SANDI AULT—Reporting from the WILD

Many thanks to everyone for a great conversation both in the chat and in the studio with a great defender of democracy, Amanda Gonzalez.

Below are the show notes.

As always, you can find the books in my WILD Mystery Series HERE

And follow my production team at Our Democracy Collective on Substack or on Our Democracy Collective on YouTube

Here are some things all you democracy defenders out there can do:

• Follow Amanda Gonzalez’s campaign:—

https://www.amandaforcolorado.com/

sign up for updates, volunteer, and donate.

• Follow on social: @amandaforcolorado on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

• Register to vote/check registration at GoVoteColorado.gov: The June 30 Democratic primary is 11 days away. Make sure you’re registered! Don’t wait!

• Subscribe to Our Democracy Collective for the replay and future LIVE episodes, great essays, podcasts, videos, and more: ourdemocracy.substack.com

• Our Democracy Collective is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

• Follow Our Democracy Collective on all social media: https://linktr.ee/ourdemocracycollective

• Follow and subscribe to Sandi Ault—Reporting from the WILD: sandiault.substack.com and on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

• Share this episode with someone and spread the word about Sandi Ault’s and ODC’s LIVE interviews with some of Colorado’s best people.

Amanda’s campaign webpage

Voting for Amanda Gonzalez for Secretary of State? Help your friends find out about her. Save a graphic and share it, use your own words, or copy one of the captions below. Feel free to mix and match! (Hint: Right click or long press to download or save the images.)

Articles and Sources:

CNN June 10, 2026: Postal Service won’t deliver mail ballots for states that don’t hand over voter lists, under plan for Trump directive

“We already told the Trump administration that they couldn’t have our voter data,” said Amanda Gonzalez, who is the clerk of Jefferson County, Colorado, and a Democrat running to be the top election official in the state, which is fighting the administration’s voter roll demand in court. “This is just a poorly disguised ploy to get it another way.”

…………………..

Hoodline May 29, 2026: Colorado Secretary of State: Democrat Amanda Gonzalez

“Amanda Gonzalez said Colorado needs a “firewall, not a figurehead,” as its next secretary of state. Gonzalez said she’s well-prepared for the role after a career fighting to improve elections.”

……………….

Welcome to Get More Smarter May 28, 2026: The Race for Colorado Secretary of State: Amanda Gonzalez, Democrat for SOS

“We are seeing amateur hour at the federal level. We need experts in these roles at the state level, because this is the last line of defense we have to protect our democracy.”

………..

Canon City Daily Record April 2, 2026: June’s primary election ballots taking shape

“Gonzalez earned 63% of delegates at the Democratic Party assembly. ‘I’m proud of what we’re building,’ Gonzalez wrote on Facebook. ‘People-powered, values-driven, and ready to protect every vote fiercely.’”

………..

Boston Globe April 2, 2026: Local election leaders dismiss Trump’s order to overhaul mail-in voting as confounding, likely to fail

“This is the kind of thing that continues to sow confusion among voters and makes them worried their voice won’t be heard and their vote won’t be counted,” she said. “The real work that is happening because of this is that officials are having to spend more time ensuring voters have accurate information about elections.”

…………..

Colorado Newsline April 1, 2026: Colorado Democratic leaders push back on Trump executive order on mail-in ballots

“When you muddy the rules and spread misinformation, you make it harder for eligible voters to participate,” Amanda Gonzalez, the Jefferson County clerk and recorder, told Newsline. “That’s not about protecting elections. That’s about disenfranchising voters for political gain.”

Thank you Steve Schmidt, Lori Modafferi, Donna Dupont, Shirley Figueroa, Angel, Danielle, and many others for tuning into my live video with Christopher Armitage! Join me for my next live video on Friday, June 19 at 2PM MT when I’ll be interviewing Colorado Candidate for Secretary of State Amanda Gonzalez.

Below are the show notes from yet another wonderful conversation with the leader of the New Rebellion Christopher Armitage!

