Voices in Review
Show Recap
Today on Banner & Backbone Media’s Powerful Voices, Nick Paro welcomes on special guest, This Will Hold (“T”) for a conversation into civic engagement and an examination of how digital elections can be compromised — not through direct voter suppression; instead, through infrastructure, data, data access, and technological backdoors.
T — a political organizer, researcher, and elected official whose work sits at the intersection of behavioral science, election integrity, and democratic accountability — traces her path into election integrity work back to grassroots organizing: addressing food deserts, healthcare access, and civic participation at the local level. T’s path was changed while researching and writing a book on the GOP — she encountered what she describes as a deeply troubling network of relationships tying election equipment vendors, private equity, defense contractors, and billionaire political actors together — most notably Elon Musk, Peter Thiel-linked entities, and Palantir.
The central claim of the discussion is that over 70% of U.S. election equipment is connected — directly or indirectly — to companies within this compromised ecosystem, including smart power infrastructure and backend systems capable of remote access. T explains how software updates labeled ‘de minimis’ — meaning “too minor to require review” — have been used for decades to bypass meaningful oversight, allowing election systems to be altered without transparent certification or public accountability.
One of the most alarming themes is “secure erasure of digital footprints.” In plain terms, T and Nick describe how advanced systems can alter data while simultaneously removing the metadata that would normally reveal tampering. When paired with AI-driven oversight tools and low-Earth-orbit direct-to-cell satellite infrastructure, traditional safeguards like “air-gapped” voting machines become largely irrelevant.
The conversation also examines whistleblower accounts, including reports of secure government systems being taken offline, replaced with Starlink connectivity, and subsequently accessed by foreign actors — without triggering standard security alerts. These claims, combined with behavioral voting data inconsistencies across swing states, form the basis of T’s assertion that the 2024 election warrants formal forensic audits, not recounts.
Importantly, the episode does not stop at diagnosis. T outlines a roadmap for civic action:
Pressuring state attorneys general — particularly in Michigan and Wisconsin — to allow third-party hand-count audits
Treating election audits as a standard democratic practice, not a partisan accusation
Using constitutional remedies, including Article II, Section 4 and Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, should fraud be legally established
Pushing states toward paper-only, auditable voting systems, modeled after Washington State and select Minnesota jurisdictions
Throughout the episode, Nick emphasizes a core principle: democracy does not survive on trust alone — it survives on verification. Audits are not extremist. They are foundational.
The conversation closes with a call for sustained public pressure, civic engagement, and hope. History, T reminds listeners, shows that democratic backsliding can be reversed—but only when ordinary people insist on accountability.
Related Articles
Actions You Can Take
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and feed America:
Sign the Move-On Petitions:
Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions
A Petition to End the Shutdown and Restore Representation: Remove Speaker Johnson
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76
Thank you Rachel Maron, Deb Howey, Kay Hagemeyer, Maureen McManus, Kim Hoskins, and many others for tuning into my live video with Nick Paro and This Will Hold! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Banner & Backbone Authors’ Notes
You being here shows that you have already begun the process of unfurling new Banners and forging new Backbones for a more progressive America. Please, take the time to become a paid, or free, subscriber to the Network — supporting us all and ensuring everyone in America can hear these messages.
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
