One person on the frontlines of the issue is Secretary of State Gregg Amore. His office works with the state Board of Elections and local cities and towns to administer elections. Amore is an East Providence Democrat who was a history teacher, coach and state representative before winning election as secretary of state in 2022. So what does the future hold for him? What can be done to improve government transparency in Rhode Island? And how should Democrats respond to Trump?
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Ian Donnis: You’re clearly a statewide official here in Rhode Island, but Democrats nationally are going through a lot of soul-searching about the future of the party and how to stand up to President Trump, so a couple of questions about that. Was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer right to vote with a small group of Democrats to support a continuing resolution last week to keep the government funded?
Gregg Amore: I would have voted like Sen. Reed and Senator Whitehouse. I think that the filibuster is one of the tools that can be used to resist and I don’t buy the argument that things would get worse. I think things are pretty bad for federal workers right now, and there’s got to be some leverage so you can negotiate going forward.
Ian Donnis: According to a recent NBC News national poll, the Democratic Party has fallen to an all-time low in popularity, with just 27% of respondents saying they have a positive view of the party. Why is the brand of Democrats so damaged?
Gregg Amore: Yeah, I think that’s cyclical. I remember when Bill Clinton was elected, it seemed that no Democrat would be elected again, and he was elected to two terms, and the party adjusted its messaging. And I think that’s what has to happen here. You know, I’m a well-known labor Democrat in this state, and I think that’s the focus that we should really, really be leaning into, is economic issues supporting working class people. And I think that message has to start to resonate with the broader American populace.
Ian Donnis” We’ve talked before about your concerns about President Trump –he’s returned to office since the last time we did this type of interview. Do you agree with those who believe that democracy is under assault right now?
Gregg AmoreL Well, I think if you look at what has happened thus far, you’re seeing a real challenge to the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances. So when folks talk about a constitutional crisis, that’s what they’re talking about. When judges are criticized for making decisions and the criticism includes that judges should be impeached because I disagree with that decision –that’s dangerous, right? Those are the foundations of the Democratic republic in which we live, and we have to make sure that we speak up. Now we can all agree that violent gang members should be deported, but there should be due process. Due process should be afforded to everyone on American soil, and that is really where we have to stand up for constitutional principles, and that bedrock foundation of the American system of government, which is checks and balances.
Ian Donnis: The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on DEI — so-called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. How do you think local officials here in Rhode Island should respond to that?
Gregg Amore: I don’t think they should respond. And I’m glad you said diversity, equity, inclusion. I don’t know who’s opposed to diversity, equity and Inclusion. And I think the term has been hijacked, and it’s a signal somehow for certain folks to talk about, folks who are in positions that maybe they shouldn’t be, and that’s just a ridiculous way of looking at this. I mean, I think we all would agree that it’s positive to have a workplace, a government, that is diversified, that includes folks from all walks of life. And I’m shocked to think that this has become something we talk about as a pejorative.
Ian Donnis: To shift gears a little bit, we’re coming up on a statewide election year next year. You are sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for governor. Is that something that you’re seriously looking at?
Gregg Amore: I am seriously looking at running for re-election for secretary of state, and we’ve got a long way to go before 2026. We have challenges now that we’re facing, that the governor is facing, and we’re focused on those challenges, but my intent is to run for another term as secretary of state.
Ian Donnis: So ruling out a run for —
Gregg Amore: I never rule out anything, because I, you never know. I don’t rule out that I can actually run for secretary of state again, right? I mean, I hope I have good health, I hope my family has good health. I hope things work out where I can run. So I don’t like to rule anything out. Absolutes are never good
Ian Donnis: Gov. McKee says right now that he’s planning to run for re-election. If he got out of the race, would that cause you to be more interested?
Gregg Amore: When you decide if you’re going to run for governor, there are a bunch of calculations. But one is, can I contribute? Can I make a difference? Is this a job I can do? The other is, Do I have a path? Path to victory? Is there? Is there a lane here for me to get in and win the vote? I would never run for an office that I can’t win. And then the other consideration is your personal life, you know. what impact that has in your family. And I really haven’t gone down that list yet, and so, so you know, again, I’m really focused on this job. This is a really important job, especially at this time in our nation’s history.
Ian Donnis: This is Sunshine Week, a time meant to celebrate transparency in government. If you talk to a lot of reporters and advocates in Rhode Island, I think the view is that government has gotten more opaque over time, and the spokespeople for various government agencies have grown less willing to share information. Do you agree with that view?
Gregg Amore: I don’t know what folks think. I know what we do in our office, and I know that we’ve promoted Sunshine Week. We held an event where we opened it up to the public to help them sift through government documents, how to work the websites, how to advocate, using the websites and using other information. We introduced lobbying to folks. And you know, our office tries to expeditiously as we can give over any information that is requested of us, and I think in my time as secretary of state, we’ve never charged anyone for that information. So you know, government works best when there is sunlight. And I agree with Justice Brandeis that sunlight is the greatest disinfectant.
Ian Donnis: There was an effort last year to update the state’s open records law, the Access to Public Records Act. There was a lot of opposition from the governor’s office and some other branches of government. What do you think is feasible as far as improvements to APRA, that would be that would win necessary political support?
