Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ah, yes, Chipotle, Chipotle. Who doesn't love Chipotle?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
What about it? Because all the old stuff is just fine?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
No? No, well, and and it is. Wouldn't it be
better if it were free?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Well?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Free is good? Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
And by the way, I'll have a treasurer. Robert Sprague
is in studio with us. And I don't know if
you're a Chipotle fan, Robert, but I can tell you
that if this weekend, what they're doing is they're announcing
three straight Saturdays of free food and they're celebrating this
holiday season with their new Unwrapped Extra promotion and that
(00:35):
features Bogo, So you do have to buy something, but
you get something for free. For instance, this Saturday, you
buy a three taco entree and you get a free
entre with it. So if that's your that's your jam,
then you could get three free tacos when you buy three.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Robert Sprague will now explain our tax liability on the
free tacos, and we have to fill out like I
want ten ninety nine for tacos. I would feel like
the ultimate glutton at that point.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
How did they manage to attack the treasure on a
tax on the burrito tax? I mean, how did this come?
This is not a good start A burrito.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Tax I like it? I wait, no, I don't. Nobody
wants an a tax on a burrito. Then the following Saturday,
December thirteenth, you buy a burrito and you get a
free entree, and then the following Saturday on December twentieth,
you wear your wildest, loudest I found this at a
yard sale in two thousand and three holiday sweater and
get an in store Bogo entree as well.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So that would be any of the stuff you could,
you know, buy one, get one free.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
All right with Chipotle, And that's that's actually a really
good value because let's face it, it's not cheap. Unfortunately,
I'm you know about weekly there. I mean, as far
as my family loves that, I'm not a particular I'm
okay with it, but it's kind of bland for me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I think we've talked about.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
This before, so it's a okay, I do okay with it,
you know, as far as Chipotle goes.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
But this is, uh, this is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
And I know, gosh, I have so many friends who
are like go crazy for Chipotle.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
They eat it like three times a week.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
It's crazy so anyway, that's a cool thing that they're
doing right now. Like I said, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague
is in studio, send it Bill two ninety three.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Take me.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So this is vote it has to do with voter fraud,
and clearly this is this is one of those issues
or things that we talk about on a normal basis.
Ohio's never really had any trouble whatsoever in this kind
of area. You gotta show ID. You know, we were
talking about how the real ID thing is going on
(02:47):
right now. So if you fly and you don't have
the real ID, they're gonna start charging your like forty
five dollars to go through that process right while you're there.
They say it could add up to a half an
hour of getting through TSA or what have you, that
kind of a thing. But the real ID thing as
many hoops as we have to jump through to get
(03:08):
on an airplane, and then to think that there are.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
States that it's just like, oh, yeah, no, we believe you.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Go ahead cast your vote for you know, you want
to elect a president and that's fine, go ahead, And
it's just like you don't even have to prove who
you are that you're I can't go to France and
vote on it, you know what I mean, Like, it's
the stupidest thing that that's become controversial. It just seems
like so many things have become controversial that we all
(03:34):
have all said, that's common sense. I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
You know it is, and it is common sense to
be able to show your idea. And you know, we
went to that two years ago in the state of
Ohio and everybody from the other side of the aisle
just screened about being disenfranchised. And guess what, nobody's been disenfranchised.
Ninety eight and a half percent of the people that
vote when they go to show their voter ID and
what they show their driver's license because everybody has one.
(03:58):
And for the small number of people that don't, there
able to get an ID card and be able to vote.
And it's worked out great and it's made our elections
a lot more secure. And Centerbill two ninety three has
several extensions of that same provision. So for instance, what
is the purpose of you showing your photo ID. Well,
it's to make sure number one that you are who
you say you are and you're a real person. And
(04:19):
number two, to make you show your citizenship. And what
two ninety three does is it makes sure that we
have only American citizens registered to vote in Ohio elections.
