique skill is I know this is a long question.

I apologize, but your unique skill is being able to decipher that and say and read the room and say, okay, I think that we can get this done by saying this.

This is what would this is without polling.

This is just something you seem to have innately this skill to say, this is what this group needs to hear to support this.

How how did you develop that?

I think it just came from being an observer of the world and living through it.

So I first became kind of a politically a guy who got actively and politically engaged.

When candidates would ask me where they should campaign, I did.

I was into that data and the stats.

Yeah.

And and targeting and things like that.

And that's a little bit overrated in some ways.

But then I started telling people they'd say, well, in this area you should talk about this.

And then I became the speechwriter.

Yeah.

Then it became the person that made the commercials, and it just became from being an observer of the scene and being engaged in it in a lot of ways.

And it was it was fun.

And that challenge of making that connection and being wrong sometimes.

Sure.

Right.

And think, well, this is going to work and it doe always work and you have to try something else.

Can I ask you a question other than the obvious victory is there?

When does it feel the best?

Is it in your.

When you're in the room and you see an audience in your messaging is landing, or you see a candidate or or issue hitting its crescendo in terms of approval.

What what is your tuning fork?

When does it when do you feel the best?

I guess the term I would use as a mental head nodding, okay, I want to see a reaction from people that they're recognizing that there's a connection between what the candidate is saying and what matters to them, and the term that uses kitchen table life.

So often, elected officials and politicians seem like the adults in the peanuts cartoons, which are there's no nothing actually being articulated.

They close them out and listen.

How do you break through when people are worrying about how am I going to pay my bills, how my kids teacher is a problem.

My parents belong in a in some kind of retirement home.

That's what my kids talk about.

Now.

This isn't actually show.

They had us bring you on.

This is all staged.

Yeah.

This is just something to keep you busy for an hour.

My kids are trying to find who will occupy dad.

They're setting up your room right now.

Yeah, yeah.

So those are the things.

It's kitchen table life for people.

How many?

I pay my bills.

My car needs this.

My job is not enough.

And how do they make that connection?

Because voting.

Voting decisions does affect kitchen table life.

It is harder to penetrate that wall for most politicians because it is murkier.

In the United States, where we have, for better or worse, it's wonderful and a challenge.

We have separation of power, separation of blame, separation of responsibility that it's hard to articulate who's responsible for what's going on and what's wrong.

It's really ever so.

Money is so much of the communication to voters.

And if you're a registered voter or sometimes even in today's day and age, you don't have to be a registered voter, be communicated to by, people that are running and it's text messages, it's mail at home, it's commercials and it's internet.

You hear a lot of people talk about, especially now, just the overwhelming volume of that.

Is anyone looking at what the tipping point is that people are just like, I go to my mom's house a couple nights a week and she still watches the nightly news and she watches jeopardy!

The commercials are relentless, to the point where you have to wonder at what point are people still listening to those.

Who have asked their own question?

Okay.

Way past that tipping point.

I mean, we tipped I mean, I think the most important thing, sadly, about tomorrow for most of us and the candidates to is that the commercials will be done right.

We are so tired of it and I don't have a solution.

I challenge a younger generation than mine to come up with one.

And whether what your political ideology.

I think everyone agrees we've gone too far.

The two the commercials are too dark.

That obviously attack ads work because everyone uses them.

And and so we all say, well, commercials don't affect me.

They affect us all the time.

All the data says, you know, Procter Gamble knows that commercials affect us.

And every every marketer knows that commercials affect us and none of us are above it.

We think we are.

But I'm interested.

I mean, how?

When you first started in the space, the way that candidates would communicate those kitchen table politics.

With carrier pigeon.

Was, yes, was different, right?

I mean, and so like.

The horse in the tower.

Is there a is there a point that you can identify?

I mean, again, looking back, hindsight 2020.

Right.

Sure.

Is there a point you can be like, that's where we, you know, to use a Fonzie reference.

That's where we jumped the shark.

Well, I think probably it was getting bad, but we probably jumped the shark.

And I don't know if anybody's old.

You have to be old even to know that cultural reference.

But we jumped the shark.

Really?

With probably Citizens United.

That freed more money.

More money into the system has changed it.

So there's so much cash and so much time going in commercials.

They can afford to communicate all the time.

And our world change that.

Our lives are looking at screens.

I mean, everyone looks at a screen constantly, all day long.

Everything we access.

If I want to text a friend, I want to go to a want to watch a podcast, whatever I see, there's going to be a commercial on it now.