As always, you can find the books in my WILD Mystery Series HERE

And follow my production team at Our Democracy Collective on Substack or on Our Democracy Collective on YouTube

Here are some things all you rebels out there can do:

• Follow Chris Armitage’s The Existentialist Republic Substack at

• Buy his new book THE AMERICAN REFORMATION here: https://buymeacoffee.com/theer/e/547399

• Subscribe to Our Democracy Collective for the replay and future LIVE episodes, great essays, podcasts, videos, and more: ourdemocracy.substack.com

• Our Democracy Collective is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

• Follow Our Democracy Collective on all social media: https://linktr.ee/ourdemocracycollective

• Follow and subscribe to Sandi Ault—Reporting from the WILD: sandiault.substack.com

Thank you to everyone who tuned into this interview with an exciting candidate with real ideas for the future of his district based on his and his family’s experience of living there for generations! Colorado needs good representation across the board, and especially in the U.S. Congress, so it’s always exciting to hear from and talk to those stepping up to serve. Alex Kelloff is in the middle of a “By the People” tour across all the counties in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional district, and he wants to hear from the people who live there, so he’s conducting the interviews, asking the questions, and doing the listening to people from all political persuasions and perspectives. And he’s running a people-powered campaign with no PAC money. Alex seems genuinely DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE, and when you watch this video, you will get to know him and understand why.

Enjoy watching this interview and we’ll see you on the next show when I and Our Democracy Collective get together with another exciting guest on Substack LIVE!

I’ll be back next with another article in the next couple days, and I want to thank you for your support for my work. You make it possible for me to bring you exciting interviews like these, my unique brand of carefully crafted distinctive essays and professionally produced audio podcasts.

As always, you can find the books in my WILD Mystery Series HERE

Things You Can Do:

•       Follow Alex Kelloff’s campaign: alexkelloff.com — sign up for updates, volunteer, or donate.

•       Follow on social: @alexkelloffco on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

•       Register to vote/check registration at GoVoteColorado.gov: The June 30 Democratic primary is 40 days away. If you’re in CD3, make sure you’re registered.

•       Talk to your neighbors: Cost of living, public lands, healthcare — these are not partisan issues. Have the conversation.

•       Subscribe to Our Democracy Collective for the replay and future LIVE episodes, great essays, podcasts, videos, and more: ourdemocracy.substack.com

•       Our Democracy Collective is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

•       Follow OurDemocracy Collective on all social media: https://linktr.ee/ourdemocracycollective

•       Follow and subscribe to Sandi Ault—Reporting from the WILD: sandiault.substack.com

•       Share this episode with someone in Colorado’s 3rd District and with someone who cares about competitive races in rural America.

ARTICLES AND SOURCES:•       CORE Act — S.764, 119th Congress — Bipartisan legislation to protect 420,000 acres of CO public land

•       Rep. Jeff Hurd — GovTrack — Voting record and sponsored legislation

•       Rural Health Care in CO Will Suffer — Bell Policy Center — H.R. 1 impact on CD3 hospitals, Medicaid cuts, premium increases

•       BPC Action — FY2027 Appropriations — Cost of living framework

•       BPC — Key Challenges for Small Business (2023) — Lending, childcare, talent access

•       Kelloff Op-Ed: Protecting Our Public Lands — Yellow Scene (May 12, 2026) — Kelloff’s own public lands argument

•       Western CO Tariff Impact — Aspen Times — State report on tariff impacts by sector

•       Rural CO Small Business Barriers — Colorado Politics (Dec 2025) — Rural small business barriers

•       Tariffs Keep CO Small Businesses Guessing — Colorado Sun (Jan 2026) — Tariff uncertainty

•       Kelloff Visits Grand Junction — GJ Sentinel — Campaign trail coverage

•       Kelloff Kickstarts Campaign — Gunnison Times — Campaign launch

•       Rising Cost of Living in Western CO — Hope for Colorado — Western Slope cost of living data

•       Hurd: Productive Public Lands Act — Hurd.house.gov (March 2025) — Hurd’s BLM reissuance legislation

•       Hurd & Neguse: Public Lands Sell-Off Statement — Bipartisan moment on public lands

•       Gov. Polis Tariff Impact Report — State-level tariff data

•       Alex Kelloff for Colorado — About — Official candidate biography

•       Alex Kelloff — FEC Committee Overview — Campaign finance filings

This episode features several pieces of my original music, plus recordings of Chaco howling as a pup, and as a mature wolf.

If you’re listening on a podcast platform, be sure to navigate to sandiault.substack.com to see a short video of tiny Zuni sleeping on my lap the day we picked him up from the wolf sanctuary.

