Weekly Email 6/29/26

Mount Sopris, CO

Dear Restore the Balance Community,

Tomorrow is June 30, primary day in Colorado. If you haven't returned your ballot yet, tonight and tomorrow are your last chances. To ensure that your vote will count, it is best at this late date not to put your ballot in the U.S. mail. Either vote in person or hand-deliver your completed ballot to a ballot collection location by 7:00 PM tomorrow. 

Voter information and drop box locations for Colorado.

⚠️ Unaffiliated voters: return only ONE ballot — returning both will disqualify your vote. ⚠️

Check candidates' websites or social media for watch party information tomorrow night.

Topic of the Week: The Acquiescence Syndrome

RTB member and retired District 51 social studies teacher Max Stites has written a column worth reading before you head to the polls. He writes about what he calls "The Acquiescence Syndrome", the passive acceptance of things we disagree with, by remaining silent and failing to object. His column draws on history to make the case that acquiescence to authoritarianism, often by people of good will, has almost always resulted in some form of disaster.

"It seems to me we are at a crossroads," Stites writes. "It is past time for the current majority party in Congress to cast aside acquiescence and show courage in their Constitutional duty to act as a check and balance on executive authority. If they do not, it is incumbent on us as citizens to turn out in record numbers in November and vote."

Read the full column here.

Mail Voting Under Threat — and On Hold for Now

Earlier this month, at the direction of President Trump, the United States Postal Service issued a proposed rule that would create new barriers to mail voting — including requiring USPS to verify that mailed ballots are only sent to approved voters on a state-supplied list, and mandating new ballot-mail design and tracking requirements.

Critics, including the League of Women Voters, argue the proposal gives USPS a role in election administration that rightfully belongs to state and local election officials, and could prevent eligible voters from receiving and returning their mail ballots in time to be counted.

Update: A federal judge has blocked the Trump mail voting executive order for now. The situation may still be appealed, so this bears watching.

Read more at Democracy Docket.

The USPS public comment period is open until July 2, 2026 at 5 PM Eastern. If you'd like to weigh in: Submit your comment here.

See Your Elections in Action — Election Tours Making Headlines

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel covered last week's Mesa County election tours, and the story is worth sharing. The Mesa County Elections Department offered tours of its facility to shed light on how ballot counting operates, taking participants behind the scenes to learn about the multiple layers of security, auditing, and verification that ballots go through during an election cycle. 

Clerk Bobbie Gross led a tour for about 15 community members, who got to see the two connected rooms where all ballots are certified, counted, photographed, and stored. Tour participants asked several questions about potential voter and election fraud, and how election judges handle questionable ballots. 

More tours will be hosted closer to the November election. Keep an eye on the Mesa County website and social media for dates.

Read the full Sentinel article here.

Worth Listening To: This American Life — Whistleblower

This week's podcast recommendation comes from our team: a This American Life episode examining how DOGE attempted to use the Social Security Administration's master death file to identify people for potential deportation. It's a remarkable piece of journalism about what happens when government data is used in ways it was never intended for.

Listen here.

Looking Ahead: Happy Early Fourth of July

This July 4 marks the 250th anniversary, the semiquincentennial, of American independence. It's a remarkable milestone, and one worth pausing to reflect on. Democracy is not a given. It has to be tended, protected, and participated in. Voting tomorrow is one way to do exactly that.

We'll have more to say about July 4 in next week's newsletter. For now: go vote. And as always, wishing everyone a safe and celebratory 4th of July! Happy Birthday to our wonderful country. 

Upcoming Events

June 30 — Colorado Primary Election | Vote in person by 7:00 PM. | Find your vote center and drop box locations here.

July 14 — RTB Delta County Annual Meeting | 6:00 PM | Orchard Town Hall, Orchard City, CO | Judge Steven Patrick will discuss Constitutional Law and answer questions. All are welcome.

November 3 — Colorado General Election

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

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.