And that's that's changed commercials.

We're in a limited focused space, right?

When I turned on the TV.

It's right there when I opened my mailbox.

That was about it.

Yeah.

All right.

What are your candidates?

Went out door to door and talk to people.

God forbid.

Yeah.

And so do you see that change is really changed it for all of us.

And I need a solution.

So your team has to come up with it.

Or we're going to build that at the end of the show.

Do you see any way or any future where Citizen United isn't around anymore?

I don't see a great way to get around it, but I think at some point the public will react and call for solutions and change.

And whether it be constitutional amendments or new court cases or a new worldview, we need to slow down the flow of campaign contributions into the business it warps it for, and it hurts both parties.

And I think other systems we need to look at to bring the parties to the center a little bit.

I'm one of those folks that believe that the country would be better off if we find those mechanisms, and there's some tools out there can do it.

I think that we we push the parties out to the extremes with our current primary system.

Sometimes I think that fails.

It depends on what your world view.

If my views are rational, everyone else's are extreme.

I mean, that's the problem.

That's the problem.

We all, we all, we all face.

With, you know, I mean, on the, on the, on the back of a bottle of, of alcohol, on a pack of cigarettes.

There's disclaimers that are federally required to be put on there.

A number of years ago, I remember sort of seeing and paying attention to the first time a political ad ended with I'm so and so, and I approve this message.

Sure is.

Is that a requirement or is that that.

Was.

A requirement?

Brandy.

That was a requirement on the messages that were put out by the candidate.

Other situations that are put out by these.

Packs.

You know, packs and fake committees and whatever they are that you don't have to have that on.

So I can have an attack at about Gretchen and I'm thinking, put one together now.

She does it herself.

Yeah, yeah.

And and you know, and that message, I can be anonymous and I can raise my money anonymously.

And I don't know the world.

I more transparency, less money into the system would be wins for all of us and for our public and for a more rational public policy debate.

But I don't have a great path to.

Get this.

I have a marginally coaching question for you.

So marginally.

Coach, bear with me.

We are described in some ways as a, you know, a flyover state or in the middle of the country is struggling in these are my words for relevancy.

So this isn't about tomorrow necessarily, although it isn't not about tomorrow, but what do we need to do as a state or region to continue to make ourselves?

How can we continue to compete?

How do we continue to be relevant?

How do we actually come together, if you will, as soap boxes?

That sounds to make sure that Ohio or Toledo or Northwest Ohio is healthy for the next generation of people.

You're a grandparent.

And a great grandparent now.

Yeah.

Not just an outstanding grandparent.

Yeah.

He's just so self-absorbed as the moniker himself.

I'm an adequate grandpa.

But suddenly, by operation of the laws of consent, I was a great grandfather.

But in any event, that question is that's a tough one in a in a 15 minute segment.

Yeah, well.

I've given you two minutes.

At the end of the day, Ohio has to continue articulating a vision.

We have to continue identifying paths that can work.

We can have to continue to attract industry sectors diversity, not push away change.

That's right.

One of the things that we it's hard in Ohio is we've had a history of saying, you know, let's I guess how about this region.

This region has managed decline for 50 years.

That's right.

And we've gotten good at it.

It can only work so long.

We have to understand and try some new things, accept new technologies and ready to embrace a different world.

And those places that embrace change better can sometimes progress and make progress at the expense of.

I think that we are afraid to fail, but you can be successful by failing fast, right?

So if you don't, in my opinion, please correct me.

Right.

If we don't allow some of these things and do some experimental or or change, then you'll have to take the last thing that comes down the rail.

And that's sometimes is problematic.

The most successful individuals, companies, organizations try things, learn.

If they fail, they try something new fast.

And let's go.

Right.

That's right.

Let's go.

And and we as a region have not been great at that.

That's right.

And we have not rewarded politicians willing to try and elected leaders willing to try new things.

And that's hard.

And how do we how do we embrace that and look at those things.

That's something I would challenge us for going forward.

Depending on how someone's finding this episode, polls will close in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Maybe it's too late.

Maybe not.

How should someone go about becoming a better informed voter?

Great question.

Gather information that is coming from places other than just the candidates.

Care about the policies during the year.

Other than election season, understand what government is doing that affect your lives.

What are the rules they're putting in?

I mean, the.

How does.

It work?

Yeah.

What's happening?

What's going on out there?

I mean, there's, you know, the stories I used to tell, like the I don't know if it's time for this one, but I'd say, like, things like, I talked to a group, I'd say how many rodent hairs and insect carcasses are allowed in the food you eat, your your salad, your box of cereal.

