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The Kim Monson Show

September 5, 2025

Ballot Measures & TABOR

Mail-In Voting Vulnerabilities and the Fight for Taxpayer Rights

Election integrity expert Josh Findlay and TABOR author Douglas Bruce discuss mail-in voting risks and Colorado's taxpayer protections on September 5, 2025.

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On September 5, 2025, Kim Monson explored the intersection of election security and fiscal responsibility with guests Marc Auville and Katie Ellis from Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, election integrity expert Josh Findlay from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and TABOR author Douglas Bruce.

Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week Celebration

Start listening at 16:01 – Hour 1

Marc Auville, president of Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, previewed the 14th annual celebration of the U.S. Constitution taking place September 15-20, 2025. The week-long event features constitutional scholars including Professor Rob Nadelson and Dr. William Morrissey from Hillsdale College, culminating with keynote speaker Jonathan Turley addressing free speech in an age of rage.

The Saturday festivities include a parade down Grand Lake’s main street, an FAA-approved military flyover (pending weather and national security), and the Mile High Fife and Drum Corps in Revolutionary War attire. Katie Ellis detailed the Youth Day educational program where the Sons of the American Revolution demonstrate colonial life and musket firing, connecting history to the Second Amendment.

“Saturday is a true throwback to Americana And we really encourage all your listeners to come out And join us for the celebration, Especially the Saturday events.”

Marc Auville, President, Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week

Mail-In Voting Security Concerns

Start listening at 30:34 – Hour 1

Josh Findlay, director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s National Election Protection Project and former national director of election integrity for the Republican National Committee, warned that mail-in voting represents the least secure method of casting ballots. Findlay’s analysis, published in The Federalist, examines how President Trump’s proposed executive order to ban mail-in ballots could reshape American elections before the 2026 midterms.

Colorado’s 2013 Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act, signed by then-Governor Hickenlooper, made the state an early adopter of universal mail-in voting. Findlay explained that automatic voter registration combined with mail-in ballots creates vulnerabilities, particularly when driver’s licenses are available to non-citizens. He noted that 80 percent of Americans across party lines support voter ID requirements, yet leftist secretaries of state often resist implementing security measures.

“The truth is, it’s just the least secure way of voting that we have in this country.”

Josh Findlay, Director, National Election Protection Project

TABOR and Taxpayer Protections

Start listening at 69:30 – Hour 2

Douglas Bruce, author of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), explained how the 1992 constitutional amendment limits government growth by requiring voter approval for tax increases. Bruce highlighted upcoming ballot measures LL and MM, which he characterized as attempts to circumvent TABOR’s transparency requirements by lowballing projected revenue figures.

Bruce noted that despite TABOR’s constraints, Colorado state revenue has grown from $9 billion to $45 billion over the past 30 years, a fivefold increase driven by population growth and inflation adjustments. He criticized the recent special legislative session as an attempt to find new fees and regulations to address what he called a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Bruce also promoted his Petition Rights Amendment, which he described as ten times more powerful than TABOR for preserving citizen freedoms.

“More power for the government is less power for us.”

Douglas Bruce, Author of TABOR

Guests
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Marc Auville

President and co-founder of Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, organizing the nation's premier week-long celebration of the Constitution in Grand Lake, Colorado for over 14 years. Dedicated to civic education and distributing hundreds of pocket Constitutions to celebrate America's founding documents.

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KE

Katie Ellis

Youth Day coordinator for Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, organizing civic education programs for children.

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Josh Findlay

Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's National Election Protection Project. Former national director of election integrity for the Republican National Committee.

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DB

Douglas Bruce

Douglas Bruce is the author of Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), the constitutional amendment passed in 1992 that requires voter approval for tax increases. A former Republican state legislator and prosecutor, he remains an active defender of taxpayer rights.

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Click any timestamp to jump to that moment in the audio player. Speaker names link to guest profiles.

[00:05] Show Intro Announcer: It's the Kim Monson show analyzing the most important stories.
[00:11] Kim Monson: An early childhood taxing district.
[00:13] Kim Monson: What on earth is that?
[00:15] Show Intro Announcer: The latest in politics and world affairs?
[00:19] Kim Monson: I don't think that we should be passing legislation that is so complicated that people kind of throw up their hands and say: I can't understand that.
[00:29] Show Intro Announcer: Today's Current Opinions and Ideas.
[00:33] Kim Monson: And it's not fair, just because you're a big business, that you get a break on this and the little guy doesn't.
[00:39] Show Intro Announcer: Is it freedom or is it force?
[00:43] Show Intro Announcer: Let's have a conversation.
[00:45] Kim Monson: Indeed, let's have a conversation.
Quote of the Day Santiago J. Arribia

"Young Americans: Give 100 percent to your family, career and especially to those who dedicate their lives to preserve our freedoms and keep our country safe."

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Word of the Day

Acquiesce

To accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively; to go along with something without active protest or resistance.

"Many Americans have acquiesced to government overreach simply because they were too busy to pay attention."

Full Definition

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