As always, you can find the books in my WILD Mystery Series HERE: https://amazon.com/author/sandiault

And follow my production team at ourdemocracy.substack.com or on YouTube at (link) https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

We had a great time talking with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Substack LIVE today. In case you missed it, you can watch the video here! Thank you to everyone who tuned into this live video event!

Join me for my next live video in the app.

Sandi Ault - Reporting from the WILD is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

As always, you can find the books in my WILD Mystery Series HERE

And follow my production team at Our Democracy Collective on Substack or on YouTube

MAGA's defiant denial could doom us to a Trump dynasty.

An oddly disturbing article and an unsettling attempt to communicate with a MAGA resulted in a concerning conclusion: A culture of denial could yet deliver the republic to an heir of its own unfinished ruin.

The article by Jonathan V. Last on Substack that I reference and quote from is "The Second Coming? We know who the Republican nominee will be in 20208...if he wants it," The Bulwark, April 20, 2026, https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-second-coming?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=4xvtpf&triedRedirect=true 

The Tucker Carlson podcast that I have used clips from is: Megan Lebowitz, Tucker Carlson apologizes for 'misleading' people on Trump: 'We're implicated in this for sure', April 21, 2026, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/tucker-carlson-says-will-tormented-long-time-support-trump-rcna341250

My original song, Hey Coyote, was recorded in my home studio. The lyric is from a poem by Peter Blue Cloud.

Follow my team, Our Democracy Collective on Substack at (use here) ourdemocracycollective.substack.com, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective, and you find all our favorite haunts where we hang on our Linktree at: https://linktr.ee/ourdemocracycollective

Thank you Eric Brody, M Hope, Isabel Rueda, Stephanie Courington, Rhonda Dern, M Hope, Stan Sunderwirth, Steve Berger, Theresa Daus-Weber, Laratee VanNieuwenhuyze, and all the members of my team at Our Democracy Collective, Ed Caldwell, Lisa Myles, and many others for tuning into my live video with Senadora Julie Gonzales! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Upcoming guests on the schedule include:

* Friday, May 8 @2PM MDT: CO SOS and Candidate for CO AG Jena Griswold

* Thursday, May 21 @2PM MDT: Colorado Dem Candidate for CD3, Alex Kelloff

* and there are more..

Join me for my next live video at 2PM MDT on Friday, 04/17/2026 when my guest will be Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales, and candidate for US Senate, in the app.

AG Weiser was on fire today for our conversation! Enjoy the video and share it with your friends. And if you like the work we are doing, please subscribe and support our efforts to bring great, thoughtful, resonant content to you.

I am Executive Director of a vibrant and creative production team of artists and authors called Our Democracy Collective. We create content and mentor talented young artists in the fields of media and content development, messaging, and video production. Our citizen journalist, script writers, video editors, media managers, and voiceover artists all work hard every day to produce outstanding content. Our goal is to produce hope and change, to defend democracy, and to resist tyranny. Please check out the inspiring work our team is creating HERE: Our Democracy Collective, follow us, subscribe to our channel, and support our efforts. And look for us on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

If you like this video, the essays, story chapters, and audio podcasts that I produce, I hope you will subscribe to support my work.

Below are the show notes from today and some links you can use.

PHILforCOLORADO.com

WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO:

* Register to vote or check registration at GoVoteColorado.gov -- primary is June 30, 2026

* Follow the AG’s office complaint system for reporting federal agent misconduct: coag.gov

* Contact local water utilities about conservation plans and drought restrictions

* For housing: look into Proposition 123 funding and down payment assistance programs through CHFA (Colorado Housing and Finance Authority)

* Subscribe and follow ODC’s coverage on Substack and YouTube for ongoing coverage: ourdemocracycollective.substack.com

ARTICLES AND SOURCES:

Campaign & Profile:

● Colorado Sun, Jan 2, 2025 -- Weiser launches 2026 governor campaignhttps://coloradosun.com/2025/01/02/phil-weiser-colorado-governor-2026/

● Axios Denver, Jan 9, 2026 -- Weiser hits 50th lawsuit against Trumphttps://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/09/colorado-phil-weiser-lawsuit-trump-50

