Republicans, Democrats work to restore voter trust

September 10, 2024 | Romie Avivi Stuhl | Tucson Sentinel

WOODRUFF, Wis. – For two and a half hours on a rainy Thursday evening, Kathy Bernier did what she’s spent the past year doing: trying to restore faith in America’s electoral systems –and, along with it, faith in democracy.

On this night, she stood before about 30 local officials, poll workers and residents of this northern Wisconsin community, a place that has consistently voted Republican, and talked about election procedures and how to distinguish fact from fiction.

Since July 2023, this die-hard Republican has traveled some 2,000 miles across the state. She’s been shouted at, labeled a RINO –a derisive acronym that stands for “Republican in Name Only” –and forced to rebuff conspiracy theories about Serbians hacking American voting machines.

It was all part of her work as Wisconsin state director of Keep Our Republic, one of several initiatives nationwide working to rebuild public trust in elections. Bernier led the group for over a year, before resigning in July for personal reasons.

“Our mission is to bring understanding to the electoral process. The crisis in trust is bigger than just one party.” -Kathy Bernier