Walker Wildmon: Welcome to At the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us on this edition. My name is Walker Wildmon. The show is hosted each week by myself and Rick Green. We're happy to be with you each day to bring you news and commentary, all things from a biblical perspective and also from a constitutional perspective, given the context of this program here in the United States. We try to keep you abreast of all things civics, culture, and biblical truth here on American Family Radio. Walker Wildmon: Let's turn our attention to the Scripture of this week. We've been in Acts chapter 24, and I'm not going to read specific passages, but I'm going to give you an overview. In Acts chapter 24, Paul is under arrest, and he is able to give a defense for his actions, ultimately a defense for his faith, the teachings of Jesus, and the movement of the early church. Walker Wildmon: What I want to point out is that Paul is a very knowledgeable Roman citizen. He is very knowledgeable about his rights and how to give a defense, not just for his faith, which is important, but also for his rights under civil government. Walker Wildmon: This is important for us today and important for believers, whether you're in America or elsewhere. We ought to be knowledgeable about Scripture. We ought to be knowledgeable about the teachings of Jesus and our faith, and we ought to be able to give a theological defense for the faith that we have. That is clearly important. Walker Wildmon: We should also be able to give a defense for our rights as citizens, whichever country we reside in and whichever country we are citizens of. We should know the law, we should know our rights, and we should know how our rights align with Scripture, or in some instances, how our laws don't align with Scripture. Walker Wildmon: Paul is exhibit A in the New Testament of a believer, a leader, and an apostle knowing how to articulate himself legally among rulers, kings, judges, and governors. We should take note from the apostle Paul. We should know Scripture, our theological beliefs, the teachings of the Bible, and the fundamental tenets of the faith. We should also know our rights under civil government and be able to articulate those when the time and manner come. Walker Wildmon: The beautiful thing about living in America in 2026 is that the vast majority, if not all, of our rights under the Constitution and civil law are tethered to Scripture. Why? Because our Founding Fathers used the Bible and biblical truth to build the nation and our laws. That's something we benefit from, and it is a blessing here in America that much of our laws, constitutional amendments, and Bill of Rights are rooted in biblical truth. Walker Wildmon: That's Acts chapter 24, Paul giving a defense for his faith and for his rights as a Roman citizen. Let's move into today's topic. Obviously, we have a midterm election coming up next week, November 3. Tuesday. Vote, vote, vote. Use iVoterGuide.com. We're going to talk about more of this as the show goes on, and we're going to have Heather Hefner, director of communications with AFA Action, on in the last segment to talk about some of the ballot measures going on in more than two dozen states around the country that will be on the ballot Tuesday as well. Walker Wildmon: Before we do that, I want to continue to differentiate between the two parties, the two worldviews, and the two candidates in some of these states so that people know what we're voting on. There's a lot of rhetoric and a lot of narratives out there. At the end of the day, when you go to vote on Tuesday, you're voting for the direction of the country. Walker Wildmon: Sometimes you feel like you're voting for the person, and obviously you are to a degree. But in addition to that, you're voting for the direction of the country. I've been on various shows and doing these interviews over the last few weeks talking about the midterms, and I want people to not just get so caught up in these individual candidates. Walker Wildmon: The way the American form of government and American politics are set up, we obviously are a multiparty system, primarily a two-party system with some exceptions. Each party has a direction for the country. In large part, these elected officials and politicians are going to follow and carry the mantle of whatever party they are running with. Walker Wildmon: Yes, we're voting for the individual. We're also voting for the party, which ultimately is a vote for the direction that you want the country to go. It's important that we differentiate these parties and worldviews so that voters know what's going on. Walker Wildmon: One of my biggest frustrations is not necessarily that people aren't engaged or that they're not voting. It's that they're not fully knowledgeable about what they're voting for or what they're voting against. There's a lot of deception out there, especially on ballot amendments where the wording is confusing. People aren't sure whether they're voting for or against the subject matter. There's a lot of misinformation and confusion when it comes to ballot measures. The same thing could be said about candidates. Walker Wildmon: It's very important that we be fully knowledgeable about who the people are, who the parties are, and what direction they want to take the country. Walker Wildmon: Let's jump to Texas for a few minutes. In Texas, we have Ken Paxton and James Talarico running for the U.S. Senate seat. This is former incumbent John