Dear Friends,

So much good news this week I can hardly stand it! Before I tell you why I’m feeling increasingly confident that Trump will not be able to steal the upcoming election, I gotta plug three fun things for my Des Moines-area peeps.

BIRDS & BEES URBAN FARM HARVEST PARTY. We’ll have finger-foods, wine, beer, and music by classical guitarist Dave Reynolds. In addition to garden tours, I’ll do three short demos: harvesting potatoes, storing roots underground, and how to win a wrestling match with a black walnut.
SHERMAN HILL HOME TOUR. Fifteen historic homes will be open for visitors to explore at a leisurely pace September 26 and 27, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p,m. Tickets are $5-$20 and can be purchased in advance or at Hoyt Sherman Place, where the tour starts.

THE INGERSOLL. Speaking of historic buildings …. resurrected from the dead by Connor Delaney and White Oak Realty, The Ingersoll hosts Switchback on Thursday, September 24. Switchback has been described as “two guys that sound like eight.” Tickets include dinner and the performance.

THE ELECTION. A whole lot of political observers and journalists, including me, have been regaling you with warnings about how President Trump is trying to steal the November election. All of it’s true, and of grave concern.

But we have reasons to be hopeful. Certainly, the recent US Supreme Court ruling on absentee ballots is a huge blow to Trump’s effort to corrupt mail-in voting.

My phone call with Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald yesterday was also very encouraging. Like county auditors and local officials across the country, Jamie and his staff have been tracking every potential threat to election integrity, and making plans to respond.

I asked Fitzgerald what the local response would be if the Trump administration sends ICE agents to polling sites in Polk County. He said he’s been working with the county attorney and county sheriff to make sure that section 49.104 of the Iowa Code is upheld.

That code section lists the specific people allowed inside and near polling places during an election. Federal agents are not on that list.

I asked Fitzgerald if Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, might choose to look the other way if federal agents are deployed to Iowa polling sites.

“Pate’s between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the President.,” Fitzgerald told me. “He’s not going to come out strongly against the President, but he’s going to follow Iowa law.”

Fitzgerald says the county has already seen a big drop in mail-in ballots. But due to the county’s decision to increase the availability of satellite voting, there’s been a notable increase in people voting early through that option.

It’s not just state laws such as Iowa’s that prevent federal agents from harassing voters at polling sites. Paul López, Denver’s clerk and recorder overseeing elections, is part of a coalition that filed a lawsuit last week blocking federal officers from the polls under different federal law.

And what if federal agents show up at polls in Colorado? “We have a plan put together just in case if that happens and it’s not going to be a good day for any ICE agent or any other federal agent or anybody trying to intimidate anybody at the polls,” López said. “They’re going to face prison sentences.” (from an NPR story)

We certainly aren’t out-of-the woods when it comes to salvaging our democracy from President Trump’s wrecking ball. But there are so many reasons to feel encouraged. A lot of important work is happening, and it’s absolutely making a difference.

What can you and I do? Keep pushing with every hour and dollar we can spare to help pro-democracy candidates prevail in November. And sign up as a poll worker, poll watcher, or with your local county Democratic Party’s voter protection initiative.

Oh, and listen to this week’s Fallon Forum:

HERE’S THE FULL PODCAST FOR THIS WEEK:

(01:22) Protecting the vote — LISTEN
(21:22) “Our” oil — LISTEN
(36:20) AI titans warn of existential threat — LISTEN
(49:22) Studies highlight need for pesticide restrictions, with Kathy Byrnes — LISTEN

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. And if you’re a central Iowa resident, remember to support the local businesses and nonprofits that help underwrite this platform.

Ed Fallon

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