One Week Left: Your Ballot, Your Voice, Your Neighbors
 Gates Pass, Tucson, AZ |
Dear RTB Community, With Election Day one week away, we want to thank you for the care you have taken to stay informed. Whether you have already voted or are still deciding, this message is meant to help you finish with confidence. But first, why have we talked so much about voting in the midterms? Do we sound like a broken record? Probably, but this time there's too much at stake. And as we have highlighted in previous newsletters, fear that there could be interference in this year's elections is real. To this end, we are sharing the 2026 Election Risk Heat Map, a data-driven tool designed to identify where the conditions for election crises are most likely to emerge this year. The Heat Map focuses on the counties and states where close contests, bad actors, and systemic weaknesses collide to increase risk. This tool is designed to enable you to better understand where attention, preparation, and resources are most needed. You can view your county's risk score here. |
What Can You Do? A Few Reminders Returning your ballot. Ballots must be received by 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3. We advise you not to mail your ballot after October 31. Find drop boxes and voting centers at your county clerk's website. For Mesa County, go here. Track your ballot with BallotTrax and confirm your registration at GoVoteColorado.gov. One small request. It is harder to say that elections are fraudulent if there is mass turnout. Think of one person in your life, an adult child, adult grandchild, neighbor, or friend, who may not have voted yet, and send them a friendly reminder. Maybe you know someone who might need assistance getting to a ballot box? A personal nudge or offer of help often does what no mailer can. |
Voter Resources Don't skip the end of the ballot. Local races, judges, and ballot measures often affect daily life more directly than national contests. Here are some resources we have shared earlier to help you form your decisions before you vote: To date, RTB has not provided guidance on judicial retention. While all of the judges on the ballot meet performance standards, we would encourage you to read the full evaluations here: 2026 Judicial Performance Evaluations |
Courageous Colorado Community Survey Our partner, Courageous Colorado, is conducting a survey to learn how the organization is perceived, how our events support civic engagement, and how they can strengthen our work across the state. They would love to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey. |
Member Recommendations RTB Member Joseph McGill: "Jacob Coxen is the former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher who resigned from Anthropic and went public with his concerns that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity by the end of the decade and that insiders at the AI companies believe this too but feel compelled to keep furthering AI development out of competitive market pressure. There is plenty to read about AI if one is inclined. I found Jon Stewart's interview with Coxon on the October 5, 2026 episode of "The Daily Show" to be very serious, very enlightening, and well worth 26 minutes of my time. I recommend it to RTB members. The interview highlighted the claimed goals of AI companies (for one example, "universal high income," sounds very much like socialism!) which are at odds with AI titans' actual methods, stated preferences for today's society, and political powers they choose to support." The interview can be viewed on YouTube here. |
Upcoming Events October 26 and 27 — Mesa County Election Tours
October 29 — Rick Taggart and the State Medicaid Commission
November 3 — Watch Parties
November 9 — RTB Overview: Mesa and Collbran Area
November 11 — RTB Social Hour
November 14 — Families and Politics
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On the Radar: Local Government Meetings
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Thank you to all who have submitted photos, podcasts, and video recommendations. We will publish a recommendation in each category every week. Please keep them coming! Want to Contribute to Our Weekly Newsletter? Our best recommendations come from you! Have you read a thought-provoking book? Listened to an insightful podcast? Found an article worth sharing? Captured a beautiful photo of Western Colorado? We want to feature your discoveries and perspectives in our Monday Update. You can share resources, suggest topics you'd like RTB to address, or submit photos from around our community. All submissions can be anonymous or attributed to you; it's your choice. Submit your recommendations here Let's learn from each other and build a more informed community together. We'll say it one more time: vote early. |
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