● Rocky Mountain Collegian, Feb 27, 2026 -- Fort Collins town hallhttps://collegian.com/articles/news/2026/02/category-news-im-not-going-to-be-bullied-colorado-attorney-general-phil-weiser-outlines-gubernatorial-bid-at-fort-collins-town-hall/

Water / Drought:

● Colorado Sun, Jan 28, 2026 -- “Exceedingly grim” drought forecastshttps://coloradosun.com/2026/01/28/colorado-water-officials-grim-drought-forecasts-reservoir/

● Colorado Sun, Mar 25, 2026 -- Denver Water restrictions announcedhttps://coloradosun.com/2026/03/25/denver-water-restrictions-drought-front-range/

● Denver Gazette, Mar 30, 2026 -- 91% of Colorado abnormally dry or worsehttps://www.denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/2026/03/30/24-of-colorado-at-drought-stage-linked-to-insect-infestations-large-fires-fish-kills-and-less-recreation/

● Western Water, Mar 20, 2026 -- Colorado River flows drop to crisis levels https://www.western-water.com/2026/03/20/colorado-river-flows-drop-to-crisis-levels/

● CPR, Dec 30, 2025 -- Trump vetoes Arkansas Valley Conduit billhttps://www.cpr.org/2025/12/30/trump-vetoes-arkansas-river-valley-conduit-funding-bill/

● CPR, Jan 8, 2026 -- House override fails https://www.cpr.org/2026/01/08/house-trump-arkansas-valley-conduit-veto-override-fails/

● Rocky Mountain PBS, Feb 25, 2026 -- Many Coloradans still without clean waterhttps://www.rmpbs.org/news/government/trump-veto-arkansas-valley-conduit-water

RULE OF LAW and ICE / Federal Overreach:

● CPR, Feb 12, 2026 -- Colorado’s federal misconduct reporting systemhttps://www.cpr.org/2026/02/12/colorado-report-ice-immigration-misconduct-phil-weiser/

● PBS NewsHour, Jul 31, 2025 -- Weiser explains Mesa County deputy lawsuithttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/colorado-ag-explains-why-the-state-is-suing-a-deputy-who-aided-ice

● Colorado AG, Jan 8, 2026 -- Weiser fights Trump’s “revenge campaign” https://coag.gov/press-releases/weiser-fights-back-against-trumps-revenge-campaign-on-colorado/

● Colorado AG, May 13, 2025 -- Lawsuits over immigration conditions on fundinghttps://coag.gov/press-releases/attorney-general-phil-weiser-colorado-lawsuits-trump-illegal-immigration-conditions-emergency-infrastructure-5-13-25/

● Tina Peters to be re-sentenced: https://www.cpr.org/2026/04/02/tina-peters-appeal/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&utm_campaign=alert20260402

Housing / Affordability:

● Phil for Colorado -- Housing plan https://philforcolorado.com/affordable-homes-and-communities-meeting-colorados-housing-challenge/

● Colorado Newsline, Feb 22, 2026 -- Weiser vs. Bennet housing forumhttps://coloradonewsline.com/2026/02/22/colorado-governor-candidates-affordable-housing/

● Bell Policy Center, Feb 26, 2026 -- Housing affordability under shifting federal policyhttps://bellpolicy.org/housing-affordability-in-colorado-under-shifting-federal-policy/

Thank you DavidPageYea, RethinktheWolf, Theresa Daus-Weber, Isabel Rueda, and many others for tuning into our Substack !LIVE! ENDANGERED with Ryan Sedgeley!

Join me for my next live video LIVE with Colorado Attorney General and candidate for Governor Phil Weiser on Substack !LIVE! at 2PM MDT on April 3, 2026, and/or watch for that video in the app.

See the Wapiti Pack hunting bison in Yellowstone here:Wapiti Wolf Pack Hunting Bison

Here are the show notes from today’s interview with Ryan Sedgeley, jam packed with things you can do, people you can reach out to, and places you can go on the internet to see things we talked about in our lovely time together today:

● Buy a Born to be Wild license plate — directly funds non-lethal coexistence.

Wolfplate.org or https://dmv.colorado.gov/license-plates

● Email and call the Colorado Wildlife Commission to support the citizens petition for rulemaking to amend the compensation program (Explain what a citizen’s petition is).

