Guests - Seth Keshel, Michael Letts, David Smith

Trump's Executive Order on Election Integrity: A Framework for Reform

Election integrity expert Seth Keshel provides a comprehensive analysis of President Trump's recent executive order aimed at preserving and protecting American elections. Trump's order establishes a framework for future actions that could significantly impact how federal elections are conducted.

"Free, fair and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional republic," Keshel emphasizes. "The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated without illegal dilution is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election."

Keshel argues that states have abused their freedoms under the 10th Amendment by creating laws that effectively disenfranchise voters in other states during presidential elections. This abuse has reached a point where federal intervention has become necessary to establish standardized election procedures for federal races.

"The states have now abused their freedoms afforded them under the 10th Amendment to create laws that disenfranchise the electors of other states in presidential elections and also for elections for US House seats," Keshel explains. "This requires the federal government to step in and produce a standardized system of elections for federal elections."

Arizona's Election Reform Struggles

Arizona provides a clear example of the challenges facing election reform efforts. Despite the state legislature passing a bill modeled after Florida's successful election laws, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed it. The proposed legislation would have prohibited dropping off mail-in ballots on Election Day, required address verification for mail-in ballots, and made voters opt into receiving mail-in ballots rather than automatically sending them.

"The reason it was vetoed is, well, number one, certain people in this state have much to gain by having ballot counting go on and on for weeks," Keshel notes. "But second, the bill that was passed would have included address verification for the mail-in ballots and also required people to opt into receiving a mail-in ballot, no more automatic early voting lists like we have in all the counties here."

Keshel's wife, State Representative Rachel Keshel, has put forward additional election reforms, including a bill for precinct voting. While this legislation is unlikely to pass under the current administration, it may appear on the 2026 ballot.

"Precinct voting is how we're going to handle getting away from mail-in ballot and going towards in-person voting again, which involves the community, engages the community, and it stresses campaign engagement," Keshel explains.

The Mail-In Ballot Problem

The shift from precinct-based voting to widespread mail-in balloting has fundamentally altered the nature of elections, according to Keshel. "Mail balloting has destroyed the intent of elections, which is to turn out votes, not ballots. They've turned elections into a ballot gathering contest, more so than a vote receiving contest."

In the past, voters had to be motivated enough to visit their polling location on Election Day, which required candidates to truly inspire their base. Now, with automatic voter registration, universal mail-in voting, ballot harvesting, and extended early voting periods, the dynamics have completely changed.

This system creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited. "Thanks to the changes in the law, automatic voter registration, universal mail-in voting, the non-penalization of ballot harvesting or the straight legalization of it, along with a lengthy early vote period and plenty of time to come on the back end, has altered the expected quantity of how many ballots we're going to expect," Keshel explains.

The statistics are revealing. Keshel points out that Kamala Harris only carried five electoral votes that were not under automatic voter registration in 2024. "Trump won them 248 to five," he notes, highlighting the dramatic difference between states with and without automatic registration systems.

Voter Roll Corruption: The Foundation of Election Fraud

While many focus on how fraudulent ballots are cast or tabulated, Keshel emphasizes that the real problem starts with voter roll corruption. "The most important task of election integrity [is addressing voter rolls] because a lot of people focus on the action arm of how the fraudulent ballots are being cast or tabulated, but not focusing on the origin of where they even come from to begin with."

Keshel points to North Dakota as a model of consistency. Despite having no voter registration system at all—voters simply show ID and receive a ballot—North Dakota has shown the most consistent alignment with election trends from 2012 through 2024. In contrast, neighboring states with voter registration systems saw much larger, potentially suspicious increases in turnout.

"In 2020, North Dakota only added 17,000 votes from the 2016 election, but South Dakota added 70,000 and Montana added over 100,000," Keshel notes, despite all three states being similar in size and demographics.

In Arizona, non-governmental organizations actively register voters and put them on permanent mail ballot lists, automatically sending ballots for elections that span from early October to mid-November. This extended voting period creates additional opportunities for potential fraud.

Political Will and Future Elections

With Governor Hobbs likely to veto any meaningful election reforms, Keshel believes that ballot propositions will be necessary to enact change in Arizona. "Katie Hobbs will ensure that no meaningful election reforms get passed," he states. "So that means that the propositions are going to have to fill up the pages of the ballots again in 2026."

Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential election, Keshel identifies three potential Democratic nominees: Gavin Newsom (California), Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), and Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania). He sees Shapiro as potentially the strongest candidate due to his ability to win in a crucial swing state.

"Shapiro probably in like Whitmer most likely wanted Harris to lose his state so he could have a market to run in 2028. 'See, I'm the only guy up here that can win the most important swing state, Pennsylvania,'" Keshel explains.

The situation in Pennsylvania highlights the ongoing challenges with mail-in voting. In a recent special election for Pennsylvania's 36th state senate district, a Republican candidate lost by just 482 votes despite Trump winning the district by roughly 15 points in 2024. The Democrat won mail-in voting by a 42.3% margin, while the Republican won Election Day voting by just over 10 points.

"I compared it yesterday to a casino," Keshel says. "You know, you can go in there and you can definitely win. But if you play it long enough, you're going to lose. That's the way the casino is set up. So it's rigged in favor of the House, even though you can technically win these elections."

