LAKEPORT >> Mark Meuser is riding his bicycle through all 58 California counties during his bid for Secretary of State. We spoke with him Wednesday at Round Table Pizza in Lakeport.
As secretary of state, how would you help Lake County businesses?
In California it takes 3 weeks to register a business. In Nevada it is a matter of 10 minutes. The biggest thing a secretary of state can do for businesses is to free things up so that an entrepreneur who has a new idea for a business doesn’t wait weeks to get started.
How will your proposed voter roll cleanup affect Lake County?
We have 11 counties in California with over 100 percent voter registration. I don’t know the specifics about Lake County, but there is voter cleanup that needs to be done all over the state.
The Supreme Court recently upheld Ohio’s voter registration purging methods, which a 2016 Reuters study found to have affected Democratic-leaning neighborhoods and minority voters more than others. As secretary of state, How would you make sure your voter roll cleanup was nonpartisan and fair to minorities?
Partisanship has nothing to do with cleaning up the voter rolls. I don’t use the word purge, but prefer cleaning. Maybe the poor move more often, so their voter registration has to move more often. But it is your responsibility as a citizen to make your vote.
Lake County voted 45 percent for Alex Padilla in the primary, and 33.3 percent for you. Do you think you can turn that around for the election?
There is a tide shift politically in this state right now. 45 percent of California democrats don’t like the direction the state is going. I need to get my message out and talk to people. That’s why I’m riding my bike. I hope to catch the wave that is coming.