Cornyn's Senate seat in the state of Texas. There is technically one independent on the ballot in Texas, but the two leading contenders are Ken Paxton and James Talarico. Walker Wildmon: James Talarico is a state lawmaker who has been in the Texas House of Representatives. Ken Paxton, on the other hand, is the state attorney general and has been attorney general for several years. He is very well known in the state. These are your two candidates, your two parties, and your two directions for the state. Walker Wildmon: Texas has been a conservative and Republican stronghold for more than 20 years. It has been a very strong Republican and conservative state. Walker Wildmon: If you're the Democrats, you have to ask yourself in Texas, why pick James Talarico? More information is coming out, and James Talarico is a pretty far-left Democrat. When you actually listen to his statements and look at his votes on the record in the state house, James Talarico is just not a moderate. The facts don't bear that out. Walker Wildmon: I find it interesting that Democrat primary voters and the Democrat Party keep choosing candidates who are in no way moderate. I think it's actually working against them in the general election that they can't seem to find a middle-of-the-road candidate who can appeal to independents, Republicans, and Democrats. Walker Wildmon: Nonetheless, this is a montage giving you background on James Talarico's record over the last three to four years, including statements in the state house, statements during the campaign, and comments on podcasts and in churches. This is James Talarico's record over the last couple of years. Recorded voice: Do you know any undocumented immigrants? Recorded voice: No, I do not. Recorded voice: When I was a teacher on the west side of San Antonio, I taught a lot of students who were undocumented. I don't want to stereotype, but those students tended to be the most patriotic, the hardest-working students that I had in the classroom. Recorded voice: I haven't stated this enough to say this definitively, but there are interpretations of certain passages from the Torah where some folks will even say that there are some subtle instructions for how to perform an abortion in the ancient world, certain things to drink, things like that. Recorded voice: Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our trans community needs abortion care too. Recorded voice: Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol, and you better believe I'll be giving sermons on that too. Recorded voice: What I want all to be aware of is that modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six. Recorded voice: There is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary. Recorded voice: This idea that to be a Christian means you have to be anti-gay and anti-abortion, there really is no historical, theological, biblical basis for that opinion. Recorded voice: This idea that to be a Christian means you have to be anti-gay and anti-abortion, there really is no historical, theological, biblical basis for that opinion. Walker Wildmon: If you think about it from a Christian perspective, there you have it. We have to wrap that clip up. It's about two and a half minutes long, but in this clip James Talarico makes the case that Jesus and Mary supported abortion, that men can have abortions, that illegal aliens are more patriotic than Americans, and that God is nonbinary. Ultimately, in the clip, he says that he believes there are six genders. Walker Wildmon: This is James Talarico. One of the most offensive parts of the clip and his campaign is that he frequently quotes the Bible to defend his unbiblical views. Walker Wildmon: Welcome back to At the Core here on American Family Radio. I'm Walker Wildmon. We are going to continue discussing the upcoming midterm election. Tuesday, November 3, folks, you have to vote. Vote, vote, vote, and make sure your family and friends vote as well. We need to be engaged civically. Walker Wildmon: As Christians and believers, just as we covered last segment, the apostle Paul knew his rights. He was civically engaged, he knew how the government functioned, and he knew how to give a defense for his beliefs. We ought to take that lesson from Paul and apply it to current American life with the form of government we have, which is a blessing, by the way, to be able to choose our leaders. Walker Wildmon: That is a blessing that not all groups, countries, and people have had throughout human history. We ought to be thankful, and we ought to take advantage of every chance we get to choose our leaders. Walker Wildmon: Continuing to differentiate the two parties and inform you about what's at stake in this election, I found this clip of major Democrat candidates giving very far-left, liberal positions on the issues of the day. The reason I want to play this is because the narrative you get in the general election from the media and others is that conservatives and Republicans are misleading people and lying, and that Democrats aren't as liberal or extreme as they say they are. They're supposedly very moderate and middle of the road. Walker Wildmon: It's been interesting, whether you're talking about Talarico in Texas or Elissa Slotkin from Michigan. There's this last-ditch effort in October to act like these candidates are somehow middle of the road or moderate, like a Clinton, if you will. That's just not the case, folks. No matter how you try to act or reframe yourself, some of