There's another.

That's fun for Partizan.

Yeah.

Somebody making those rules.

Yeah.

And there's lobbyists influencing it.

And that goes to everything you do, every aspect of your life.

You if you pay attention.

But and what are we doing when those rules are being made.

That's right.

Sleeping or we're doing kitchen table life.

I'm paying my bills.

I'm worrying about my kids.

I'm taking care of, you know, get my car fixed.

I need a new roof.

And it's so hard to see that connection between what those people are doing in Columbus or Washington or government center that affects my kitchen table life, but it really does in a real way.

Yes, sir.

David Letterman had a segment.

Stupid human tricks.

All right, what's yours?

What's your stupid human trick?

I can.

Which is I can talk backwards.

We are sponsored by the Dyslexia Foundation of Northwest Ohio.

So that's for you guys.

I had I had to do.

Did you know that that was the case?

Okay, good.

I knew it was coming.

All right, we're going to take a break.

When we come back, we will be joined by Stephen Hartmann talking about election protection.

Voting rights.

It's the 419 back.

Families explore Lucas County from A to Z. Apples to zebras.

W GT is creating short videos for every letter of the alphabet, each one featuring an iconic Lucas County landmark.

Learn the ABCs and explore the places that make our region special.

Visit.

Zebras to see the latest videos in the series or check them out on the GT app.

Watch for Apple events for families and teachers.

Made possible by the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.

Welcome back into the 419.

Election day is tomorrow.

Which is, you know, certainly within your rights.

But we talk about voting rights and the laws around protecting voting rights.

We're joined now by local attorney Steven Hartman.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

When I first saw Steven Hartman pop up on the agenda, I was all excited because I was like, oh, I know this guy.

He's famous.

Yeah.

Not different.

Steven Hartman, how often do you get confused with CBS's Steven Hartman?

Just once.

Okay, I got a. Letter from a woman in Minnesota who was sending something to him, and she sent it to my law office.

Paternity.

And it wasn't.

That, but I. Forward it to him.

I am actually also thrilled, in full candor.

Steve, I consider a friend, and there's no one better to come in and talk about this and the risk of making you feel uncomfortable.

I find you to be a real governor of centricity in a great listener and a great communicator.

So no one better than to talk about one of the best days in our country is, is Election day.

And it can be intimidating.

Right.

There's no shortage of conjecture out there.

But I do want to talk a little bit about, I don't know, maybe it's just my family.

We talked a little bit on the show.

Having it be sort of a celebratory event.

Right.

These stickers people wear with pride.

And there's a reason why people have that pride.

This is the most significant accomplishment in any country's history, right?

They get to decide or plug in to how they are governed.

Agree.

Talk to me a little bit about this and we'll get into you personally if you don't mind a little bit, but talk to me a little about what people should know.

Know before you go is a good, I think, moniker, indiscriminate of going to a ball game or a concert.

But no.

Before you go in this context, walk us through that a little.

Bit, okay.

This year is is different because Ohio has a stricter voter ID law, and so you can no longer go in and vote with a utility bill or things like that.

You have to have a valid photo ID, and there are very limited numbers of things in Ohio driver's license that is valid, an Ohio ID card, passport or passport card or military ID, your driver's license.

If if the address is incorrect on your driver's license, that doesn't mean you can't vote.

You just have to be registered at the correct address.

It doesn't have to be reflected on your license.

People need to know that.

People need to know that if they have questions, they can ask for help.

Those people who spend those long days working at the polling locations and sacrifice their time for very little money.

They work in bipartisan teams, and they will help people figure out how to navigate the process.

Steve, are you suggesting that people from two parties can work together for the common good?

That is a good one.

And you know what?

In polling locations, it is one of the few places where it actually works very well.

Sure.

And so the goal of both parties and anyone on the ballot is to have a person voting and have their vote count on that day.

Right.

And so knowing what your rights are when you're in line or when someone says, you know, that's not the correct address or whatever, they might try to push you to what's called a provisional ballot, correct.

Which is something that's counted maybe later in time.

Maybe.

And so that's one of the reasons it's important to know, so that you can go on the machine and vote that day, that your address on your photo ID does not have to match your actual address if you're registered.

What is another thing like that that that a poll worker may mistakenly or your your neighbor may tell you would cause you not to be able to vote.

There are a number of things that could cause you to vote a provisional ballot.

Provisional ballots are just that.

They are not counted for sure.

