The RtB Blog

Boulder, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, After months of buildup, not to mention the ridiculous sums of money spent on campaigns, the end is in sight. No doubt you’re looking forward to a Broncos game minus political ads. As we await the outcome, this week we’ll briefly examine a question that could dramatically change our elections: mandatory voting. Should Voting Be Mandatory? Here in the U.S., voting is a right you can choose to exercise or not. That’s not true ever

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 coul

Bear Peak, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, Polls Are Opening! Mesa County — Monday, October 19, 8:00 AM: the first Voter Service Polling Center (VSPC) opens at Mesa County Central Services (west entrance), 200 S Spruce Street, Grand Junction. The promise of free and fair elections is central to our democracy. How Americans vote has evolved significantly over time, with Colorado playing a leading role. For most of the 20th century, in-person voting meant going to your a

This November, Colorado voters will decide on a record-tying 14 statewide ballot measures, the most citizen-initiated questions in over a century. You'll also see local issues on your ballot. Given how many measures there are and how ballot language often seems designed to confuse, we wanted to provide an overview, look at who's behind some of these measures, and offer some resources you can use to do your own research. Constitutional Amendments (need 55% to pass): Amendment

Fall in Colorado ◡̈ Dear Restore the Balance Community, Please, please, please take a look at the events section this week!! There are several events this week to help you fill in those ballots. Make sure you vote! What Happens After You Vote Restore the Balance was formed in the wake of a violent attempt to overturn the election results on January 6, 2021. Many thought that day would go down in history as an unsuccessful attack on our democracy, and that it could never happe

Royal Arch Trail, Boulder, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, How Much Does Character Matter in Politics? Quite a bit, actually, especially when the "character" in the White House is pocketing your hard-earned cash. When we evaluate candidates, we tend to focus first on the policy positions of those who hold power. But even more important, perhaps, is the question of what kind of person we want holding power. The founders of our nation often opined on the importance of se

Grand Junction, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, "Democracy isn't something that runs on its own; it is stronger when we all participate." — Bobbie Gross, Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Candidate Survey Results We've talked about elections all year, mainly with an eye on the integrity of the process. Now it's time for all of us to exercise our right to vote. As in previous years, Restore the Balance sent surveys to candidates and rated their responses, this year coverin

Near Hinman Campground, Clark, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, Is AI a Kitchen-Table Issue? Data centers under fire, inflationary concerns, volatility in tech stocks, and doomsday discussions- one could argue, yes! At last count, the Urban Institute states that 313 moratoriums in 44 states have passed, representing approximately 200 distinct communities that have put a stop to data center construction in their communities. And just this week we learned that Grand Junct

Dear Restore the Balance Community, It's Been a Big Year at Restore the Balance It's been an incredibly busy 2026 at RTB. We've been working overtime to hold to our increasingly challenged mission: restoring civility in politics, promoting collaboration, and putting country before party. Among other things, this year we have: Launched weekly newsletter updates for our email list Held our annual Spring Gathering, featuring prominent conservative New York Times columnist David

Rattlesnake Gulch Dear Restore the Balance Community, Fact vs. Confirmation Bias What if Americans do not actually disagree about facts as much as we are led to believe? Often we disagree because we are only looking at facts and opinions that we are willing to see. That's confirmation bias: the natural tendency to seek out and remember information that confirms what we already think, while dismissing what doesn't. And we tend to assume it's the other side doing the cherry-pic

Pearl St, Boulder, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, Truth and Consequences How we vote has real-world consequences; politics turns into policy. So it's not just which candidate we vote for that matters; it's also whether we trust the process itself. That trust is foundational to a functioning democracy. Want an RTB Yard Sign? — Pick-up schedule Election Integrity: Myth vs. Fact Myth: Most ballots are cast electronically with no paper record. Fact: 99% of voters nationwi

Eclipse 8/27-8/28 Dear Restore the Balance Community, Principle #8: Enough Said Our weekly emails have recently featured the first seven principles we think are important here at Restore the Balance. But all seven are irrelevant without the final one, Principle #8, from the RTB pledge. It was added belatedly last year by the board of RTB. We had been under the impression that this commitment went without saying. We must protect and enforce the U.S. Constitution's guarantees

Boulder, CO Dear Restore the Balance Community, Dues, Duty, and Gifts The other day I received one of those irritating unsolicited political emails from a candidate in some state far away who will likely never have any effect on my life. But this one was different; it was from Brian Bengs, a veteran running for U.S. Senate in South Dakota as an independent. Well, I thought, that takes some courage. South Dakota, as far as I know, is a very partisan Republican state. So I went

Elk River Dear Restore the Balance Community, PRINCIPLE OF THE WEEK: #6 There is an old saying that a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Public service works the same way: when someone steps forward to run for office, they are not taking something from the rest of us, they are adding light. Yet too often, those who step into that role are met not with debate, but with intimidation. Citizens should be free to run for or hold office without being threatened or har

Dear Restore the Balance Community, In Aesop's fable The Trees and the Axe, a man asks the forest for a single small branch to make an axe handle. The kind trees agree and give him a young ash tree, but the man uses it to cut down the entire forest. Topic of the Week Those disappointed or disbelieving of the results of the 2020 election had every right to question its validity. They did, repeatedly. Multiple audits and hand counts were performed. Results were challenged in ov

Chicago, IL Dear Restore the Balance Community, What Does It Mean to Put Country Before Party? Restore the Balance yard signs have featured the slogan, Country Before Party. What does this mean? It refers to our fourth principle, which states that the public interest must come before party interests for voters and elected officials alike. We think most Americans expect their elected officials to behave in general agreement with this principle. It means choosing to work toward

Donaghadee Lighthouse, Northern Ireland Dear Restore the Balance Community, This week, we will examine the third RTB Principle: No one person or party has a monopoly on the best public policy proposals; communication and good faith negotiations are essential to the legislative process. We believe no single individual or faction possesses a monopoly on wisdom when it comes to public policy, which is why the American system of government was built on deliberation rather than di

Photo near Moab. Topic of the Week: RTB Principle #2, Facts and Evidence This week we continue our deep dive into the RTB Principles with #2: "Facts, supported by objectively examined evidence, are the basis for what to believe and how to act." Decisions between people need a starting point; each side needs to start working from a set of facts that is grounded in evidence. Prior to the founding of this country and the Enlightenment, it was common for truth to be determined by

Asteria Theatre, CMU — Electric Avenue Dear Restore the Balance Community, A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Congress worked to pass laws that benefited not only their own constituents, but the broader country as well. Our Congressmen and women debated fiercely, they argued passionately, and then they settled down and figured out how to meet somewhere in the middle. They thought of their children and grandchildren as they passed budgets, established oversight agenci

Dear Restore the Balance Community, Before we dive in, the RTB community joins Western Colorado in mourning the loss of three wildland firefighters who died battling the Snyder Fire near Grand Junction last weekend. Emily Barker, 38. Nick Hutcherson, 27. Sydney Watson, 26. They lost their lives battling a deadly wildfire, all to keep our community safe. We hold their families and crewmates in our hearts. Topic of the Week: Community Engagement — What Happened at the June Soc