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Feb, Sat, 2026
South Carolina Demands the Gold Standard: Our Press Conference Call for Real Election Reform

If our votes don’t count accurately, we’ve lost the very soul of our Republic. That’s why on Thursday—February 26, 2026—we gathered at the State House with passionate patriots from every corner of our state, Congressman Ralph Norman, Attorney General candidate David Pascoe, and State Representative Rob Harris to demand better.

We’re not just complaining—we’re offering solutions. The current system falls short: black-box electronic machines owned by opaque corporations hide how votes are counted. Voters can’t see, verify, or trust the process. National polls show nearly two-thirds of Americans worry these machines could be hacked or manipulated remotely. In South Carolina, limited observer access, weak chain of custody, unattended machines, and inaccessible audit data only fuel the distrust.

But doubt doesn’t have to win. Momentum is building for real change. We presented our vision: the Gold Standard Elections Act (H.4295), a proven path to secure, transparent, verifiable, and accessible elections for eligible voters only.

Key pillars of the Gold Standard:

  • Strict government-issued photo ID with no exceptions
  • Citizenship-only registration and voting
  • Hand-marked paper ballots—no computers or machines
  • Hand-counting at the precinct level using our efficient, tested GS Tally method (cheaper than machines, finished by midnight!)
  • Clean voter rolls, small precincts (max 1,500 voters), paper poll books
  • Minimal mail-in ballots (military, overseas, legitimate absentees only)
  • One Election Day

South Carolina can lead the South—and the nation—by passing H.4295. When every vote is counted publicly and verifiably, confidence returns, turnout rises, and our Republic thrives.

Watch the full press conference video here:

This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about providing elections for the people by the people. Join us. Contact your legislators. Demand the Gold Standard. Together, let’s make South Carolina the beacon of election excellence.

Thank you for standing with us. Our best days are ahead when our citizens have confidence that their vote counts.

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Updates
South Carolina Demands the Gold Standard: Our Press Conference Call for Real Election Reform

If our votes don’t count accurately, we’ve lost the very soul of our Republic. That’s why on Thursday—February 26, 2026—we gathered at the State House with passionate patriots from every corner of our state, Congressman Ralph Norman, Attorney General candidate David Pascoe, and State Representative Rob Harris to demand better.

We’re not just complaining—we’re offering solutions. The current system falls short: black-box electronic machines owned by opaque corporations hide how votes are counted. Voters can’t see, verify, or trust the process. National polls show nearly two-thirds of Americans worry these machines could be hacked or manipulated remotely. In South Carolina, limited observer access, weak chain of custody, unattended machines, and inaccessible audit data only fuel the distrust.

But doubt doesn’t have to win. Momentum is building for real change. We presented our vision: the Gold Standard Elections Act (H.4295), a proven path to secure, transparent, verifiable, and accessible elections for eligible voters only.

Key pillars of the Gold Standard:

  • Strict government-issued photo ID with no exceptions
  • Citizenship-only registration and voting
  • Hand-marked paper ballots—no computers or machines
  • Hand-counting at the precinct level using our efficient, tested GS Tally method (cheaper than machines, finished by midnight!)
  • Clean voter rolls, small precincts (max 1,500 voters), paper poll books
  • Minimal mail-in ballots (military, overseas, legitimate absentees only)
  • One Election Day

South Carolina can lead the South—and the nation—by passing H.4295. When every vote is counted publicly and verifiably, confidence returns, turnout rises, and our Republic thrives.

Watch the full press conference video here:

This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about providing elections for the people by the people. Join us. Contact your legislators. Demand the Gold Standard. Together, let’s make South Carolina the beacon of election excellence.

Thank you for standing with us. Our best days are ahead when our citizens have confidence that their vote counts.

Feb, Mon, 2026
A walk through the SC election process

Written by: Laura Downing, Hugh Penri-Williams, CFE, Laura Scharr, Julie Baker

The summary below was written for Oconnee County, but it applies to the rest of South Carolina.

As you can see, the process is complex, involving many people, electronics, and procedures that are neither transparent nor auditable to the people.

The South Carolina Election Process OCDownload

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Updates
A walk through the SC election process

Written by: Laura Downing, Hugh Penri-Williams, CFE, Laura Scharr, Julie Baker

The summary below was written for Oconnee County, but it applies to the rest of South Carolina.

As you can see, the process is complex, involving many people, electronics, and procedures that are neither transparent nor auditable to the people.

The South Carolina Election Process OCDownload

Feb, Mon, 2026
Pass the SAVE Act and get rid of the “machines”

Congress is responding to calls for greater election integrity and has recently introduced two bills that would revolutionize federal elections.