Law Enforcement Under Attack: Bulletproof Vests and Community Support

Michael Letts, founder, president and CEO of InvestUSA, brings attention to another critical issue facing America: the demoralization and depletion of law enforcement. His organization has provided over 16,000 bulletproof vests to officers across the country, addressing a critical need that many departments can't afford.

"When we started InvestUSA 32 years ago, 52% of cops had no vest at all. We got that down to 19%," Letts explains. "But then technology changed. A concealed vest that you wear under your shirt only stopped the sidearm, a pistol. Rifle round goes right through it."

The nature of crime has changed dramatically, requiring more sophisticated protective equipment. "Back in those days, criminals were ashamed of what they did. So they carried a handgun, something they could hide," Letts notes. "Nowadays, with illegal immigrants, cartels, terrorists, child sex traffickers, they're proud of what they do. They carry AK-47s, long range rifles."

This evolution has prompted InvestUSA to develop new "active shooter vests" that can stop any round, rifle or pistol. Unfortunately, "90% of cops do not have this technology across the country. Only 10% do."

The Depletion of Law Enforcement

The anti-police sentiment that dominated the previous administration has had devastating consequences on police forces nationwide. "The prior administration started, we had roughly 1.4 million officers across the country. When this administration started, we're down to almost 700,000," Letts reveals. "We've lost almost half of them."

This dramatic reduction in law enforcement personnel has occurred alongside increasing crime rates and more sophisticated criminal organizations. Letts estimates there are 36,000 different criminal gangs operating in the United States.

The anti-police rhetoric has also affected recruitment. "My day, we had 100 slots, 3,000 applicants," Letts recalls. "Today, we have 100 slots, 20 applicants, and 10 of them are not worth looking at."

Dave Smith, a police training expert and creator of the "Buck Savage" training videos, adds historical context to this discussion. He traces the evolution of law enforcement challenges back to 1980, when Cuba "emptied their prisons, their insane asylums, and sent us the worst of the worst along with their political prisoners."

This influx led to what Smith calls "an arms race" in the United States. "We used to be killed by .22s in the '70s when I started. And by the 1980s, it's 9mm, .45, 7.62x39 Soviet round, that AK round, which is a hard one to stop," Smith explains.

Addressing Tesla Attacks as Domestic Terrorism

Letts takes a firm stance on the recent attacks on Tesla dealerships and vehicles, categorizing them as acts of domestic terrorism that should be prosecuted accordingly.

"These are not people, normal people out on the street that are protesting or giving their opinion, exercising their freedom of speech," Letts argues. "These are organized paid activists who are going out once again to try to do the same thing and destroy properties."

Under federal law, domestic terrorism involves "activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of criminal laws of the United States or any state." Actions that violate state laws against destruction of property or harming humans can be categorized as domestic terrorism if they're intended to intimidate or coerce the population.

Letts reveals that five indictments have already been issued in the last two days related to these attacks, with more to come. Conviction for domestic terrorism carries a minimum 20-year sentence.

"This administration looks at it differently," Letts explains. "You're free to exercise your freedom of speech. You are not free to cause vandalism, destruction, or to attack people."

Letts warns that unlike during the riots following George Floyd's death, when many Democratic mayors instructed police to stand down, the current administration is taking a zero-tolerance approach to such activities. "We will not tolerate it. And we're going to nip it in the bud now so that we don't have a Summer of Love number two."

Rebuilding Law Enforcement Morale

InvestUSA is working to restore morale and recruitment in law enforcement through several initiatives. One approach involves providing bulletproof vests to departments that have lost officers in the line of duty.

"When we go in and say, look, we just don't want that community to mourn. We want you to know that the American people stand behind you. And that's why we're donating each vest," Letts explains. "I've seen rough cops... with tears streaming down their cheek."

This emotional response comes from officers who rarely receive appreciation for their service. "You think we ever get people to come up and say, 'Hey, thank you for your service. Thank you for caring. Thank you for protecting'? Very rarely. And you know, that wears on you after a while."

The organization is also developing TV shows to engage communities with first responders and establishing public charter schools that specialize in preparing high school students for careers in law enforcement, firefighting, or emergency medical services.

"We're also putting out digital books... with superheroes that are law enforcement and first responders to make sure our American kids can get excited about a profession that's been honorable since day one," Letts adds.

Looking Forward: Accountability and Reform

Both Keshel and Letts express optimism about the direction the country is taking under the Trump administration. Keshel believes the President's election integrity measures will gain momentum as his policies continue to show positive results, while Letts anticipates accountability for those who undermined law enforcement in the previous administration.

"They will be held accountable," Letts asserts. "We're talking about felons. And so we're going to hold them accountable for that period. You can't steal money from the US Treasury. You can't take bribes. You can't launder money and not be held accountable."

Smith sees signs of renewed energy in law enforcement. "Now you're seeing a resurgent American law enforcement is feeling good again," he observes. "No one's been more pro law enforcement than President Trump. And I think this is changing the American dynamic. And you're going to see law enforcement officers really, there's spirits coming back and recruitment up."

As the country approaches its 250th birthday, addressing election integrity and supporting law enforcement emerge as critical priorities for national healing and progress. "We're taking this country back," Winn concludes, "but we've got to protect our protectors."