AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Local election officials have lots to juggle this fall. There's the usual - small changes to voting laws, training staff, producing ballots. But after four years of election conspiracies and outright denial, officials are now tasked with something else - combating rampant misinformation and protecting staff from threats, sometimes physical. One of those election officials is Justin Roebuck. He's the Republican county clerk in Ottawa County, Michigan, where he oversees elections, and he joins us now. Thank you so much for being with us.
JUSTIN ROEBUCK: Oh, thank you for having me. It's great to be here.
RASCOE: So, you've helped to run elections for almost two decades. And I'm sure there's always some pressure this time of the year before a major election. But how does this election compare to past ones?
ROEBUCK: Yeah, absolutely, you know. Any presidential election is a very major event. But I think what's significantly different for us in this cycle has been just sort of a ramp-up of efforts at misinformation. Groups that have maybe spawned earlier in the cycle of 2016 and 2020 have certainly taken hold and taken root more. And so we're dealing certainly with those challenges as well.
RASCOE: So much of this distrust goes back to 2020 when Donald Trump falsely said he won the election. Did that denialism take hold in Ottawa County?
ROEBUCK: I mean, yeah, I think, we're roughly 70% Republican community in Ottawa County. So, you know, in the 2020 election cycle, Donald Trump received 67% of the vote. You know, we were subject to a couple of filings in court cases in Michigan. In December of 2020, affidavits were filed in federal court alleging that we had turnout in excess of 100% in certain precincts of our community, which were totally false. Unfortunately, I mean, they were completely false allegations. And so really from the very first days following the 2020 election, we have been combating outright lies about our community. But beyond that, I think, you know, we are dealing with the day-to-day questions that people may have who are not as keyed into the process. They just have generally questions about, how can I trust that this system works well? How can I trust that our votes are being counted correctly and that there's only one vote per person? And, you know, those are questions that we really care a lot about answering and being transparent about and being honest about.
RASCOE: Do people believe the answers that you give?
ROEBUCK: Yeah, I think that's a great question. When we look at our community, and I think this is a lot of anecdotal evidence that I have, but we've got 10% of folks who really love us and think we can do no wrong, and that's very nice sometimes to hear that. But we also have 10% of people on the other end of the spectrum. I think we're probably never going to be able to convince them, and really our main focus is on that 80%. Our main focus is to try to drive good fact-based communication to the 80% of our community that just wants to know.
RASCOE: Well, four years later, how are you getting that information to them?
ROEBUCK: Yeah, I think predominantly for us, it comes through transparent behavior, and so we're really focused on being as transparent as possible. There are a lot of ways that we're required by law to be transparent. But we're trying to go the extra mile and make sure that we're doing community events and that we're hosting, you know, town hall forums. So I think it's about availability. It's about transparency.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, we are a drop in the ocean in terms of the megaphone that others have, and unfortunately, others who are spreading misinformation, whether that's media organizations or personalities or political candidates. And I think for us, the important thing is to be that reliable source of information for our community.
RASCOE: I have to ask you, you face threats and lawsuits and you've had to push back on even members of your own party. What is it that keeps you in this line of work?
ROEBUCK: One is that I fundamentally believe that trust matters so deeply. You know, our democratic process is built upon trust. That's the currency that we operate in as election officials. But then, you know, the other reason that I do it and I'm passionate about doing it is for my kids. You know, I have a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old. And they deserve to grow up and live in a place where we can trust our democracy, right? Where we can continue - I want them to register to vote as 18-year-olds and believe in this process and have a safe and secure method of casting their ballots for their future.
RASCOE: That's Justin Roebuck. He is the county clerk in Ottawa County, Michigan. Clerk Roebuck, thank you for being with us.
ROEBUCK: Thank you for having me.
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