The SAVE Act, which was passed in May of 2025, was revised to add Voter ID requirements for voting, and reintroduced on 1-29-26. In addition, the Make Elections Great Again Act was introduced on 1-29-26 and codifies similar provisions for proof of citizenship and Voter ID, while also addressing other measures to reduce potential election mail fraud.

Here is a summary of both bills and our take on them.

Congress must pass the SAVE Act ASAP, and if the MEGA bill can be amended, that would be a good step forward in securing elections. Ideally, we must move to the gold standard of elections.

In other words, we must get rid of electronic voting systems! Here is why.

Here is a video that summarizes the two bills, and a chart below that provides a quick reference for their basic components.

Save Amerca ActMEGA Act
Election Integrity BillsSave America Act “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” 1-29-26 introduction   Effective upon enactmentRequires that non-citizens be removed from voter rolls using the DHS SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) system, the Social Security Administration, and State IDs that confirm citizenship status; must comply with federal requests for information to ascertain citizenship
Voter rolls/Database sharingPreservation of records to include audit records, certification records, chain of custody, incident reports, reconciliation records, return envelopes, tabulation reports, tech records, and vote-by-mail records.State shall match voter registration data to Motor vehicle data, Motor Vehicle shall match with Social Security data, and State shall receive data from AG for felonies/etc. DHS on citizenship records.   May use the SAVE system to confirm citizenship. DHS shall conduct investigations to determine removal from lists if unlawfully registered in States, and AG shall share info of potential fraud with  
Citizenship to registerMust have proof of citizenship when registering to voteMust have proof of citizenship when registering to vote
Documentary proofRequired to vote in person for federal election. Absentee voting- must include a copy of an eligible photo ID with the request and submission of the ballot  Include documentary proof of citizenship plus last 4 of the SS# and current valid DL or documentary proof of residence in the state   If no SS# a unique identifying voter number will be assigned applicant may sign attestation under penalty of perjury with an affidavit.    
Removal of noncitizensUpon receipt of documentation that the registrant is a noncitizen 
Photo IDUS passport, REAL ID, US Military ID, valid government-issued photo card showing place of birth in the US, government-issued valid photo ID with birth certificate. Must provide a sworn affidavit if you have no proof, and provide other evidence that sufficiently establishes citizenship.Each state shall at least every 30 days verify eligibility of registrants through all state resources and the SAVE system and remove those who are ineligible by reason of 1) request 2) criminal conviction or mental incapacity pursuant to state law 3) death 4) change in residence 5) citizenship status 6) duplicate registrant States shall remove names of ineligible no later than 15 days prior to each general election.   Requires applicants for motor vehicle driver’s licenses in a new state to indicate whether that state is their residence for voting purposes.   Citizenship should be indicated on drivers’ licenses   There must be a notification to state election officials of those who were recused from jury duty due to non-citizenship
OtherMust provide to vote in person, the vote is provisional, but allows a religious objection affidavit. Other than in person, you must submit a copy of a valid photo ID with the ballot or the last four digits of your SS# and an affidavit. Exceptions: active duty absent uniformed services voter who is absent from the US on the date of the election; Disabled or Elderly Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) at DMVs—where eligible citizens are registered unless they opt out—would be severely limited or gutted in practice, as people would need to present citizenship documents during routine DMV visits, which most don’t bring for license renewals or address changes.   The bill amends Section 5 of the NVRA to make DMV license applications subject to the new citizenship proof rules, meaning states can’t process voter registration through DMV without that proof.
Record retention requirements Ballots must be voter-verifiable (NEED TO include amendment that differentiates between a true “paper ballot” and a “Ballot Summary Card”
Abolished barcode tracking for Mail-in Ballots   The requirement is for voter-verifiable paper ballots that allow the use of ballot-marking devices but also provide the option to manually mark each ballot at every in-person location.   Can be counted manually, OR by a counting device, OR read by a ballot tabulator. The paper that comes out of a BMD is a ballot summary card. NOT a paper ballot  
Ranked Choice Voting Prohibited
Make Elections Great Again. Introduced 1-29-26. Applies to elections held in 2027 and beyond Must provide to vote in person, the vote is provisional, but allows a religious objection affidavit. Other than in person, must submit a copy of a valid photo ID with the ballot or the last four digits of SS# and an affidavit. Exceptions: active duty absent uniformed services voter who is absent from the US on the date of the election; Disabled or Elderly
Universal Mail-in Voting Ballots received by Election Day
admin admin
Updates
Pass the SAVE Act and get rid of the “machines”

Congress is responding to calls for greater election integrity and has recently introduced two bills that would revolutionize federal elections.