these candidates within the Democrat Party are as far left as they get. We can't forget that as we head into the ballot box on Tuesday. Walker Wildmon: To prove my point, this is a montage of major Democrat candidates espousing the positions of the Democratic Socialists of America. This is clip three. Let's listen. Recorded voice: Woke one was crazy. Recorded voice: The police really need to use guns. Do we need as much of a police force? Recorded voice: I'm proud to say that we have announced the opening of New York City's first-ever city-run grocery stores. Recorded voice: We do believe in taxes on millionaires. Recorded voice: Yeah, absolutely. Recorded voice: Well, what is taxes? Recorded voice: Again, I don't have a solid answer, but I think, shouldn't you? Recorded voice: So again, it's democracy, right? How would you feel if the government opened a big grocery store right next to your local grocery store? Recorded voice: One publicly owned grocery store that brings prices down in the neighborhood is enough to put someone out of business, then maybe they shouldn't have been in that business in the first place. Recorded voice: Abolish ICE and give amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally. Recorded voice: As a long-term plan, yep. Recorded voice: I don't understand. There's no sexualization at a drag show. It's just people dressing up and singing and performing. I've taken my children to drag shows, and it's fun. It's entertainment. It's wholesome entertainment. Recorded voice: Defund the Pentagon. Absolutely. Recorded voice: Abolish prisons, at least in large part. Recorded voice: Again, that is part of a long-term program. Recorded voice: So, no prisons? Recorded voice: Let's start with abolishing the Senate. The Senate is a very undemocratic institution. Recorded voice: Our goal is liberation. Our goal is communist. Walker Wildmon: Folks, that's just to name a couple of the individuals you heard there and to counteract this lie that those are just fringe people talking on behalf of the Democrats. That's not true. The first voice you heard was Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, running against Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. You also heard Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in that clip. You heard Mayor Mamdani from New York City. You also heard Florida State Representative Angie Nixon, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Walker Wildmon: These are not fringe voices on the left whose names nobody has heard. These are mainstream Democrat politicians espousing views about government-run grocery stores, making illegal immigration legal, creating a pathway to citizenship, and other things. Walker Wildmon: This is where we are. As I mentioned earlier in the program, you're choosing the direction of the country. That's what this is about. When you're voting for parties or candidates, you're not just voting for ideas. You're voting for the direction of the country. Walker Wildmon: The last clip I'll play of these candidates, and then I'll play a clip of what the left ultimately wants to do to your rights, has to do with President Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We have the race in Michigan, as I mentioned, and this is Elissa Slotkin in Michigan talking about how she wants to get rid of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Walker Wildmon: This is clip one. Let's listen. Recorded voice: I believe that we don't need ICE. In fact, we can go back to INS, back when we were a lot safer and more secure when it came to immigration. We need to make sure we have a clear pathway to citizenship so that people can come here and take opportunities that are legal for them. Walker Wildmon: That's Elissa Slotkin from Michigan talking about how she thinks we should get rid of ICE and put forth some other agency or form of government to address illegal immigration. That's a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan saying that we need to replace ICE and get rid of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Walker Wildmon: Ultimately, here's where I believe the Marxists want to take the country. When given the opportunity, I believe the Biden administration and Obama as well, whether you're looking at President Obama's administration and tenure or President Biden's administration and tenure, want to completely squash opposition. They want to completely squash the rights of people like you and me to vocally oppose their worldview. Walker Wildmon: Remember the mass levels of censorship after the 2020 election? We were all being deplatformed and canceled. Social media pages were disappearing. Internet service providers and web-hosting platforms were pulling conservatives offline. We personally had our own payment processor cut us off overnight. Walker Wildmon: Cancel culture was real, and that's where they want to take us back so they can completely silence our voices. If you don't believe me, listen to this montage of left-wing politicians talking about their ultimate goal to censor our speech. Recorded voice: His Twitter account should be suspended. The privilege of using those words in that way should probably be taken from him. Recorded voice: There's no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, especially around our democracy. Recorded voice: No right given to the people in the United States is absolute, and that includes the right to free speech. Recorded voice: We are simply trying to