And behind the scenes, it goes in and when you
provide your driver's license or you provide your birth date
in the last four of your social Security number, they
(04:39):
can check it. They can check it to see what
the BMV says. They can check it against the SAVE
database at the federal level, they can check it against
the Social Security Administration and see if you're a real person,
if you're giving them real information, and if you're an
American citizen, you're registered to vote. And the reason that's
so important is because when you get the registrations right
(05:00):
up front, when you have that list, it prevents all
the fraud on the back end. You can't commit fraud
if the correct people are registering to vote and the
voter list is clean. And that's the fundamental piece. And
let me tell you, Frank LeRose, our current Secretary of State,
he's done a great job with us. He has led
on this and in many ways it's codifying what he
(05:21):
has put in place and has been able to do.
And they have this really good process. At the end,
it's super important because you never, and I will never,
as your next Secretary of State, disenfranchise a real American
citizen and an Ohio resident. I want them to be
able to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
And so it's really important that if there's a discrepancy
with whatever database they're looking at, that you have the
chance to remedy it. And that's what this Centate Bill
two ninety three does. If for some reason there's a
discrepancy and they don't think that you're an American citizen,
the Board of Elections sends out a confirmation notice to you.
You have a chance to remedy that in person and
(06:02):
show them that you are an American citizen so that
you're not taking off the voter rolls. So it's a
very reasonable, good government thing. It's going to clean up
a lot of pieces. And then the other pieces that
it makes election day election day, and all the absentee
mail and ballots have to be in by seven point
thirty that night on election day so that we can
(06:22):
count all the ballots together and we know the results
of the election that night.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
That night, not three weeks from then. Unbelievable, unbelievable, how
we were sitting around going hm hm in some of
these elections where we're like, well, I guess we'll find
out at some point here, but one hundred percent, I
imagine all this.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Does this also before you move on to anything else,
Does this also add to the DMV any sort of
requirement or ability to check citizenship status before they hand
somebody a driver's license, let them operate a motor vehicle
next to me in traffic.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
They already have that ability to check citizenship status. As
a matter of fact, they have that responsibility, and there's
a on the back of a driver's license if you're
not an American citizen. They have that enumerated that you're
not an American citizen on the back of the driver's license.
Now I'm not sure what the driver's license requirements, so
I just can't speak to that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Chucky.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
So I don't want to say something incorrect on the air,
But yes, they have the ability to tell if you're
an American citizen in the BMV records.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Okay, I just that is something that continues to bother me.
I've I've talked to insurance agents who said, yeah, we'll
give them insurance, but we know we'll not have to pay.
They're here illegally, so they're driving illegally. We're not going
to pay out anything if there's any claims against them.
Those insurance companies shouldn't be collecting that money either, if
they're not actually covering somebody. But more to the point,
they also shouldn't have a license. If they cannot legally
(07:42):
have insurance, then they cannot legally operate a motor vehicle.
I'd love to see that stopped.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I wish or speak English or read the signed Yes,
it would be nice to you. We've seen just recently
how the one truck driver ended up killing that vanful
of the family, and you're just saying like.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
He couldn't even speak English. Are you kidding me again?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
We're getting into the driver's license thing that you know
that Robert, you can't speak to You were just saying,
but those are the kinds of things that as a
just run of the mill, normal fifty six year old,
you know, male citizen of the United States, when you
see something like that, you just say that.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Was so needless. What happened with this guy.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
And the fact that you're telling somebody they need to
speak English and be able to read English, be able
to read the signs and so on. That is not
disenfranchising people who are not, you know, supposed to be
here in this country, or if they're here illegally or
what have you.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
That's called common sense.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
When you come to the United States, we are a
nation of rules. In the Constitution two hundred and fifty
years ago set this up for us that we were
not going to have a king, we were not going
to be a colony of another country. We were going
to have a constitution. And it differs from a lot
of other countries, and that when we pledge allegiance. My
son just joined the United States Army this spring and
(09:04):
took his oath of office. And when he did that,
you know what he pledged to. He didn't pledge an
allegiance to God. He actually didn't pledge an allegiance to
the United States of America. You know what, he pledges
allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
We are a nation of laws. And when you come here,
and quite frankly, that's why people are coming is you
(09:24):
need to follow the rules. And by the way, your
