We are so blessed to live in the greatest nation to ever exist on this planet! But the truth is we have taken the liberties, freedoms and opportunities this county offers for granted, we have become complacent in our duties to watch over her and protect her, we have taken our eye off the ball. The United States is being stolen right out from under us, therefore, we must act, and act quickly and decisively before she is gone for ever.
A recent Rasmussen poll tells the story:
62% of All voters believe that cheating in our elections is Likely
80% of Republicans
45% of Democrats
64% of Independents
These numbers are all time lows in voter confidence concerning the trustworthiness of our elections. If we cannot ensure free and fair elections we will lose everything, our children will lose everything, AND SO WE ACT!
Doing our part to remedy the mistrust in our elections
Roy Piskadlo and I have now met with County Clerks and/or Commissioners and Council Members from 20 of Utah’s 29 counties with more on the schedule. Their overall support and willingness to provide constructive feedback has been remarkably positive and encouraging. It has become clear to us that most, if not all of our Clerks and Board of Canvass Members have nothing but the best of intentions as it relates to conducting our elections. But in many cases they are overwhelmed, overworked and under appreciated.
While initially hesitant and defensive, most Clerks and Board of Canvass members soon realize we do not seek to criticize their effort, but rather, we are there to help make a very difficult job easier and more transparent.
How can we fight the issues that plague our society if we cannot be assured that the individuals we elect to represent us, were indeed elected by their constituents? The simple truth is we cannot effectively fight, and we certainly cannot control the narrative or outcome because they have effectively taken the power away from the people when they insert their preselected candidates into office.
Comments from Clerks and BOC Members
Paraphrasing:
Several Clerks, Council and Commissioners “we welcome anything that brings more transparency and confidence to the process”
“We believe our county conducts our elections fairly and the results are accurate”
“It doesn’t matter what we do in our county because the big counties negate whatever we do anyway”
“We are too small to matter”
“We are in favor of the idea, so long as the counties do not have to pay for it”
“I have heard what you guys are doing and was told that it is unconstitutional”
“The concept makes sense and is sound. I can support it so long as it stays the same and is not changed during the process at the legislature”
“I want something like this, it would actually help me to do the best job that I can”
“People come into our offices, sometime threatening us. We would welcome a process that would give voters that extra level of confidence in our election”
“Are there companies out there that actually do this kind of work, and if so, how much is it going to cost?”
“Prior to any public release of the [report written for the benefit of the Board of Canvassers by the firm contracted to analyze the election data], the Board of Canvassers would need to review and approve the release”
“This would create more work for our staff which is already overwhelmed during the elections”
“This would actually make my job as a clerk easier and would give me more confidence in what I do’
“How would this proposal affect Municipal elections?”
“That’s all we need, more rules and regulations from the legislature. They really don’t understand what we go through at the county level”
Moving forward
This feedback is invaluable to our efforts. We will be meeting with most of the remaining 9 counties within the next 6 weeks or so, this will help us garner even more information and constructive ideas as we continue to formulate the structure of the legislation. As the summer turns into to fall, we will be meeting with as many State Legislators as possible, working toward the selection of men and women of impeccable character to sponsor and present this bill to the 2024 legislative session. We will not cease in our fight to ensure honest elections until such a time as the task is completed.