There's a question about either that voters registration, whether it's up to date or their qualifications in very, very limited cases because people can challenge a voter at, at the precinct, the, the election officials.

But provisional ballots, if a voter goes in without the proper ID, if they forget their ID on Election Day, they vote a provisional ballot instead of a regular ballot.

But what people need to know is they have four days after Election Day to take their ID to the Board of Elections and say, this is me, my correct ID, which I forgot on Election Day.

My provisional ballot should count.

Got it.

And and what I do is I work with a group of, of attorneys and other people to train observers on election law, and we put them in polling locations.

This is affiliated with the Ohio Democratic Party.

But the goal is to make sure every Ohioan who is eligible vote gets the cast a vote, and that vote is counted.

So provisional ballots have been around since about 2010, and it's been a rather messy process.

It's getting better.

There are fewer provisional ballots in certain years.

With the new voter ID law, I expect we might have an uptick this year.

But people can cure the provisional ballots if they go to the Board of Elections in the four days following.

Election.

At the polling locations throughout the community.

There's things that you typically see, and there may be things.

We we hear things.

Sometimes it's just voter intimidation.

We don't know.

But you hear things that might be present that shouldn't be right.

So one of the things is that people can be out there handing you literature.

You don't have to engage with them.

Sure.

But is there anything that, that a, that a voter would see at a location that they should be concerned about or that they should report to somebody?

That's a problem?

Yeah, there's there's a barrier at every voting location of 100ft.

And those people who are handing out literature are trying to get you to vote a certain way.

They're not allowed to do electioneering inside that 100ft barrier.

So if a voter is followed into the to the polling place, they should report that because that's against the law and they will put a stop to it.

And it does happen.

Voters need to know that.

They also need to know things like if you vote after work and you go and there's a long line at the polling place and it's 725, the polls close at 730.

If you're in line at 730, no matter how long that line is, you get to vote.

They mark the end of that line at exactly 730, and everyone in line gets to vote.

So don't leave.

Hang in there.

I mean, you talk about provisional ballots, you know, new voter ID laws, all these things.

But ultimately, the end goal is that everybody in Ohio gets to go into a polling location, cast a vote, and that vote counts, right?

How confident are you with the systems and technology and everything else in place?

How confident are you that that's happening?

Well.

I'm probably more confident than most.

If you ask anybody involved in election administration, talk to the people on the Lucas County Board of Elections.

Instances of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.

And claims that voter fraud is a major problem are just specious.

That's just not true.

And and and they, the election administrators do a very good job of making sure that the people coming to cast a vote are, in fact, eligible and properly registered.

That I think is a good segue and maybe you've just answered it.

And forgive me if this puts you on the spot, but I do think two things are true, right?

Being part of our system is not a spectator sport, so you have to participate where you or you can sit on the sidelines and keep your mouth shut.

Right.

But that being said, there are a baseline amount of things that you should also be responsible for to be allowed to vote.

I guess my question for you, and again, I apologize to you for putting you on the spot, but.

I. Live on the spot.

What is I love when you talk like that.

What is the threading the needle of that look like, right?

I mean it again.

It might be just on the coattails of Kevin's well-formed question, but both things need to be true.

We need an educated electorate that is at least doing a bare minimum to participate right there, awarded so by our citizenship.

But we also want people to be able to be educated and have access to support, help information that they know is truthful.

Correct.

What is the wedding of those two things, even if you had to make it up?

Or your theorizing?

Well, it's a very complicated question, but there are a lot of forces at work.

Tighter voter ID laws to combat the, the the the implication that there's widespread voter fraud do a disservice.

In my estimation, we should be making it easy for people to vote.

Now, we should make sure that they're eligible to vote and registered, but we should be making that easy.

The other thing is something that that might talked about a little bit is, you know, since the Supreme Court's case, since Citizens United money is unchecked in politics, that doesn't lead to a better educated voting class.

And that's a real problem.

It really is.

And so, you know, making it harder for people to vote is a problem.

Injecting money unchecked and and and without allocation into into politics is a real problem.

It's a disservice to voters.

And you know, we we should stand up to that.

And we should do what we can.

And so part of the effort that I undertake is what little I can do is to try to ensure that everybody can vote, gets to.

You're married to a former elected official.

I am.

What are what are people that are on the ballot going through these last today?

Today is Monday and tomorrow.

What's the what?

What's the vibe?

What?

What is it like being stuck with those people?

Well, leading up to to an election, it is chaos and mayhem.

That's that's the rule.