create factually correct information to prevent harm to people. Recorded voice: You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others for providing misinformation out there. Recorded voice: The First Amendment is not absolute. It does not protect any single thing anyone says. Recorded voice: What this committee has been trying to do for the last year and a half is to chill the federal government from monitoring what is going on on social media. Recorded voice: There are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda, and whether they should be civilly or, in some cases, criminally charged is something that would be a better deterrent. Recorded voice: It's a matter of corporate responsibility. Twitter should be held accountable and shut that site down. Recorded voice: It is a matter of safety and corporate accountability. I strongly believe that it is now a real vessel for evil that needs to come to an end. Recorded voice: The laws that Section 230 protects these big platforms from are very often laws that go back to the common law of England. Walker Wildmon: There you have it. That's a montage of the left talking about how they want to remove our right to disagree with them, essentially, and that no right is absolute. They say you ought not to be able to say certain things. Walker Wildmon: You have to be careful about allowing people like that into positions of power and authority who have no respect for the First Amendment, no respect for religious freedom, and who view our worldview, faith, and beliefs as abhorrent and something that ought not to be able to exist in public life. Walker Wildmon: This is where they want to take us. You have to be very careful about allowing people like this into positions of power and authority, where they have the ability to go after your right to dissent, disagree, and protest your government. Walker Wildmon: Looking at the latest rundown of these elections, the House of Representatives is going to be very hard for Republicans to keep. It's not impossible, but it is very challenging because going into this election, we're talking about a three-vote margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats are vying for more than two dozen of these seats and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the races. Walker Wildmon: It's going to be very difficult for Republicans to defend and keep the House of Representatives, although it might be noted that it is not impossible. A Democrat takeover of the House of Representatives would not surprise me. I'm not foreshadowing that. I'm just telling you, based on the numbers, that's where we are today. Walker Wildmon: Redistricting has played a part in somewhat fighting back against a Democrat takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives. Also, looking at the U.S. Senate map, the polling is pretty close in a lot of these battleground states. Walker Wildmon: The race in Maine between Collins and Jackson is within the margin of error. I'm looking at the RealClearPolitics polling average, by the way. In Texas, Paxton versus Talarico is within the margin of error. In Michigan, Rogers versus Slotkin is within the margin of error. Iowa is within the margin of error, as are Alaska, Ohio, and Minnesota. Walker Wildmon: The top seven Senate races, Maine, Texas, Michigan, Iowa, Alaska, Ohio, and Minnesota, are all within the margin of error. I played a clip last week about what the true margin of error is in midterm cycles going back to the late 1990s. That margin is about 3.75 points, nearly four points, where you've seen one candidate leading by three or four points and the other candidate actually wins. Walker Wildmon: Every election, according to the polling, is very close right now. All of these Senate races are very close. There are some instances where, for example, Susan Collins was projected to lose Maine by roughly eight points in the last election six years ago. She won Maine substantially, by six or eight points. That's a 15- or 16-point margin of error. That's embarrassing for the pollsters. Walker Wildmon: Some of these races, like Maine, I just don't think are going to be close. I think Susan Collins has Maine locked up. If you were to ask me what the top three races will be in terms of how close they are and the vote differential on the U.S. Senate side, I would say, at this point, just a couple of days out, that the closest Senate races are going to be Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. Walker Wildmon: I think Texas is going to be close. I still think Paxton will pull it off. I think Ohio and Michigan could go either way. Nonetheless, on the U.S. Senate map, I think Michigan, Ohio, and Texas will be the three closest races when it comes to the vote differential. Ultimately, we'll know, hopefully by the evening of November 3, when polls close and votes are counted. Nonetheless, you should vote, vote, vote. Walker Wildmon: Welcome to the final segment of today's episode. We've been talking about elections, how they have consequences, differentiating between the two parties and different worldviews, and playing clips of the candidates. Ultimately, folks, it's going to be up to you on November 3 to vote your values. Walker Wildmon: As I say frequently, disengagement and sitting at home is just not an option for the Christian. We're called to be engaged and civically engaged. When we get the opportunity to choose the direction of the country, we should not miss out on that