first act as a citizen can't be to break the
law of the United States of America, and I think
Donald Trump has shut down the border and fixed that.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is in studio with us, and
you spoke about Frank LeRose and what kinds of things
is he and clearly you've known you've probably known him,
I'm guessing a while at this point, but the type
of things, and it sounds like you're in lockstep with
the way that he's kind of governed in that role
and as possibly our next Secretary of State. I mean,
(09:56):
I can imagine that you're going, hey, I'm seeing a
lot of things that A.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I agree with and.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
B that are working, and so that's the win win
obviously in that situation. But what types of thing have
you been picking his brain at all?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Like as we get closer to you.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Possibly being the next Secretary of State, Yeah, absolutely, I've
had some conversations with Secretary of Lroz and his team,
But I can tell you Ohio does elections right. Let's
take it to the next level and make sure that
everyone knows that we are the most secure and the
most transparent elections in the United States of America. I'd
love to move to a front end citizenship check when
(10:30):
people are registering to vote. That way, we know that
only American citizens are registering to vote in Ohio elections.
The second thing is we do elections right in the
state of Ohio because they are bipartisan. In many other states,
it's only the Republican or the Democrat that runs the elections.
In Ohio, it's a bipartisan process. A Democrat and a
(10:51):
Republican check you in to vote, they check your voter ID,
and then they count the ballots in that precinct late
later on that evening. Why is that important Because it's
not the cooperation between the two parties that ensures an
honest election. It's the competition between the two parties. You
know that if one party does something wrong, the other
party is going to say something about it. When I'm
(11:11):
Secretary of State, I'm going to implement not just an
audit for accuracy, but we are going to audit for
that bipartisan chain of custody for your ballots, so that
you know that that's never violated from the time when
you vote, that at the time when the tallies are
cast later on that evening.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And I heard that positive when I am when I
am That's the way you got to think.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
And the third thing I want to do is I
want to make sure that in every county, in every
election in the state of Ohio, that we're using paper ballots.
And the reason for that is my background at Ernst
and Young is in the private sector. The paper gives
you an immutable, beautiful audit trail, and so you don't
have to trust the machines. You can go back and
you can count the paper, and we'll count the paper
(11:55):
before the certification of the vote when I'm Secretary of State.
And let me tell you what if I gave you
ten thousand ballots, and I gave Chuck ten thousand ballots
and I asked you to count them up, in all
likelihood you'd end up with slightly different numbers. The beauty
of running the paper ballots through a tabulation machine as
you get an accurate count that evening, that evening, you
(12:15):
know exactly what the vote totals are. But the beauty
of the human count is that you make sure that
the machines have not been corrupted, and we will go
back and we will audit the paper to make sure
that the count is accurate.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You know what, I think the easiest way to do
here would be to make the ballots the same size
as the legal tender and then put a stack of
those in what they use at the bank, five thousand,
five thousand. If they're the same size, wouldn't it just
count those speeds? I mean that would it would speed
(12:47):
up that whole proces.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
And let me ask you something, Mark, So do you
trust the machine or do you count it yourself? On
the teiler hands?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And to how much money? Are we talking?
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Exactly right?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So if we're talking about five thousand, No, I'm not
going to stand there because I watch it happened or
more on a regular basis at a casino at the cage,
like when I hand them like my chips and then
they count off the money they're giving me back. They
use it's behind back where they are in it, and
then a little number comes up. Now I already know
(13:18):
how many you know, I handed them, you know, nineteen
hundred dollars worth of chips, so I know I'm getting
nineteen one hundred dollars bills, so that no, I'm not
double checking that, But is that what you're kind of
going after?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Like people would be like, well, I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Trust that I take money at the ATM, I still
count yes, and I get out of the ATM and
I am counting it five times.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Right, something's wrong with you?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Why because because at the end of the day, it's
just trust but verify. With these machines, there's got to.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Be a little ground between hanging chads and the internet
accessible fears that we have of today. Any like even
like an IBM punch card from nineteen seventy eight, seems
to be a better trail than trusting all the electronics
that we trust today without going back to poking pencils
through holes like we had gun in Florida back and
(14:04):
what was that twenty ten or something like that.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
That's why you use both. That's why you use both
the machines and the handcount to make sure that you
trust but verify. And you've got this great audit trail.