At this point, the focus is get out the vote.

The focus isn't on honing the message or getting out the message.

The focus is on getting out the vote for people who already know your message, for those who are running or for the political parties.

As you can see with the rallies that have happened recently, the focus has been much more on getting out the base of of each side, both on the Democratic and Republican sides, I think.

And and as you get closer to Election Day, that's where the focus shifts, is getting out the people you think are going to vote for you.

If I'm hearing this show on on today, on Monday the second and I want to go, I'm registered to vote.

I want to go tomorrow, but I don't know where I'm supposed to go.

How can I get that information?

You can go to the Lucas County Board of Elections website or the Secretary of State, or you can call their helplines.

They both have helplines.

The Secretary of State is 877 SOS Ohio.

And they can help you find your polling location or the websites can.

Put on your sales hat.

Yeah.

How if somebody is watching all of this and feels apathetic and just says, I'm not going to go.

Why is it important for someone to go out and vote tomorrow?

It is the single most important right that we as Americans have.

If you don't exercise that right, in my estimation, you forfeit your right to complain about what happens.

Do you remember the first election that you were able to vote in when you turned 18?

I do, I do.

Yeah.

And and it was on.

And Mondale let you down.

For me, it was Mike Dukakis.

So yes, he's definitely.

Got to drive.

A tank.

Yeah, I turned 18 in in 1989.

And, and, and so, you know, it was it was the 1990 election was my first one.

And and it was exciting.

They still had the curtain and the lever.

Sure.

And things have changed a lot.

But it's actually with the new voting machines, the fallacies, the voting machines are very secure, you know.

And and that's that's not anecdotes.

That is based on evidence.

Elections are secure.

And and people who preach otherwise, they're just wrong and they're trying to sell something.

So people should have confidence in the election process.

But you've got to be a participant or it doesn't work.

Everybody needs to participate.

Can I ask you a bipartisan question in terms of getting information?

Sure.

You are the steward and counsel for several boards, one of which I am a participant in, and lucky to do so.

Where do you get your information from?

Where do I get my information from?

I can't I don't have time to cite the number of sources I use.

There is.

That in itself is probably a bit of an important answer.

It is, it is and, and you know, as, as an attorney, you always start with the statute in question.

Okay.

And, and then you look at the case law.

You look at the administrative guidance.

You look at the, the guidance that's put out by interested groups, and you evaluate all that and see what you think complies with the law and what doesn't.

But that's where the information comes from.

Steve Hartman, thank you so much for joining us on the program.

What do you define as a successful Election day?

Everybody who's eligible to vote cast one and they all count.

Excellent.

Thank you.

We appreciate it.

My pleasure.

When we come back, we'll be joined by representatives of the Young Democrats and the Young Republicans talking about commonalities, similarities and the future of elections in Ohio.

It's the 419.

We'll be right back.

Every day when.

You left.

With us, you learned with us.

We made sure your childhood was special memories that could only be provided by PBS.

For generations, we've given you programs that made a difference.

Programs that entertain.

Informed and inspired.

And today, it's no different.

This is w GTV public Media in Toledo.

It's where you belong.

It's time for season two of The Local Thread, a community series uniting voices and storytellers from across the region in partnership with Toledo, Lucas County Public Library, Toledo History Museum and powered AI, Toledo Free Press, and La Prensa.

The local thread brings you stories and conversations that connect our community.

Listen to it weeknights at 7 a.m.

on FME 91, with early access on podcast platforms every morning.

It's season two of the Local thread only on.

Welcome back into the 419.

Election day is tomorrow.

We had two absolutely brilliant individuals on the program, but I be lying if I didn't say this is the part of the show that I'm most excited for as well as we talk about the future, but we also talk to both sides.

We're pleased to be joined now by representative of the Young Republicans, the chair of the Hancock County Young Republicans, Leslie Lewis.

Leslie, thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

And James Cuccinelli, president of the Lucas County Young Democrats.

James, thanks for being here as well.

Thanks for having me.

Well, there's I think the expectation is that when we cut to a camera with both of you guys, you should be trying to strangle each other.

But that is not the case.

Not going to happen.

Yeah.

What I guess for.

Yeah.

I guess, I mean, I mean, what are you guys seeing amongst your peers and kind of the, the, the feeling or the emotion of, like, looking across the aisle because when I look at my parents and I look at older generations, I don't know that I'm, I have a whole lot of faith in the future.

But I'm curious about what you guys are seeing boots on the ground with your peers.

Go look at that.

That's already.