opportunity. Walker Wildmon: I want to welcome to the program Heather Hefner. She's director of communications with AFA Action, our government affairs affiliate. Heather has been working with our team over at iVoterGuide as we head into Tuesday's election to put together tons of information. We've been trying to send out as much as we can to educate voters. Heather Hefner: Thanks, Walker. Happy to be here. Walker Wildmon: There are several things we could talk about, and we will talk about them. The first thing is that we partnered with George Barna, who's been a frequent guest of the program, to do some extensive research into voting habits. We had dozens of questions trying to figure out what's on people's minds as we head into the midterms. Walker Wildmon: One of the statistics had to do with the number of voters who start at the top of the ticket, for example, president and U.S. Senate, but the further they go down the ballot, the more likely they are not to choose someone on the ballot. We basically lose voters the farther they go down the ballot. They just leave it blank. Tell us a little bit about that research. Heather Hefner: The research showed us that 85 percent of likely voters can be counted on to vote. They're going to show up, take their ballot, and go into the voting booth. But they're going to vote in the top categories that they're familiar with and have seen on television. Heather Hefner: Once they start getting down the ballot to things like judges and school boards, things that actually affect their daily lives, they're not familiar enough with them. We found that more than half are not going all the way down their ballot. Heather Hefner: The reason is that they just don't have the information. It's not because they don't care or don't want to vote. They just don't feel familiar or knowledgeable enough to cast their vote. Walker Wildmon: All voters, if they're honest, have been in this situation before, especially in local elections. You go to vote and say to yourself, "I don't even know who this person is. I've never heard of them. Maybe my neighbor mentioned their name, but I can't vouch for their character or policy position. I'm better off just not voting." Walker Wildmon: I will say that blindly voting and skipping over the race is wrong as far as showing up to vote. But if you don't know anything about the individuals on the ballot, closing your eyes and circling someone obviously isn't wise either. The solution is to become knowledgeable about the candidates. Heather Hefner: That's right. This is why our voter guide is constantly trying to cover as many races as possible. Walker Wildmon: The conclusion we drew from this research, correct me if I'm wrong, is that if we can educate voters down ballot on the mayor, school board, or local judge, getting them to vote up ballot on the U.S. Senate would follow. If they had a trusted source that gave them this information and knew where to look, they would vote. Heather Hefner: That's a huge number, 64 percent. It would make a huge difference in our elections. Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. Folks, that's what we're doing over at iVoterGuide. We've had Debbie Walthall on the program, and we're going to keep pushing iVoterGuide.com through Tuesday's election. Go to iVoterGuide.com and key in your address. You'll get your personalized ballot. We're covering more than 10,000 races this cycle. Walker Wildmon: We may not go down to the granular level on your ballot, such as school board or city council. Chances are we probably don't, with the exception of a few areas of the country. But we cover all your U.S. Senate races, all your U.S. congressional races, and many statewide and state office races, including state representative and state senate. Walker Wildmon: Heather, another thing you've been working on is ballot measures. Unfortunately, over the past two to four years, the left has gained a lot of ground passing pro-abortion and pro-marijuana ballot measures in different states. Tell us about the resource we've put together for ballot measures. Heather Hefner: AFA Action has put together a free, state-by-state guide on the 58 measures across the 24 states that will have ballot measures on their ballots Tuesday. We put this together so all you have to do is go to AFAAction.net. There's a blue and red banner at the top, and you can see every measure that will be on the ballot in your state. Heather Hefner: Obviously, with 58 measures in 24 states, we can't cover all of them in this segment. I can highlight a few and explain where AFA Action cares and where we stand on them. Heather Hefner: Life is on the ballot this election cycle in four states: Virginia, Nevada, Idaho, and Missouri. In Virginia and Nevada, voters are being asked to write abortion rights into their state constitution. Once something is in the state constitution, it takes another statewide vote to remove it. Heather Hefner: In Nevada, this is actually the second vote that will finalize what voters approved in 2024 to add abortion to their constitution. If it passes again this year, it goes into effect. Walker Wildmon: The weaponization of the ballot measure process has unfortunately allowed the left to outmaneuver conservatives over the last couple of years. One thing that makes it difficult to fight against is the amount of money and misinformation. The left pours millions into advertising, and the way these ballot measures are written is sometimes confusing. Walker Wildmon: