Weekly Email 2/23/26

Sunrise in Palisade

Topic of the Week: Efforts to Interfere with the Midterm Elections

Unfortunately, this may be the first in an ongoing series, but for this week, we want to lay out the facts we know so far in the multiple attempts to interfere with the 2026 midterms.

Aside from the ever-repeated narrative that the 2020 elections were stolen, there has been a constant stream of behavior that should cause concern. In the summer of 2025, Jeff Small, former Chief of Staff to Lauren Boebert, contacted ten Colorado county clerks asking for access to voting records. In one of these conversations, Small claimed he was working for Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President. All clerks refused this illegal request, but it sounded alarm bells as to why the White House would want to examine voter records.

More recently, after two US citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents on the streets of Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded voter rolls in a letter she sent to Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, urging him to "change course" in the state. We are all scratching our heads as we try to find the connection between ICE agents killing US citizens and the voter rolls.

Shortly thereafter, the FBI executed a search warrant of Fulton County's elections hub, just outside Atlanta, seizing more than 650 boxes of ballots and other 2020 election materials. Fulton County, Georgia, the most populous county in the state, which includes most of Atlanta, was the focus of the "Stop the Steal" campaign in 2020. Three recounts proved the claims of voter fraud had no substance. This is without doubt an attempt to sow the seeds of doubt in past and upcoming elections.

If all of this isn't enough, the most alarming development, to date, has been to hear the President suggest that the federal government run elections in 15 states where he claimed the 2020 elections were fraudulent.

Last week, the SAVE Act passed the House and is heading to the Senate. The president has threatened to issue an Executive Order demanding proof of citizenship if the act doesn't pass. A link below offers more detail on the SAVE Act, but the very basis is showing a birth certificate or passport to prove citizenship, a requirement that would disenfranchise around 20 million citizens.

What Can You Do?

While it is much easier to sound the alarm bells than to offer solutions, recent events in Minnesota have proven that when citizens unite and act, they can effect change. Here are some things you can do:

1. Apply to be a poll worker. Check out your county's election website for opportunities.

2. Volunteer to be a poll watcher.

3. Contact your representatives to voice your concerns.

4. Vote, and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.

For Further Reading:

• Colorado Election Clerks Refuse White House Voting Records Request (The Guardian) - Read here

• FBI Searched Fulton County Offices in Probe of Possible 2020 Election Defects (PBS NewsHour) - Read here

• Can the Federal Government Force States to Hand Over Citizens' Voter Information? (State Democracy Research Initiative) - Read here

• Five Things to Know About the SAVE Act (Bipartisan Policy Center) - Read here

On the Radar: Local Government Meetings

• Board of County Commissioners: Tuesdays @ 9am

• Grand Junction City Council: 1st & 3rd Wednesdays @ 5:30pm

• Town of Palisade Board of Trustees Meeting: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays @ 6pm

• Fruita City Council: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 7pm

• D51 School Board: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 5pm (public comments accepted on 3rd Tuesdays only)

• Mesa County Library Board: Last Thursdays @ 5:30pm

• Public Health Board: Monthly Tuesdays @ 3pm

Reminder: Palisade Board of Trustees Candidate Forum - This Thursday!

Don't miss your chance to meet the candidates and ask questions!

Thursday, February 26, 2026📍 Palisade High School Auditorium

Schedule:

• 6:00–6:30 PM: Open Networking with Candidates

• 6:30–7:30 PM: Moderated Candidate Forum

This is your opportunity to hear directly from all seven candidates running for the Palisade Board of Trustees before the April 7 election.

Register here

Candidates: Brandon M. Burke, David William Edwards, Amy Gekas, Stan Harbaugh, Justin Martin, JoAnn Rasmussen, Ed Seymour

Before the forum: Support PHS Band's spaghetti dinner from 5:00–7:00 PM | $17.85/person or $55.20/family 4-pack

Free community event. Your questions matter. Come engaged and ready to listen!

This is not an RTB-sponsored event.

RTB Member Insights

Here are some recommendations from our members:

• Read:

  • Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam - "Admittedly a very heavy read, but it perfectly lays out how decades of decrease in socialization lead to extreme wings of political parties taking over. Released in 2000 and only more relevant 26 years later." 

• For a smile:

  • "Ashokan Farewell" Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band - The hauntingly beautiful melody made famous by Ken Burns' "The Civil War" documentary. A timeless American folk tune that reminds us of our shared heritage. - Listen here

• For reflection:

  • "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" - South Pacific (1958). A powerful reminder that prejudice isn't born, it's taught. And what can be taught can be unlearned. Still urgently relevant nearly 70 years later. - Watch here

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.

Don't forget to vote in 2026: June primaries, November general.