And everybody can note that the elections are secure and
transparent here in the great state of Ohio.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
So we're down to the we're down to the end here.
But I did want to throw in the fact that
the first statewide campaign yours in Ohio history. Do accept
online bitcoin.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
That's right, if you have one to baycoin mark Mark,
I will accept it. Chuck you too. I mean, if
you have just one.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Sixty, what is that up to right now? It's like
ninety ninety two thousands.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I have what they call butt coin. I'd like to
donate some money, but.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Nice, I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Yeah, And that's but that's just really cool that, you know,
buy a lot and you're saying, well, people can settle
up too with with bitcoin.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
They can. I'll tell you that the issue with bitcoin
is the volatility. Yeah, so you never want to hold
on to bitcoin necessarily unless it's like an alternative asset,
a small percentage in your portfolio, but more and more
because of the artificial intelligent agents, they are going to
be transacting transactions and digital currency and the whole world
(15:21):
is moving in that direction. And so we want to
be progressive. We don't want to be left behind as
a state. We want to be in the flow. And
that's why we're doing that.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
That's very cool, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, Secretary of State.
Of course, that election is coming up and we'll have
you back. Yeah, I know, especially after meeting you. This
is first time and coming in and you're welcome anytime
man to come in and hang out.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
With campaign websites up and running now though right it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Is absolutely and just go there check out our election
security plan. It's www dot Sprague for Ohio dot com.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Thank you, gentlemen, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, thank you very
much for coming in and Mary Chris to you and
again yeah, we'll do it again soon
Ah, yes, Chipotle, Chipotle. Who doesn't love Chipotle?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
What about it? Because all the old stuff is just fine?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
No? No, well, and and it is. Wouldn't it be
better if it were free?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Well?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Free is good? Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
And by the way, I'll have a treasurer. Robert Sprague
is in studio with us. And I don't know if
you're a Chipotle fan, Robert, but I can tell you
that if this weekend, what they're doing is they're announcing
three straight Saturdays of free food and they're celebrating this
holiday season with their new Unwrapped Extra promotion and that
(00:35):
features Bogo, So you do have to buy something, but
you get something for free. For instance, this Saturday, you
buy a three taco entree and you get a free
entre with it. So if that's your that's your jam,
then you could get three free tacos when you buy three.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Robert Sprague will now explain our tax liability on the
free tacos, and we have to fill out like I
want ten ninety nine for tacos. I would feel like
the ultimate glutton at that point.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
How did they manage to attack the treasure on a
tax on the burrito tax? I mean, how did this come?
This is not a good start A burrito.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Tax I like it? I wait, no, I don't. Nobody
wants an a tax on a burrito. Then the following Saturday,
December thirteenth, you buy a burrito and you get a
free entree, and then the following Saturday on December twentieth,
you wear your wildest, loudest I found this at a
yard sale in two thousand and three holiday sweater and
get an in store Bogo entree as well.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So that would be any of the stuff you could,
you know, buy one, get one free.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
All right with Chipotle, And that's that's actually a really
good value because let's face it, it's not cheap. Unfortunately,
I'm you know about weekly there. I mean, as far
as my family loves that, I'm not a particular I'm
okay with it, but it's kind of bland for me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
I think we've talked about.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
This before, so it's a okay, I do okay with it,
you know, as far as Chipotle goes.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
But this is, uh, this is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
And I know, gosh, I have so many friends who
are like go crazy for Chipotle.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
They eat it like three times a week.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
It's crazy so anyway, that's a cool thing that they're
doing right now. Like I said, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague
is in studio, send it Bill two ninety three.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Take me.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So this is vote it has to do with voter fraud,
and clearly this is this is one of those issues
or things that we talk about on a normal basis.