What we've done, and what Heather is referring to, is available over at AFAAction.net. I think you've got roughly 24 pages, one page per state. Heather Hefner: Twenty-four pages, one page per state. We debated whether to cover this by issue or by state. The simplest thing for you is by state. All you have to do is look at your state and your ballot measures. Heather Hefner: If you go to AFAAction.net, right there on the home page you can click the banner at the top to look at the ballot measure research. We've got a downloadable PDF. You can print off just your state or all 24 states. We're going to share this on social media as well. Heather Hefner: The helpful thing about this is that we gave you AFA Action's position. With candidates, we can endorse candidates, but we can't tell you who to vote for. We can educate you about ballot measures, and we have the full legal right to tell you our opinion on them. Heather Hefner: At AFAAction.net, for every one of these 24 states, we're telling you AFA Action's position. It will be neutral, yes, no, strong yes, or strong no. Walker Wildmon: So, folks, there's a lot on the ballot. There's more than Senate races and congressional races. You also have these ballot measures. We need to be educated on the ballot measures so that when we go to the ballot box, we don't give a blank stare at them. Walker Wildmon: Heather, one thing I've looked into over the last few years that a lot of voters don't know is that they can take information with them into the polling place. Some people think they can't do that, almost as if they're taking a test with a cheat sheet. But folks, you can take information into the polling place with you. Walker Wildmon: If you print off our resources, whether it's iVoterGuide or this PDF, you can take them with you. Correct me if I'm wrong, Heather, but both iVoterGuide's website and this PDF can be printed and taken with you. Heather Hefner: That's right. All you have to do is go to iVoterGuide.com, type in your address, and it will give you a personalized voter guide based on your ballot. You won't have any extras there. Everything you need to know will be right there in one resource. Heather Hefner: The same applies to the ballot measures. Go to AFAAction.net, click the banner, print off your state, and you have everything you need to go confidently and knowledgeably into the ballot box. Walker Wildmon: That's iVoterGuide.com. Once again, we're talking to Heather Hefner, director of communications with AFA Action. Most of you know this because you listen frequently to American Family Radio, but AFA Action is our government affairs affiliate. We're doing model legislation, judicial research, and elections. Walker Wildmon: We're covering who gets elected and how they get elected. We're covering judges, and we're working in state legislatures and Congress on pro-family legislation. Walker Wildmon: Heather, you were just with the iVoterGuide team in Dallas over the last couple of days. What's something that stands out to you about iVoterGuide and the quality of the work? There's a lot there, whether it's the evaluations, research, and so forth. What would you say is the most impressive part of iVoterGuide? Heather Hefner: I would say the amount of research. Everything iVoterGuide does is completely rooted in research. Each candidate profile you see when you go to iVoterGuide.com will show you questionnaire answers, voter records, endorsements, and donations behind the ratings. Heather Hefner: These ratings are done by real people. This is not an AI rating. This is not information being plugged into AI and allowing AI to tell us what to think about someone. These are real people who have been trained and vetted. These panelists rate each candidate, and then an oversight panel reviews every one of those ratings. Walker Wildmon: It is, and I've told people on the show numerous times that it's the best voter guide in the country. I've still never had anyone send me a voter guide that's even remotely close, which I find interesting considering how often I make that assertion. But I think it's because it's true. Walker Wildmon: You can find some local or state voter guides that are close, though not as good as iVoterGuide. But I totally underestimated that we're covering more than 15,000 candidates. Last cycle we covered more than 15,000 candidates, and this cycle, even though it's not a presidential year, we're still covering more than 10,000, closer to 13,000 candidates. Walker Wildmon: It's all free. This is an invaluable resource that doesn't require you to enter credit card information, sign up for a payment plan, or sign up for a monthly subscription. You can donate, and we greatly appreciate that, but you go to iVoterGuide.com, enter your voting address, and get your personalized ballot. Walker Wildmon: That's another thing that makes iVoterGuide unique. We're not giving you a list of 70 races in your state and asking you to highlight which ones are actually on your ballot. You enter your voting address, and we provide a printout and a web version of your personalized ballot. We're only going to show you races that are on your ballot. Walker Wildmon: As I mentioned earlier, we have a print option as well. I just entered my personalized ballot. The website is very speedy. It gets your information quickly, auto-fills your address, and provides information about when early voting begins. Walker Wildmon: At this point in the conversation, when early voting begins is