2023 is the Year We Prioritize Integrity

Hey everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to share what’s next for this election integrity newsletter.

Why the focus on election integrity?

Because if your government cannot run trustworthy elections and demonstrate this adequately to every voter, what can it do well?

Even though it seems like we’ve been discussing and working on election integrity for a long time—I wrote 90+ posts on that topic in 2022 (please search the archives), this larger story is possibly only entering the second act (Nov 2020 being the Prologue and the 2022 Midterms being the end of Act I). The balance of this year and 2024 are the messy middle as various complications and rising action will occur. It’s very important America cleans itself up in this area. It hasn’t been easy thus far and it won’t be easy work ahead. But meaningful work it will be.

It’s critical that timely and accurate information finds its way into your inbox so that you can act on that in the moment instead of months or years later, when it’s too late.

If you don’t yet understand how our election system is compromised, then I have not done a good job communicating that, and I invite you to stay tuned so that it can be unpacked for you. We will look at data, dissect the law, and dig into the details of pre- and post-election processes surrounding the opaque electronic voting system, in written, video, and audio formats.

How I learned about all this

Though my part in the story started months earlier, just over 9 months ago (in May 2022) I dropped everything to focus on this issue. I also ran for MN Secretary of State, using that platform to make more Minnesotans aware of what I was learning.

But today I am recommitting to providing the best information I can.

There truly is a great future ahead if we can resolve the confusion, let go of doubt, and find clarity. When light is shone on the landscape, then our daily actions are clarified in service to integrity at all levels of government, including our interaction with government as citizens.

I recently returned from Maricopa County where Rasmussen polls are showing that more than 50% of all voters are uncomfortable with Arizona’s midterm elections, where more than 60% of polling places had breakdowns that could not have been accidental—according to expert testimony in the Kari Lake trial—in their electronic voting systems.

Prioritizing Integrity

This newsletter will focus as much as possible on the election stories that matter, especially locally right here in Minnesota.

The focus will be less on candidates and more on election process, laws, and the overall electronic voting system as briefly outlined in this article. Why? Because it is difficult to see the whole while only examining one or two parts. An all-encompassing picture is better.

It’s more than that, though. These elements fundamentally matter to every voter. If any piece of the puzzle is left out then we cannot hope to address the root issues nor bring in viable alternatives like the hand counting of paper ballots.

To give you a sense of the scope of the problem: Even though I’ve studied all this very closely for more than a year, I cannot tell you how my vote is counted—that fact exemplifies the current lack of transparency we are dealing with.

I knew next to nothing about the depth and scale of these issues 18 months ago and have gradually learned more and more every day, which led to the publication of [S]elections in Minnesota in June of 2022—Read online here for free—and giving a short Minnesota address at The Moment of Truth Summit in August 2022.

I truly believe this newsletter could be the most important source for information on this topic in Minnesota. Because of this goal, I need your help. I need your comments. I need your feedback to make it better.

Maybe you already see this newsletter as a good source of information on election integrity. If it is, I hope that you will find a way to either share these posts or support this work financially.

In truth, sharing a post about election integrity with someone who isn’t previously interested might be the best way for us all to be effective. Please find the courage to do that.

How your financial support makes a big difference. It allows me to:

• synthesize data from numerous sources
• take the time to engage with my local government, and take time to support others doing the same, whether through in-person meetings (such as a town board supervisor meeting) or through public data requests
• research
• take phone calls with local and national groups
• take time to prepare and present findings at local meetings
• write posts (and everything else that will show up in these “newsletters”)

Things are happening in Minnesota. Your neighbors could be the ones who help to bring integrity back into election systems in Minnesota. (And you can help, too.) By the way, Project Minnesota will be your place to get strategy and tactics for engaging productively with local government.

More than a newsletter

In 2023, Midwest Seeds is going to be more than a newsletter.

It will include:

• short form updates from work in the field (tomorrow I will attend the Anoka County Commissioner Board Meeting where residents will speak on 5 topics for 2 minutes each)
• brief how-to educational videos on things like how to access court records or navigate the Minnesota Secretary of State website or submit public data requests
• analyses of denied public record requests
• notes on election related legislation
• medium-length opinion pieces
• occasional long form reports which include insights from leaders like Rick Weible and many other long-time or emerging contributors throughout the state of Minnesota
• video coverage from live events
• weekly or every other week podcasts recapping the most relevant news and important stories as they develop
• full audio versions of key posts

And probably much more…

The result of all this is that you will be well informed and understand how to take impactful actions locally. If enough of us do this, Minnesota will surely flourish in the years to come.

What will you get to tell your children when they ask what you were doing during the greatest investigation in our country’s history?

Your support means a lot right now

I want to make this very easy for you.

Here’s how you can financially support this ongoing work:

• Monthly subscriptions are $6.39
• Annual subs are discounted from the monthly price, $63.99 for one year
• Founding Memberships are currently listed at $177.60

Normally Founding Memberships are a more generous annual subscription. But for anyone that signs up today through March 31, 2023 for the Founding Membership at $177.60 (or whatever price you choose), I will for every year after Year 1 reduce your payments to $0.

In other words, a show of support now means you’re locked in forever as a free member.

Your support is a vote of confidence in me, and it’s a vote that will definitely count.

Thank you. You will hear from me again very soon.

Upcoming posts include:

• Minnesota’s 2022 Midterm recap
• Updates from MNGOP spring conventions
• The first podcast episode addressing how to get cast vote records from the responsible authority in your county (and other general tips for public data or public record requests learned from hundreds of examples)