Keeping up with the news these days means constantly sorting through what’s true, what’s distorted, and what’s been made up entirely ... it’s exhausting, but necessary.
This week, we learned that fabricated polls have defined this season's national election coverage — the very numbers relied upon to tell the country who’s winning were bogus.
In election season, polling can build or break momentum. Polls drive headlines, influence donations, and shape whether people believe their vote will matter.
That’s why this week’s revelation was so consequential. Wedgewood Polls, a provider of 15 polls included in the New York Times’ polling tracker, admitted that all but one of its polls had been fabricated. Invented numbers were presented as the voice of the American people, with the credibility of the Times behind them.
Even legitimate polling faces challenges in today's culture. Pew’s telephone response rate fell from 36% in 1997 to 6% in 2018, and researchers find growing evidence that Republicans are less likely than Democrats to participate.
The industry’s own review found that late polls overstated Democratic margins by 3.1 points in 2016, 4.6 in 2020, and 2.7 in 2024. Recent midterm polls performed better, but the record calls for humility. Instead, uncertain numbers become confident declarations about who’s winning and who should give up.
For those of us who cherish liberty, pessimism can begin to feel like realism. We value honesty. We keep our word. We expect fair dealing. Watching those standards violated again and again wears on us. Our confidence suffers, and eventually, expecting the worst can feel like the only sensible position.
But that is a conclusion we need to examine, too.
The dishonesty is real, but it does not mean that goodness is scarce, that we stand alone, or that our efforts are futile. A steady diet of betrayal and dysfunction has distorted understandings of our country and of one another.
We must bring discernment to everything. Don't be too quick to believe the hype. What supports it? What does it leave out? Have we mistaken what dominates the headlines for what defines the country?
Talk to your neighbors. Spend time in your community. A conversation across the kitchen table is real. So are the good people quietly keeping their promises, helping others, and doing their part. We have a part in strengthening that goodness, too.
And voting is real. The process is imperfect and protecting it takes work — your participation is critical.
We’ve added a way to check your early voting activity through Scan. Check. Protect., including whether your ballot has been recorded in the data the states release. Updates follow state reporting schedules; recorded activity does not confirm inclusion in the final count.
Visit ScanCheckProtect.org, check your record, check activity at your address, and encourage someone else to do the same.
Last week, I wrote about answering the call: “Here am I. Send me.” That call still stands. Learning something difficult, like fraud in polling, changes our understanding of what we face. It doesn’t diminish our ability — or our responsibility — to take a stand and make a difference.
God has given us minds to reason, neighbors to love, work to do, and infinite reasons to keep hope alive.
Never quit. Ephesians 6 and Isaiah 6:8 FTW!
Ever onward —
P.S. Looking for a clearer read on the polls? Our friends at Onward Media built People's Poll, a fresh take on polling. It tracks every published 2026 Senate, governor and House poll and links each one to its source, so you can check the numbers yourself. Take a look at peoplespoll.com.
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Your gift helps True the Vote keep tools like Scan. Check. Protect. available to voters.
A message from someone you know moves people to vote in a way mass campaign messages can't.
Texts from friends boost turnout. In a Columbia University study, a text from a friend raised turnout 8.3 percentage points. Mass automated texts average less than half a point.
Small margins decide big elections. Just 187 votes decided a seat in Congress in 2024. Reaching even a few friends makes a real difference.
Connection and a plan. What works is a friendly nudge from someone you trust, plus help making a real plan: when, where and how you'll vote.
Simple ways to help your seven: share their polling place, send date reminders, or offer a ride or a hand.
Sources: Schein, Green et al., Columbia University, friend-to-friend texting in the 2018 midterms; 2024 U.S. House results.
In other news ...
Placeholder Votes..?
Questions are mounting over alleged discrepancies between early-voting check-ins and voter history records in Georgia. Could missing records indicate processing errors, or something more serious? Without timely, verifiable check-in records, the public is left asking questions. Election transparency shouldn't require guesswork.
A new complaint alleges 3,674 sets of duplicate or triplicate voter registrations in North Carolina. The state acknowledges ongoing cleanup efforts, but the watchdog group wants systemic fixes. Because cleaning voter rolls shouldn't be a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.
Don't forget! You can check your own voter registration record and your activity right now. Visit scancheckprotect.org and take three minutes to:
Confirm your current record is accurate — your name, address, and status.
See if your early vote was recorded — check back if your state hasn't reported yet.
Verify that your address isn't being used as a voter trap house — after you pull up your record, check your current address and confirm you recognize anyone else who may be registered at your residence.
Check the rolls in states where you used to live — old registrations often linger for years after you've moved, sometimes without your knowledge.
Tell us what you found. Good or bad, we want to hear from you — and if something looks off, we're here to help you fix it.
A weekly word from the TTV team. Want one every day? Join us in TTV Now.
Father,
Thank You for the freedoms and opportunities we have been given in this nation. Thank You for allowing us to have a voice in choosing those who will lead our communities, our states, and our country. Help us to never take these freedoms for granted and to remember that these opportunities come with responsibility.
And as we begin to vote, we ask You to guide us with Your wisdom and discernment. Help us to seek truth and pursue righteousness as we enter the voting booth. And help us to be faithful with the voices and opportunities You have entrusted to us. Give us hearts that are willing to answer Your call with "Here am I. Send me!"
In Jesus' Name, Amen
~ Jenna Riggs
For more prayers and encouragement from Jenna, join our Devotionals Space in the TTVN Community!
Until Next Week
Remember: you don't need a title, a law degree, or anyone's permission to get involved. You need awareness, courage, and the resolve to stay in it when others walk away.
True the Vote will keep doing our part. With faith as our foundation and patriots like you standing in the gap, we'll keep pressing for transparency, accountability, and an America we leave stronger than we found it.