Ohio's never really had any trouble whatsoever in this kind
of area. You gotta show ID. You know, we were
talking about how the real ID thing is going on
(02:47):
right now. So if you fly and you don't have
the real ID, they're gonna start charging your like forty
five dollars to go through that process right while you're there.
They say it could add up to a half an
hour of getting through TSA or what have you, that
kind of a thing. But the real ID thing as
many hoops as we have to jump through to get
(03:08):
on an airplane, and then to think that there are.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
States that it's just like, oh, yeah, no, we believe you.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Go ahead cast your vote for you know, you want
to elect a president and that's fine, go ahead, And
it's just like you don't even have to prove who
you are that you're I can't go to France and
vote on it, you know what I mean, Like, it's
the stupidest thing that that's become controversial. It just seems
like so many things have become controversial that we all
(03:34):
have all said, that's common sense. I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
You know it is, and it is common sense to
be able to show your idea. And you know, we
went to that two years ago in the state of
Ohio and everybody from the other side of the aisle
just screened about being disenfranchised. And guess what, nobody's been disenfranchised.
Ninety eight and a half percent of the people that
vote when they go to show their voter ID and
what they show their driver's license because everybody has one.
(03:58):
And for the small number of people that don't, there
able to get an ID card and be able to vote.
And it's worked out great and it's made our elections
a lot more secure. And Centerbill two ninety three has
several extensions of that same provision. So for instance, what
is the purpose of you showing your photo ID. Well,
it's to make sure number one that you are who
you say you are and you're a real person. And
(04:19):
number two, to make you show your citizenship. And what
two ninety three does is it makes sure that we
have only American citizens registered to vote in Ohio elections.
And behind the scenes, it goes in and when you
provide your driver's license or you provide your birth date
in the last four of your social Security number, they
(04:39):
can check it. They can check it to see what
the BMV says. They can check it against the SAVE
database at the federal level, they can check it against
the Social Security Administration and see if you're a real person,
if you're giving them real information, and if you're an
American citizen, you're registered to vote. And the reason that's
so important is because when you get the registrations right
(05:00):
up front, when you have that list, it prevents all
the fraud on the back end. You can't commit fraud
if the correct people are registering to vote and the
voter list is clean. And that's the fundamental piece. And
let me tell you, Frank LeRose, our current Secretary of State,
he's done a great job with us. He has led
on this and in many ways it's codifying what he
(05:21):
has put in place and has been able to do.
And they have this really good process. At the end,
it's super important because you never, and I will never,
as your next Secretary of State, disenfranchise a real American
citizen and an Ohio resident. I want them to be
able to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
And so it's really important that if there's a discrepancy
with whatever database they're looking at, that you have the
chance to remedy it. And that's what this Centate Bill
two ninety three does. If for some reason there's a
discrepancy and they don't think that you're an American citizen,
the Board of Elections sends out a confirmation notice to you.
You have a chance to remedy that in person and
(06:02):
show them that you are an American citizen so that
you're not taking off the voter rolls. So it's a
very reasonable, good government thing. It's going to clean up
a lot of pieces. And then the other pieces that
it makes election day election day, and all the absentee
mail and ballots have to be in by seven point
thirty that night on election day so that we can
(06:22):
count all the ballots together and we know the results
of the election that night.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
That night, not three weeks from then. Unbelievable, unbelievable, how
we were sitting around going hm hm in some of
these elections where we're like, well, I guess we'll find
out at some point here, but one hundred percent, I
imagine all this.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Does this also before you move on to anything else,
Does this also add to the DMV any sort of
requirement or ability to check citizenship status before they hand
somebody a driver's license, let them operate a motor vehicle
next to me in traffic.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
They already have that ability to check citizenship status. As
a matter of fact, they have that responsibility, and there's
a on the back of a driver's license if you're
not an American citizen. They have that enumerated that you're
not an American citizen on the back of the driver's license.