It's already working.

Yeah.

You mean like in terms of this election coming up and what the mood is on the ground?

Yeah, I think people are very frustrated right now with the state of the economy.

Especially, you know, as our generation, as young people are really struggling right now.

You know, we the cost of living is insane, particularly, you know, the ability to buy a home.

We feel like we're being priced out of that.

The cost of inflation, wars and things of that nature.

And I think the feeling that politicians do not value our needs and the things that we care about, and I think that that cuts across both parties.

You know, I think we all have a lot of the same needs.

So but, you know, just on the ground at the doors, I feel a lot of frustration, but also a lot of enthusiasm for this election.

So I feel that young voters are going to turn out at a pretty high rate this election.

Yeah.

I mean, I would say maybe going a little bit of a different direction, just like the future of politics.

For what I'm seeing and maybe you can relate to this as well.

I think for the young people we want to do politics differently.

Yeah.

We want to do this right.

We're not like I think we have a lot more in common than what we realize.

We just have to be able to sit down and talk about it.

And, you know, we share the same concerns, right?

Yes.

Fuel prices are crazy high right now.

You know, groceries, you know, concerns of buying a home and everything.

So, it's just, you know, having a civil conversation about what's the best way to go about fixing these issues.

And there's no reason why we should be at each other's throats to do that.

I'm curious, and I don't know any of the statistics statistics of this, so please push back on me if this is inaccurate.

But historically speaking, young people and I don't know what I mean by young necessarily, but are not active voters necessarily, the two of you are certainly not that because you are leaders in the space, but historically either disenfranchized or apathetic.

Who's feeling who are we representing?

The old guard feeling you?

Or are you feeling us in terms of participation, or is it like most things right in between?

But I'm curious, is your thoughts on that?

Yeah, I think it's I think it's sort of like a chicken and the egg situation because I think you have two dynamics at play.

One, I think politicians and elected officials don't prioritize the needs of young people, because young people just don't vote very at the same rate.

And they don't and I don't.

They just don't see them as a critical voting bloc, choose needs they need to appeal to.

Well, you know, you have older generations who do vote.

They're going to prioritize their needs.

And so I think therefore, I think young people see elected officials not prioritizing their needs.

They're focused on the needs of others.

They're not focused on issues that that matter to us, like affordability and like that.

And because of that, we feel disengaged as young people and we decide not to vote.

And then therefore, the elected officials don't think that they don't prioritize us because we don't vote.

So it's like something's got to give.

Right.

So when you say you don't know what qualifies as a young person, I mean, I can give you a little insight.

So to be a part of the Young Republicans of Hancock County, it's 40 and under.

Yeah.

So I was very happy to hear that.

Because she just missed a great.

Yeah.

Because I'm.

I'm getting I'm 35.

So I was like hey I still qualify as younger.

Yeah.

That seems young.

To that.

But I think a part of that solution is us stepping into those roles.

So I'm encouraged to see people like just to name some candidates here.

Jay Edwards running for treasurer.

He's a young Republican.

And then also Ty Matthews, the incumbent for the House, 83rd district.

So it's just it's comforting knowing that you see young people stepping into those roles to then give us a voice at that level.

So talk to me a little bit about what sort of stewarded this in both of your lives.

Your parents were strong political advocates.

They were interested in reading the news.

What gave you this level of sort of civic responsibility wired into your DNA?

Yeah, yeah, I think that, you know, for me, I think that I was just interested in politics at a young age, especially, like, I think I was I was nine years old when Obama was elected, and that was a really pivotal moment for me.

It was just a lot of excitement.

And I just, you know, my parents weren't very political.

My dad was a little bit political.

But I think that, but they did kind of bring me up to be civically minded.

And then, as you know, I just got to college and things of that nature.

I was home for you.

Where did.

You grow up?

I grew up in Slovenia, and I went to Bowling Green State for university.

And I think just as I got older and I wanted to get more civically involved, but I was already politically interested, you know, politics and campaigns and stuff.

So I just kind of started off as many of us started off volunteering on campaigns, and then you get noticed and you just kind of work your way up from there.

Same question for you.

What what drew you to this, or was there an influential person in your life that you're like, well, I really want to model him or her?

Yeah.

I guess thinking of growing up, a lot of, like, the civic duty came from a lot of family rooted in the military.

So, like, as far back to, as far as I know, my great grandfather serving in World War two.

So I always, like, loved knowing that.

Sure.

And then my aunt, I have a, you know, distant cousins that are all.

But we're all so close.