not as relevant, but we provide when early voting begins and ends. In some states, early voting runs up to Election Day, correct? Heather Hefner: Yes. Some people can vote up until Election Day, even though it is referred to as the end of early voting. It's important to know when early voting ends. If you're using a mail-in ballot, you need to know when it has to be postmarked and whether that even matters in your state. Walker Wildmon: In some states, even though you requested an early voting ballot, you can take it with you on Election Day, correct? Heather Hefner: Correct. Walker Wildmon: Lastly, we provide when your polls are open on Election Day. On iVoterGuide.com, you can even find your polling location. Folks, iVoterGuide.com is a one-stop location for all information on elections. Walker Wildmon: As Heather and I talked about earlier, the ballot measure resource over at AFAAction.net is available for you to download. Go to AFAAction.net, right there on the home page at the top, and click on the ballot measure tab. You'll have a PDF. More than 20 states, 24 states, are having these ballot measures, and we've given you the topic being covered. Walker Wildmon: We're providing the name of the measure. For example, in Alabama there's a measure called Statewide Amendment 3. We're also providing a paragraph summarizing what the ballot measure is about, followed by AFA Action's position for you on November 3. Walker Wildmon: AFAAction.net has all the information on ballot measures, and iVoterGuide.com has all the information on candidates on your ballot. Heather Hefner has been with us, director of communications with AFA Action, the government affairs affiliate of the American Family Association. Heather, thanks for coming on. Heather Hefner: Thanks, Walker. Walker Wildmon: All right, there you have it, folks. We're providing all the resources, information, and tools for you to be an educated voter. The choice is yours when it comes to being educated and voting on Tuesday, November 3.
Walker Wildmon: Welcome to At the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us on this edition. My name is Walker Wildmon. The show is hosted each week by myself and Rick Green. We're happy to be with you each day to bring you news and commentary, all things from a biblical perspective and also from a constitutional perspective, given the context of this program here in the United States. We try to keep you abreast of all things civics, culture, and biblical truth here on American Family Radio. Walker Wildmon: Let's turn our attention to the Scripture of this week. We've been in Acts chapter 24, and I'm not going to read specific passages, but I'm going to give you an overview. In Acts chapter 24, Paul is under arrest, and he is able to give a defense for his actions, ultimately a defense for his faith, the teachings of Jesus, and the movement of the early church. Walker Wildmon: What I want to point out is that Paul is a very knowledgeable Roman citizen. He is very knowledgeable about his rights and how to give a defense, not just for his faith, which is important, but also for his rights under civil government. Walker Wildmon: This is important for us today and important for believers, whether you're in America or elsewhere. We ought to be knowledgeable about Scripture. We ought to be knowledgeable about the teachings of Jesus and our faith, and we ought to be able to give a theological defense for the faith that we have. That is clearly important. Walker Wildmon: We should also be able to give a defense for our rights as citizens, whichever country we reside in and whichever country we are citizens of. We should know the law, we should know our rights, and we should know how our rights align with Scripture, or in some instances, how our laws don't align with Scripture. Walker Wildmon: Paul is exhibit A in the New Testament of a believer, a leader, and an apostle knowing how to articulate himself legally among rulers, kings, judges, and governors. We should take note from the apostle Paul. We should know Scripture, our theological beliefs, the teachings of the Bible, and the fundamental tenets of the faith. We should also know our rights under civil government and be able to articulate those when the time and manner come. Walker Wildmon: The beautiful thing about living in America in 2026 is that the vast majority, if not all, of our rights under the Constitution and civil law are tethered to Scripture. Why? Because our Founding Fathers used the Bible and biblical truth to build the nation and our laws. That's something we benefit from, and it is a blessing here in America that much of our laws, constitutional amendments, and Bill of Rights are rooted in biblical truth. Walker Wildmon: That's Acts chapter 24, Paul giving a defense for his faith and for his rights as a Roman citizen. Let's move into today's topic. Obviously, we have a midterm election coming up next week, November 3. Tuesday. Vote, vote, vote. Use iVoterGuide.com. We're going to talk about more of this as the show goes on, and we're going to have Heather Hefner, director of communications with AFA Action, on in the last segment to talk about some of the ballot measures going on in more than two dozen states around the country that will be on the ballot Tuesday as well. Walker Wildmon: Before we do that, I want to continue to differentiate between the two parties, the two worldviews, and the two candidates in some of these states so that people know what we're voting