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theplumblinepost.org  ·  Accountability  ·  Balance  ·  Truth
Elections  ·  Constitutional Law

Who Holds the Pen?

The Supreme Court left the block on Trump's mail-ballot rule in place for 2026. The bigger question is still open: who has the constitutional authority to decide how Americans vote? A straight look at the Constitution, the data, and the strongest case each side makes. Updated October 16 with what the justices and judges actually wrote.

Dave Edwards · September 22, 2026 · Updated October 16, 2026 ·
Left · Center · Right sourced
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From the editor

I was born in 1950. My parents came through World War II and the Korean Conflict, and they raised me to love this country and mean the Pledge when I said it. I do not apologize for that love. I also do not apologize for knowing that we have not always been the best representative of freedom — but we have grown. We have matured as a nation, learned from our mistakes, and we keep learning. That matters.

If we are to take the place in history we were meant to occupy, we owe it to ourselves and to the world to be the gift to the world that I believe we were destined by God to be. This is what I believe. You may differ. That is fine — but this is my Post, not yours.

For years I was very political. Then the duplicity on both sides wore me down and I walked away. I went apolitical and stayed there for almost fifteen years. No debates, no stress. I was at peace with it.

Then I began watching what was happening to my grandchildren — and I have to admit I am partly to blame for what happened next. My wife rarely watched any major news outlet until she retired. I — Lord, help me — introduced her to Fox News. Imagine my surprise when I began hearing back quotes I knew came from that very source. Knowing this incredible lady like I do, I understood what was actually happening. Her heart's voice was reflecting the news she was hearing — completely truthful or slanted to meet a narrative. That is exactly what was happening to very good people everywhere. People with real integrity and genuine love for this country, being pushed toward choices that did not fit who they were. The question nobody could ask out loud anymore was the simplest one: what happened to our right to agree to disagree — to get all the facts, and then decide where we actually stand?

I could not be silent anymore.

That is why this publication exists. Not to tell you what to think. To give you what you need to think for yourself — the facts from all three tiers, the strongest case each side actually makes, the sources listed so you can verify every claim. The full Balanced Research Protocol is published on this site. If I get it wrong, the door is open. Challenge any piece. I will answer for it.

Neither left nor right. Straight down.

Dave Edwards, The Plumb Line Post
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The Balanced Research Protocol — How Every Piece Gets Built

Every article at The Plumb Line Post follows a documented methodology. Sources from the left, center, and right. Every significant claim cited. Opinion labeled as opinion — from any outlet, in either direction. We hold ourselves to the same standard we hold everyone else, and we publish the rulebook so you can hold us to it.

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1
Present all sides before any conclusion. No editorializing until every position is fairly represented.
2
Steelman the opposing view. Build the most credible version of the argument against our own conclusion.
3
Cite every significant claim. Reporting and opinion are labeled separately, across all outlets, without exception.
4
Flag our own drift. If framing or emphasis tilts the result, we name it. The reader decides what to do with that.
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