Gregg Amore: I think you’ve heard the attorney general talk about APRA in regard to there being a base level of transparency that should be expected, but that’s not a cap that we should go beyond that. So, you know, we were asked whether or not we supported that legislation or not. We did not oppose that legislation. From our perspective, I think there are competing interests, and I certainly think that there are folks who are trying to grind down folks in government with public records requests that take an enormous amount of time and effort. And I understand that. I get it because, you know, especially our office is very limited in its staffing. You know, if there’s 30 hours of research, that 30 hours is taking away [from other demands], so I get that, but we should try to do everything we can to make sure the public is aware and has access to all the information they need.
Ian Donnis: You are a former history teacher and you supported a law that took effect in 2023 that required civics education as a high school graduation requirement. How do you think that’s working out?
Gregg Amore: It’s almost fully implemented. Most districts have decided where they’re going to do that, and many have come down in eighth grade based on the the Rhode Island Department of Education’s recommendations. And it is working out because we’re in schools all the time. I’ve done 90 classroom visits where I teach a lesson on the history of voting rights, why it’s important to vote, and we know because our civic education program includes an action civics project that the schools are engaged in action civics projects, which is part of the civic literacy act that you just mentioned.
Ian Donnis: You are the chairman of Rhode Island 250, the group planning events and celebrations for the semiquincentennial celebration next year of America’s birth. Is Rhode Island really doing enough to capitalize to the greatest extent on this?
Gregg Amore: Yeah,I think we are. The commission is designed to support local efforts and we collaborate with, you know, local historical groups, whether they be societies or other historical groups, and part of the commission’s duty is to support that and support a Rhode Island effort to make folks all over the country, all over the world, aware of Rhode Island’s role. And we’ve been doing that, and the General Assembly has appropriated funding for a signature event and to support local events. And we have, we have hosted a number of events already. I think we’re competing with Philadelphia and Boston and Virginia, to some extent. Those are, you know, big states with big budgets, but I think we’re doing a good job in telling the story of Rhode Island. I don’t know if you’ve been to see the portrait of the first Rhode Island regiment that is at the Statehouse. Now, that’s a fantastic story, a fantastic portrait. It’s a Rhode Island story, and we had a rather large successful event around that, and that’s accessible to the public today. And anytime we get to tell the story of the first integrated regiment in American history, we should do so and be proud that they were Rhode Islanders.
Ian Donnis: One of your legislative priorities for this year is reducing the time before Rhode Islanders can vote. Why Is there opposition to that?
Gregg Amore: You know, that’s a good question, to tell you the truth. We’re talking about 23 states that already have same day voter registration. We have another 10 states that have a much bigger window than we do in the Northeast. We are an outlier in the country. We are an outlier. There are only 10 states that have that 30-day restriction. And you know, we have heard from a number of folks who are kept out of the process by a few days. And one of those people in particular, who I got to know, you know, was sworn in as an American citizen on October 25. I had the privilege of being there that day in the federal court, and she was unable to vote a full ballot in the next election. And she had lived here for nearly 30 years, paid taxes, been a contributor to our community, and she did everything she was supposed to do, and that was denied. Had she lived in Massachusetts, any of the other New England states, any of the states in the northeast, red, deep red states, like Montana, Idaho, Iowa, she would have been able to vote a full ballot.
Ian Donnis: You are a proud resident of East Providence. How is your experience these days with the Washington Bridge?
Gregg Amore: I think we get used to everything as human beings, and so I’m getting used to that. You know, there are good days and bad days on the bridge. I think for most of us, we know that coming home, going east is going to be difficult, but going west has been actually a little better than it was before the bridge was closed.
Ian Donnis: What’s your sense of how businesses in East Providence have been impacted over the experience of the bridge?
Gregg Amore: Yeah, it’s hard to tell, but the mayor has told me that he thinks businesses have held their own. And he’s kind of bullish on the fact that the food and beverage tax receipts, you know, took a hit, but then have bounced back. So I know some business owners that have struggled a little bit, but I also know some that are now seeing customers from the East Bay that they never saw before, who would bypass East Providence and go into Providence. So I think it’s a mixed bag.
Ian Donnis: Heading into baseball season, your prediction for the Yankees?
Gregg Amore: Well, my prediction would have been another World Series appearance just weeks ago, but once Gerrit Cole went down, that’s harder.
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Check out RIPBS Weekly at 7:30 this Sunday for two reports related to the Washington Bridge as part of our ongoing series Breaking Point. Michelle San Miguel outlines the quest for accountability for what went wrong. RIDOT Director Peter Alviti was supposed to speak with me, but cancelled shortly before the interview. Instead, I talk with Attorney General Peter Neronha. That’s at 7:30 pm this Sunday on RIPBS. Of course, you can also find my Friday TGIF politics column posting around 4 this afternoon on X, Bluesky, Threads, Facebook, and at thepublicsradio.org/TGIF.
That’s it for our show. Political Roundtable is a production of The Public’s Radio. Our producers this week are Joe Tasca and Mareva Lindo. Our editor is Alex Nunes. I’m Ian Donnis, and I’ll see you on the radio.