Our families like.

Where did you.

Grow up?

We've been told me as thieves, we'll always have each other's backs, but.

Finley, Ohio I'm from went to Arcadia High School and, you know, small town and but I think the military just having some of my sisters in the Air Force, she reports to Swat in their first face every so often.

And my brother is in Texas, and he's in the United States Army and did a tour over overseas.

So I think that's kind of where, like, it started for me.

But then, I have to mention Charlie Kirk, you know, just his voice being so prominent.

And I think setting an example of, like, how to have conversation.

Charlie Kirk found particularly motivating to you or that spoke to you.

Yeah.

Okay.

Got it.

Yeah, absolutely.

Actually, after everything happened with assassination, that's when I got involved.

I tried to step into local politics.

Was like, where can I best serve?

And so now here I am as the chair.

So often we hear people talk about, and James, you just mentioned a couple of times about being political or I'm not political or I'm not interested in politics.

It's so interesting to me because I feel like, quite literally, almost every aspect of our lives is affected, a political and affected by politics every single day.

The amount of taxes coming out of your paycheck to the groceries you're going to buy at night to dinner, and the gas is going to take you to do that at every level of government.

What do you say to people that say, especially people of your peer group that say they're just not political?

They're just don't they know they don't.

They don't feel the need to either vote or get involved.

Is there?

And how is that the eye rolling?

Is there a way to motivate, do you think, or to get folks to understand, or what's your typical response for something like that?

Yeah, I think that if you don't want to be involved and you don't want to vote, then other people are going to do it and other people are going to make those decisions for you.

And I think that as young people, that's that's a huge issue.

And I can understand why folks are so disillusioned with politics because it is a really toxic discourse we have right now.

It's very messy.

There's, you know, people feel that it's corrupt or that it's just mudslinging, and then they're inundated with all these political ads that you guys are seeing nonstop and they're, I think, exhausted by it.

And I think for them, and especially being a young person, we have are working our jobs.

A lot of us have kids, we're concerned with the things that are happening in our day to day lives, right?

We're not watching the news and following what's going on in the state House and things of that nature.

But I think that to motivate young people is to remind them, you know, you need to be in the driver's seat in terms of making decisions on policies that are going to affect you.

And the only way to do that is to vote and to get involved.

And like I said, if you're not going to do it, others are going to do it for you and they're going to get their concerns heard before you get your third.

Same for Leslie.

Yeah.

How to motivate people, especially young people, to go vote.

You you have to make it personal.

Like like you said, it's we get caught up with our day to day with forgetting that everything happening in the state House affects that.

So I think it's just having those one on one conversations.

You know, social media does not help.

The television ads don't help.

They don't inform you.

They just want to manipulate and push the narrative.

So I would just encourage people to just put down the phone for a little bit.

What's the saying?

Go touch some grass.

Right?

I really go outside and connect with friends and family and just remember, like, you know, all of this can be taken away if we just sit on the sidelines.

So, I mean, if it's not personal, they're not going to take it seriously.

How do you become more informed as a voter.

And where do you get your information from?

I think that's a great question.

And by the way, you this is okay to be Partizan, right?

But I am curious where you get your information from.

I think that's an excellent question, Kevin.

Yeah, I so I use an app called Smart News and it aggregates articles from all over the world.

And you kind of see a slew of different news.

You know, there's like Reuters, ABC, locally, you know, I think it's really important to follow local journalists.

You know, what's that like WTT.

Or the blade or, you know, 13, you know, those kinds of folks.

I think it's important to not be getting your news from places like TikTok or Twitter or Facebook, because it's unfiltered and it's very sensationalized.

So I think it's important to learn how to observe the news, in a way critically and understand, okay.

Who is this person who's speaking to me?

What is their agenda?

Are they leaving out a lot of context?

But it's really hard in this crazy information sphere where people are, you know.

But Leslie may.

Ask very similarly.

Yeah, sure.

I just obviously everybody has a phone in their hand.

So that's a lot of times where you're getting your information.

For me, I just I just remind myself, like, take everything as a grain of salt, seek truth in whatever you hear.

And if if I have a concern about something I hear, then I try to go find other sources or.

Or find the full video of whatever was clipped down.

Right.

So, I think always asking questions is a great way.

Like, okay, what's the context?

Right.

Why do they say that?

Right.

Is that true?

So I think just having critical thinking, asking questions really helps.

Yes.

Get down to the bottom.

Of things.

Well said.

On both accounts.