The SAVE Act, which was passed in May of 2025, was revised to add Voter ID requirements for voting, and reintroduced on 1-29-26. In addition, the Make Elections Great Again Act was introduced on 1-29-26 and codifies similar provisions for proof of citizenship and Voter ID, while also addressing other measures to reduce potential election mail fraud.

Here is a summary of both bills and our take on them.

Congress must pass the SAVE Act ASAP, and if the MEGA bill can be amended, that would be a good step forward in securing elections. Ideally, we must move to the gold standard of elections.

In other words, we must get rid of electronic voting systems! Here is why.

Here is a video that summarizes the two bills, and a chart below that provides a quick reference for their basic components.

Save Amerca ActMEGA Act
Election Integrity BillsSave America Act “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” 1-29-26 introduction   Effective upon enactmentRequires that non-citizens be removed from voter rolls using the DHS SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) system, the Social Security Administration, and State IDs that confirm citizenship status; must comply with federal requests for information to ascertain citizenship
Voter rolls/Database sharingPreservation of records to include audit records, certification records, chain of custody, incident reports, reconciliation records, return envelopes, tabulation reports, tech records, and vote-by-mail records.State shall match voter registration data to Motor vehicle data, Motor Vehicle shall match with Social Security data, and State shall receive data from AG for felonies/etc. DHS on citizenship records.   May use the SAVE system to confirm citizenship. DHS shall conduct investigations to determine removal from lists if unlawfully registered in States, and AG shall share info of potential fraud with  
Citizenship to registerMust have proof of citizenship when registering to voteMust have proof of citizenship when registering to vote
Documentary proofRequired to vote in person for federal election. Absentee voting- must include a copy of an eligible photo ID with the request and submission of the ballot  Include documentary proof of citizenship plus last 4 of the SS# and current valid DL or documentary proof of residence in the state   If no SS# a unique identifying voter number will be assigned applicant may sign attestation under penalty of perjury with an affidavit.    
Removal of noncitizensUpon receipt of documentation that the registrant is a noncitizen 
Photo IDUS passport, REAL ID, US Military ID, valid government-issued photo card showing place of birth in the US, government-issued valid photo ID with birth certificate. Must provide a sworn affidavit if you have no proof, and provide other evidence that sufficiently establishes citizenship.Each state shall at least every 30 days verify eligibility of registrants through all state resources and the SAVE system and remove those who are ineligible by reason of 1) request 2) criminal conviction or mental incapacity pursuant to state law 3) death 4) change in residence 5) citizenship status 6) duplicate registrant States shall remove names of ineligible no later than 15 days prior to each general election.   Requires applicants for motor vehicle driver’s licenses in a new state to indicate whether that state is their residence for voting purposes.   Citizenship should be indicated on drivers’ licenses   There must be a notification to state election officials of those who were recused from jury duty due to non-citizenship
OtherMust provide to vote in person, the vote is provisional, but allows a religious objection affidavit. Other than in person, you must submit a copy of a valid photo ID with the ballot or the last four digits of your SS# and an affidavit. Exceptions: active duty absent uniformed services voter who is absent from the US on the date of the election; Disabled or Elderly Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) at DMVs—where eligible citizens are registered unless they opt out—would be severely limited or gutted in practice, as people would need to present citizenship documents during routine DMV visits, which most don’t bring for license renewals or address changes.   The bill amends Section 5 of the NVRA to make DMV license applications subject to the new citizenship proof rules, meaning states can’t process voter registration through DMV without that proof.
Record retention requirements Ballots must be voter-verifiable (NEED TO include amendment that differentiates between a true “paper ballot” and a “Ballot Summary Card”
Abolished barcode tracking for Mail-in Ballots   The requirement is for voter-verifiable paper ballots that allow the use of ballot-marking devices but also provide the option to manually mark each ballot at every in-person location.   Can be counted manually, OR by a counting device, OR read by a ballot tabulator. The paper that comes out of a BMD is a ballot summary card. NOT a paper ballot  
Ranked Choice Voting Prohibited
Make Elections Great Again. Introduced 1-29-26. Applies to elections held in 2027 and beyond Must provide to vote in person, the vote is provisional, but allows a religious objection affidavit. Other than in person, must submit a copy of a valid photo ID with the ballot or the last four digits of SS# and an affidavit. Exceptions: active duty absent uniformed services voter who is absent from the US on the date of the election; Disabled or Elderly
Universal Mail-in Voting Ballots received by Election Day