Now I'm not sure what the driver's license requirements, so
I just can't speak to that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Chucky.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
So I don't want to say something incorrect on the air,
But yes, they have the ability to tell if you're
an American citizen in the BMV records.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Okay, I just that is something that continues to bother me.
I've I've talked to insurance agents who said, yeah, we'll
give them insurance, but we know we'll not have to pay.
They're here illegally, so they're driving illegally. We're not going
to pay out anything if there's any claims against them.
Those insurance companies shouldn't be collecting that money either, if
they're not actually covering somebody. But more to the point,
they also shouldn't have a license. If they cannot legally
(07:42):
have insurance, then they cannot legally operate a motor vehicle.
I'd love to see that stopped.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I wish or speak English or read the signed Yes,
it would be nice to you. We've seen just recently
how the one truck driver ended up killing that vanful
of the family, and you're just saying like.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
He couldn't even speak English. Are you kidding me again?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
We're getting into the driver's license thing that you know
that Robert, you can't speak to You were just saying,
but those are the kinds of things that as a
just run of the mill, normal fifty six year old,
you know, male citizen of the United States, when you
see something like that, you just say that.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Was so needless. What happened with this guy.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
And the fact that you're telling somebody they need to
speak English and be able to read English, be able
to read the signs and so on. That is not
disenfranchising people who are not, you know, supposed to be
here in this country, or if they're here illegally or
what have you.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
That's called common sense.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
When you come to the United States, we are a
nation of rules. In the Constitution two hundred and fifty
years ago set this up for us that we were
not going to have a king, we were not going
to be a colony of another country. We were going
to have a constitution. And it differs from a lot
of other countries, and that when we pledge allegiance. My
son just joined the United States Army this spring and
(09:04):
took his oath of office. And when he did that,
you know what he pledged to. He didn't pledge an
allegiance to God. He actually didn't pledge an allegiance to
the United States of America. You know what, he pledges
allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
We are a nation of laws. And when you come here,
and quite frankly, that's why people are coming is you
(09:24):
need to follow the rules. And by the way, your
first act as a citizen can't be to break the
law of the United States of America, and I think
Donald Trump has shut down the border and fixed that.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is in studio with us, and
you spoke about Frank LeRose and what kinds of things
is he and clearly you've known you've probably known him,
I'm guessing a while at this point, but the type
of things, and it sounds like you're in lockstep with
the way that he's kind of governed in that role
and as possibly our next Secretary of State. I mean,
(09:56):
I can imagine that you're going, hey, I'm seeing a
lot of things that A.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I agree with and.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
B that are working, and so that's the win win
obviously in that situation. But what types of thing have
you been picking his brain at all?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Like as we get closer to you.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Possibly being the next Secretary of State, Yeah, absolutely, I've
had some conversations with Secretary of Lroz and his team,
But I can tell you Ohio does elections right. Let's
take it to the next level and make sure that
everyone knows that we are the most secure and the
most transparent elections in the United States of America. I'd
love to move to a front end citizenship check when
(10:30):
people are registering to vote. That way, we know that
only American citizens are registering to vote in Ohio elections.
The second thing is we do elections right in the
state of Ohio because they are bipartisan. In many other states,
it's only the Republican or the Democrat that runs the elections.
In Ohio, it's a bipartisan process. A Democrat and a
(10:51):
Republican check you in to vote, they check your voter ID,
and then they count the ballots in that precinct late
later on that evening. Why is that important Because it's
not the cooperation between the two parties that ensures an
honest election. It's the competition between the two parties. You
know that if one party does something wrong, the other
party is going to say something about it. When I'm
(11:11):
Secretary of State, I'm going to implement not just an
audit for accuracy, but we are going to audit for
that bipartisan chain of custody for your ballots, so that
you know that that's never violated from the time when
you vote, that at the time when the tallies are
cast later on that evening.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And I heard that positive when I am when I
am That's the way you got to think.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
And the third thing I want to do is I
want to make sure that in every county, in every
election in the state of Ohio, that we're using paper ballots.