What would it take for, you know, I think for young people to kind of take over and for your voice to truly be heard in the way you want it to be.

What it takes to to have us really step into positions and stuff.

Is that what you're asking?

I mean, I think it just takes someone to do it and set an example and, yeah, that's I mean, again, my head just goes to Charlie Kirk.

So that was a great example for anybody.

It doesn't matter whatever side of the aisle you're on.

Just as a young man going out there and chasing what he believes in, right.

And I don't know, just having that perspective of what I do today can affect tomorrow.

I mean, I'm not here to change the world.

I tell my husband that, too, is like, I know I'm not changing the system, okay?

But I think I can, you know, leave little spots of light wherever I go.

And I think if we all had a similar outlook like that and just try to have integrity and treat each other with dignity as much as we can, like, you know, there's going to be times where we like that idea stupid, you know?

But it's.

It's not that a lot.

Okay, so but.

I really, for me personally try to focus on like, okay.

The idea is dumb.

I don't think you're dumb.

You know what I mean?

So yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I agree with everything Leslie just said.

And I also think that, you know, when it comes to politics or just power in general, like you're either at the table or you're on the menu, and if you're not at the table, then you're going to, you know, you're not going to have your ideas, you know, put forward.

And I think, you know, electing younger people to office is a big one.

I know several members of Toledo City Council or, I don't, you know, between the ages of 30 and 45.

And, you know, our party leadership here is is quite young.

And I think that you're bringing in those perspectives and you're kind of forcing the conversation to be geared toward, you know, that that population in our concerns and also, you know, by voting and by organizing politically, socially, getting involved in your, you know, getting involved in your local community, like, not just politics, but, you know, volunteering for your local food pantry or volunteering for your local church or, you know, people are I don't think folks are as civically involved as they used to be.

You know, back in the 50s, 60s, everyone was involved in their neighborhoods and neighbors looked out for each other.

I think we need to have a more civic minded, localized.

Yeah.

And get involved in caring.

Look out for your neighbors.

Because neighbor, you know, there used to be a time when neighbors looked out for one another and you don't see it anymore.

James.

Leslie, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It is day tomorrow.

Awesome.

Keep it down now.

See?

It can happen.

It's possible.

All right, let's do more of that.

We can take a break.

We'll come back.

We'll wrap up this Election Day preview edition of the 419.

W e!

Public media's Educational Services Department provides outstanding programs, services, and resources to enhance learning outcomes for students, educators, and learners of all ages.

W. S Educational Services Department teaches parents, caregivers, and educators how to utilize educational media, children's literature, and engaging activities to help prepare young children for a happy, healthy, and bright future.

From PBS kids programing specifically designed to support the development and creativity of young children.

To individualize lesson plans, standards aligned curriculum, professional development classes, community events and family fun movie nights right here at t e. Our Educational Services Department shares the tools you need for you and your little ones to feel like you belong.

WG e public media where you belong.

Welcome back into the 419.

Election day is tomorrow to wrap up our Election Day Preview edition.

This was great.

Best day of the year.

When we started talking about this show, trying to figure out what does our version of an Election Day show look like?

You know, we knew bipartisan was an important piece here.

There's no point in talking about, you know, necessarily who you should vote for, but really that you.

Should vote.

I think it also not to jam this home or spike the football, but GT e is an example of what everyone talked about today is focusing on local.

No one is coming to save us.

And all of this is not a not a spectator sport.

So thank you for letting us have the show and talking about things that matter right here.

And everybody said, you know, to be a more informed voter, it's multiple sources.

That's right.

It's not don't trust just the one that's, you know, in front of you.

But get out and find all the information you can.

Most importantly, get out tomorrow and vote.

If you missed any part of the show, you can catch it weekdays 5 p.m.

on GT HD, channel 30.1 or 6 p.m.

w GT connects channel 30.4, of course, 3 p.m.

on FM 91 Monday through Friday or online 24 over 7365@gt.org.

Slash the 419.

Thank you so much to all of our guests for joining us, and thanks to you for being a part of this as well.

Get out and vote.

It's the 419.

Support for the 400 and 19AW GT original celebrating Northwest Ohio is provided by the University of Toledo, preparing graduates who contribute to our workforce, advancing research that addresses our regions challenges, and caring for our community through the region's only academic medical center.

We are the University of Toledo.

Work.

Spring.

Work spring helps businesses and clients with HR expertise, workforce training, employee wellness solutions, and personalized support to help make work life easier, workplaces healthier, and teams stronger.

Learn more at work.

Springborg.