June 18, 2026

Most election problems don't begin on Election Day.

Neither do the solutions.

Hi Friend,

If you've ever planted a garden, you know the harvest doesn't begin with the fruit - it begins with the soil.

Long before anything blooms, someone has to pull weeds, remove rocks, water faithfully, and tend the ground. None of it is glamorous. Most of it goes unnoticed.

But without that work, there is no harvest.

Elections are no different.

Most Americans think elections begin when ballots go out, but they actually begin years earlier in voter rolls, legislation, record keeping, transparency, and...citizen engagement.

That's why some of the most important work happening today isn't happening in a polling place. It's happening quietly, often without recognition, by ordinary people who refuse to look away.

For years, maintaining accurate voter rolls was treated as a niche issue. Today, it's front-page news.

States, courts, and federal agencies are all debating how voter data should be maintained, shared, and verified. Regardless of where you stand politically, one thing remains true: election officials can only work with the records they have.

Citizen engagement on every level improves confidence and ensure offices are operating from the best intentions for those they work for: you.

How you do it

On today's episode of TTVN Live (after the "hiccups" we experienced...), Kevin Moncla walked us through how his 263-page report (Report of Investigation of the 2020 General Election) made its way to the DOJ. On-the-ground action by the people who care enough to do it - vs solely putting the trust in those who say they'll do it - will always generate results. Large entities, such as the DOJ, consistently have so much on their plates that it oftentimes takes your work to show them what else deserves a spotlight.

The ways you get involved are simple...and they don't require more than a few minutes:

Scan. Check. Protect. remains one of the simplest and most impactful things you can do. Removing yourself from former states, helping family members update outdated registrations, and ensuring records are accurate may seem small, but multiplied across thousands of citizens, it creates meaningful change.
The same principle is driving the next phase of IV3, which gives everyday Americans the opportunity to review publicly available information, ask questions, identify potential issues, and bring those concerns to the attention of election officials when appropriate. IV3 is undergoing its final touch-ups, and trust us - you'll want to see what's next. A new chapter of citizen engagement is almost here.
Send those FOIAs...we cannot stress how important open records requests are, and we show you how to do it. Even if you don't get a response, that in itself tells you everything you need to know.
- Exhibit A: While states and the administration continue sparring over voter registration, citizenship verification, and election integrity requirements, one thing remains surprisingly difficult to find: answers. States argue that guidance, data access, and implementation details surrounding the order remain unclear, leading to lawsuits and ongoing legal battles over who is responsible for doing what. But when we filed Open Records Requests to see what states and counties were actually doing, we often found ourselves staring into a void. No records. No plans. No correspondence. In many cases, no response at all. For an order intended to strengthen election integrity, there seems to be very little transparency about how - or whether - it is being implemented. The no response is a powerful one.
Track all of this before it becomes law. Simply put: stop bad laws from taking effect before they become harder to undo.
Know and vote for or against down-ballot measures.
Likewise, know and vote accordingly for candidates who produce "good fruit".

Tend the garden...

Healthy gardens don't happen by accident...and neither do healthy elections.

Both require attention, maintenance, and people willing to do the work long before the harvest arrives. Pulling weeds isn't exciting. Checking voter rolls isn't glamorous. Filing records requests won't earn you headlines. Tracking legislation isn't likely to go viral.

But these are the things that cultivate the healthy fruit in the garden.

It isn't about assuming wrongdoing. It's about restoring the citizen's role in the process. Transparency works best when the public is willing to engage with it, ask the hard questions, and keep their eyes on every process.

The people who came before us understood that. They planted seeds they knew they might never see grow, and now it's our turn.

Ever Onward!