Hi Friend — Welcome to another email where the gloves are off. Again, please read to the end. The politispeak and carefully softened language that obscure what is actually happening have no place here anymore. We are real people, working alongside real people, confronting real problems in communities across this country. We are going to tell you what we are seeing, what we believe it means, and what we can still do about it — even when the truth is uncomfortable — and what I'm going to share with you today ... is uncomfortable. But the days of quiet speculation and digital distance have to end. America cannot be defended from a comment section. It is time to get real. And real looks like this. Please watch Pastor Lorenzo Sewell. Pastor Lorenzo Sewell stands up in Dearborn video
Pastor Lorenzo and members of his community are featured in our upcoming docuseries, TRAPPED. What you are seeing here is courage in real time — the decision to speak when remaining silent would be easier. Now, watch this. It's another part of the story — and part of what Pastor Lorenzo and his community are standing up against. This vignette is also from TRAPPED — a real-life cautionary tale about what can happen when elections become corrupted, institutions fail, and communities are slowly destroyed. The house you see is in Detroit, only miles from the Dearborn City Council meeting where Pastor Lorenzo spoke so passionately. One video takes you to a Detroit address (one among thousands) documented as vacant across years, yet tied to an extraordinary number of voters. The other takes you just down the road, where Pastor Lorenzo repeatedly asked elected officials to renounce Sharia law. Not one answered him. Why was he there? Because two weeks earlier there had been a violent confrontation in Dearborn at which activist Jake Lang, while publicly speaking about Jesus, was punched, chased and pelted with rocks before finding shelter in a police car. It feels dystopian. It feels like this cannot possibly be happening here. It is. This has been building for years, right under our noses, but profound change rarely announces itself all at once. I love the line from Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, when a character describes bankruptcy as happening “gradually and then suddenly.” I believe the bankruptcy we are witnessing in America is, at its root, a bankruptcy of courage — a failure of leadership, grit, conviction, and the willingness to endure discomfort and speak out when doing so comes at a cost. Courage is lost the same way — gradually, then suddenly. A little silence here, a little retreat there, until suddenly we realize how much ground we have surrendered. Too many of us have waited for someone else to go first. We have outsourced courage and then wondered why courageous voices seem so rare. That is why the documentary TRAPPED matters. It is not simply a documentary about Detroit. It is a warning. We are seeing a glimpse of America’s future if we continue waiting for someone else to speak, someone else to serve, someone else to take the risk. That has to change. We must engage while there is still time to do so — and for the 2026 midterms, that time is short. Here is the hard truth: the practical window for election process reforms in this cycle has largely passed. We should continue pressing for comprehensive audits, stronger laws, transparency, and accountability, but we cannot recover months already lost. What’s done is done. We have to be smart about what comes next. We are hearing from people across the country who are deeply concerned because they do not know what they can still do to bring integrity into their local elections. Do not confuse “we cannot fix everything” with “there is nothing we can do.” There is meaningful work we can do right now: - Make sure your family and friends are registered to vote. Ask them. Don’t assume.
- Check your own registration and voter records through our app ScanCheckProtect.org. If something is inaccurate, report it. Individual records can still be corrected, and even when an issue cannot immediately be resolved, documenting and flagging it matters. Imagine the impact if millions of Americans simply checked and corrected their own records.
- And serve where you live. Contact the party or candidate of your choice. Become an election worker or observer where permitted. Find your local election-integrity effort and offer to help. Our state Information page has the resources and training to get you started, and the True the Vote Community app can help you find others doing this work near you.
Young Americans can learn and serve. Older Americans can teach, mentor and support. Not everyone is called to do the same thing, but every one of us has something to contribute — now. Meanwhile, as we prepare to release TRAPPED, the pressure around its release is building. The documentary is not yet public and the negative press has already begun. We will answer, point for point, but this is bigger than defending True the Vote, TRAPPED, Detroit, or any single city or investigation. The deeper question is whether Americans still believe strongly enough in this country — and in one another — to stand up for it. And as we stand, we must remember where our strength ultimately comes from. We cannot do this alone. We need God. Politics has limits. Institutions have limits. So do we. Faith is where we find the hope and the strength to persevere against all odds. It gives us courage when the path is unclear, endurance when the pressure is great, and the humility to understand that our responsibility is to faithfully do what we can and trust God with what we cannot control. Faith is not a retreat from the work. It is what allows us to continue the work without being consumed by fear or despair. As a member of the True the Vote team wrote in our team thread early this morning, “Your prayers are more powerful than a thousand political weapons.” I believe that. So together, and in faith, we are asking you to engage now. Protect your vote. Help someone else protect theirs. Learn how your local elections work. Find somewhere useful to serve. Teach what you know. Learn what you don’t. Pray for wisdom and courage. And when you see someone standing alone for the truth, go stand beside them. Friend, this is the moment. You were born for this time. Be brave. Keep the faith. Never quit. Ephesians 6 FTW! Ever onward — P.S. — One more thing I have to communicate in this email — we need your support. I don’t like asking for money, but I would be less than honest if I pretended we could do this work without it. Supporting citizens on the ground, building the tools and training people need, finishing and releasing TRAPPED, and standing our ground when the attacks come all require resources. The truth is, we are running on fumes. I wish it weren't the case, but it is. In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new recurring-giving campaign designed to help put this work on stronger footing for the battles ahead. I’ll have much more to share about that soon, so please stay tuned. But our need today is immediate. We cannot wait for the next campaign to keep the work moving now. If you believe this work matters, and you are able, please send support today. Whatever the amount, please know how deeply grateful we are — and how seriously we take the responsibility to put it to work. | 