○ It is about ensuring the compensation program is viable, reasonable, and sustainable—for producers, for CPW, and for the long-term success of the wolf program.

○ Current regulations do not meet those standards.

○ The pause creates a rare opportunity to reset, correct structural problems, and ensure fairness for all stakeholders.

○ The petition is not about ending grazing on public lands.

○ It is not about reducing compensation for direct losses.

○ Indirect losses were never defined in statute and were added in rulemaking against SAG recommendations.

○ The petition seeks to clarify, standardize, and stabilize the program so producers know exactly what to expect.

Commission Emails:

■ General mailbox: [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

■ [email protected]

● Comment on ESA regulatory rollbacks during open comment periods.

Subscribe to ESC emails to know when to write comments.

● Monitor, comment on, and take action on the activities of the God Squad—The Extinction Committee

○ Last week, Secretary Burgum announced a closed-door meeting of the Endangered Species Act Committee (aka “Extinction Committee” aka “God Squad”) in an effort to expedite oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico

○ This would condemn the Rice’s Whale.

○ This is a huge deal – the Extinction Committee has only met a few times, the latest not since the early 90s.

○ The ESA lays out a very specific process for how these meetings are to be conducted, none of which have been followed so far.

○ The letter requests that all required documents be promptly posted and that the March 31 meeting be held in-person and open to the public.

Major Legislation Designed to erode or eliminate the Endangered Species Act, and in particular: wolves

● Contact senators to oppose H.R. 845 in the Senate — it hasn’t passed yet.

● Contact House Representatives and Senators to oppose H.R.1897 ESA Amendments Act of 2025

This bill has made it out of committee but hasn’t gone any further than that—yet.

● Support the Endangered Species Coalition directly:

Endangered.org

● Follow Ryan and ESC’s work — watch & share the “Welcome Home” film.

Endangered.org/welcomehome

For Colorado residents:push back on Boebert and other local legislatorswho are using the budget crisis to quietly defund the wolf program (reference the special session bill from August 2025).

See my Substack page sandiault.substack.com to view a photo of 11-month-old Zuni enjoying the Colorado snow:

Call your Senator today at 202-224-3021, and tell them to vote NO on the Slave Act

Look for me on the web at sandisult.substack.com, SandiAult.com, and on social media. My books are available on Amazon and elsewhere. Start with any one and GO WILD!

My production team is at ourdemocracycollective.substack.com, on most social media platforms, and our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OurDemocracyCollective

The following sources were referred to and/or quoted in this show:

·      League of Women Voters: https://www.lwv.org/blog/save-act-headed-senate-push-restrict-voting-access

·       Elaine Kamarck, How widespread is election fraud in the United States? Not very, Brookings Institution, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-widespread-is-election-fraud-in-the-united-states-not-very/

·       Wikipedia, Voting Gender Gap in the United States, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_gender_gap_in_the_United_States

·       Eliza Sweren-Becker and Owen Backskai, New Save Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting, February 9. 2026, Brennan Center for Justice, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-save-act-bills-would-still-block-millions-americans-voting

·       Wren Orey, Mattew Weil, Julianne Lempert, Five Things to Know About the SAVE America Act, February 2, 2026, Bipartisan Policy Center, https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/five-things-to-know-about-the-save-act/

·       Marissa Martinez, House passes elections overhaul bill that could make it harder for married women to vote, February 11, 2026, The 19th, https://19thnews.org/2026/02/house-passes-save-america-act-married-women-vote/

·       Eliza Sweren-Becker and Owen Backskai, New Save Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting

·       Annie Karni, Republicans, Braced for Losses, Push More Voting Restrictions in Congress, February 17, 2026, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/us/politics/republicans-vote-fraud-id-midterms.html

·       Margaret Hu, "Show Me Your Papers" Laws and American Cultural Values, November 15, 2011, Jurist News, https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2011/11/margaret-hu-immigration-papers/

·       Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, Beacon Press Classics 2025

·       Sean Croawford, Read Gov. Pritzker's State of the State and budget address, February 19, 2025, NPR Illinois, https://www.nprillinois.org/government-politics/2025-02-19/read-gov-pritzkers-budget-address

Thanks to Kaazoom for the outstanding blues guitar and harmonica piece MIDNIGHT STOVE TOP BLUES