And the reason for that is my background at Ernst
and Young is in the private sector. The paper gives
you an immutable, beautiful audit trail, and so you don't
have to trust the machines. You can go back and
you can count the paper, and we'll count the paper
(11:55):
before the certification of the vote when I'm Secretary of State.
And let me tell you what if I gave you
ten thousand ballots, and I gave Chuck ten thousand ballots
and I asked you to count them up, in all
likelihood you'd end up with slightly different numbers. The beauty
of running the paper ballots through a tabulation machine as
you get an accurate count that evening, that evening, you
(12:15):
know exactly what the vote totals are. But the beauty
of the human count is that you make sure that
the machines have not been corrupted, and we will go
back and we will audit the paper to make sure
that the count is accurate.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You know what, I think the easiest way to do
here would be to make the ballots the same size
as the legal tender and then put a stack of
those in what they use at the bank, five thousand,
five thousand. If they're the same size, wouldn't it just
count those speeds? I mean that would it would speed
(12:47):
up that whole proces.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
And let me ask you something, Mark, So do you
trust the machine or do you count it yourself? On
the teiler hands?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And to how much money? Are we talking?
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Exactly right?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So if we're talking about five thousand, No, I'm not
going to stand there because I watch it happened or
more on a regular basis at a casino at the cage,
like when I hand them like my chips and then
they count off the money they're giving me back. They
use it's behind back where they are in it, and
then a little number comes up. Now I already know
(13:18):
how many you know, I handed them, you know, nineteen
hundred dollars worth of chips, so I know I'm getting
nineteen one hundred dollars bills, so that no, I'm not
double checking that, But is that what you're kind of
going after?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Like people would be like, well, I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Trust that I take money at the ATM, I still
count yes, and I get out of the ATM and
I am counting it five times.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Right, something's wrong with you?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
Why because because at the end of the day, it's
just trust but verify. With these machines, there's got to.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Be a little ground between hanging chads and the internet
accessible fears that we have of today. Any like even
like an IBM punch card from nineteen seventy eight, seems
to be a better trail than trusting all the electronics
that we trust today without going back to poking pencils
through holes like we had gun in Florida back and
(14:04):
what was that twenty ten or something like that.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
That's why you use both. That's why you use both
the machines and the handcount to make sure that you
trust but verify. And you've got this great audit trail.
And everybody can note that the elections are secure and
transparent here in the great state of Ohio.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
So we're down to the we're down to the end here.
But I did want to throw in the fact that
the first statewide campaign yours in Ohio history. Do accept
online bitcoin.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
That's right, if you have one to baycoin mark Mark,
I will accept it. Chuck you too. I mean, if
you have just one.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Sixty, what is that up to right now? It's like
ninety ninety two thousands.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I have what they call butt coin. I'd like to
donate some money, but.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Nice, I like it.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Yeah, And that's but that's just really cool that, you know,
buy a lot and you're saying, well, people can settle
up too with with bitcoin.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
They can. I'll tell you that the issue with bitcoin
is the volatility. Yeah, so you never want to hold
on to bitcoin necessarily unless it's like an alternative asset,
a small percentage in your portfolio, but more and more
because of the artificial intelligent agents, they are going to
be transacting transactions and digital currency and the whole world
(15:21):
is moving in that direction. And so we want to
be progressive. We don't want to be left behind as
a state. We want to be in the flow. And
that's why we're doing that.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
That's very cool, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, Secretary of State.
Of course, that election is coming up and we'll have
you back. Yeah, I know, especially after meeting you. This
is first time and coming in and you're welcome anytime
man to come in and hang out.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
With campaign websites up and running now though right it.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
Is absolutely and just go there check out our election
security plan. It's www dot Sprague for Ohio dot com.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Thank you, gentlemen, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, thank you very
much for coming in and Mary Chris to you and
again yeah, we'll do it again soon
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