on. There's a lot of rhetoric and a lot of narratives out there. At the end of the day, when you go to vote on Tuesday, you're voting for the direction of the country. Walker Wildmon: Sometimes you feel like you're voting for the person, and obviously you are to a degree. But in addition to that, you're voting for the direction of the country. I've been on various shows and doing these interviews over the last few weeks talking about the midterms, and I want people to not just get so caught up in these individual candidates. Walker Wildmon: The way the American form of government and American politics are set up, we obviously are a multiparty system, primarily a two-party system with some exceptions. Each party has a direction for the country. In large part, these elected officials and politicians are going to follow and carry the mantle of whatever party they are running with. Walker Wildmon: Yes, we're voting for the individual. We're also voting for the party, which ultimately is a vote for the direction that you want the country to go. It's important that we differentiate these parties and worldviews so that voters know what's going on. Walker Wildmon: One of my biggest frustrations is not necessarily that people aren't engaged or that they're not voting. It's that they're not fully knowledgeable about what they're voting for or what they're voting against. There's a lot of deception out there, especially on ballot amendments where the wording is confusing. People aren't sure whether they're voting for or against the subject matter. There's a lot of misinformation and confusion when it comes to ballot measures. The same thing could be said about candidates. Walker Wildmon: It's very important that we be fully knowledgeable about who the people are, who the parties are, and what direction they want to take the country. Walker Wildmon: Let's jump to Texas for a few minutes. In Texas, we have Ken Paxton and James Talarico running for the U.S. Senate seat. This is former incumbent John Cornyn's Senate seat in the state of Texas. There is technically one independent on the ballot in Texas, but the two leading contenders are Ken Paxton and James Talarico. Walker Wildmon: James Talarico is a state lawmaker who has been in the Texas House of Representatives. Ken Paxton, on the other hand, is the state attorney general and has been attorney general for several years. He is very well known in the state. These are your two candidates, your two parties, and your two directions for the state. Walker Wildmon: Texas has been a conservative and Republican stronghold for more than 20 years. It has been a very strong Republican and conservative state. Walker Wildmon: If you're the Democrats, you have to ask yourself in Texas, why pick James Talarico? More information is coming out, and James Talarico is a pretty far-left Democrat. When you actually listen to his statements and look at his votes on the record in the state house, James Talarico is just not a moderate. The facts don't bear that out. Walker Wildmon: I find it interesting that Democrat primary voters and the Democrat Party keep choosing candidates who are in no way moderate. I think it's actually working against them in the general election that they can't seem to find a middle-of-the-road candidate who can appeal to independents, Republicans, and Democrats. Walker Wildmon: Nonetheless, this is a montage giving you background on James Talarico's record over the last three to four years, including statements in the state house, statements during the campaign, and comments on podcasts and in churches. This is James Talarico's record over the last couple of years. Recorded voice: Do you know any undocumented immigrants? Recorded voice: No, I do not. Recorded voice: When I was a teacher on the west side of San Antonio, I taught a lot of students who were undocumented. I don't want to stereotype, but those students tended to be the most patriotic, the hardest-working students that I had in the classroom. Recorded voice: I haven't stated this enough to say this definitively, but there are interpretations of certain passages from the Torah where some folks will even say that there are some subtle instructions for how to perform an abortion in the ancient world, certain things to drink, things like that. Recorded voice: Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our trans community needs abortion care too. Recorded voice: Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol, and you better believe I'll be giving sermons on that too. Recorded voice: What I want all to be aware of is that modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six. Recorded voice: There is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary. Recorded voice: This idea that to be a Christian means you have to be anti-gay and anti-abortion, there really is no historical, theological, biblical basis for that opinion. Recorded voice: This idea that to be a Christian means you have to be anti-gay and anti-abortion, there really is no historical, theological, biblical basis for that opinion. Walker Wildmon: If you think about it from a Christian perspective, there you have it. We have to wrap that clip up. It's about two and a half minutes long, but in this clip James Talarico makes the case that Jesus and Mary supported abortion, that men can have abortions, that illegal aliens are more patriotic than Americans, and that God is nonbinary. Ultimately, in the clip, he says that he believes there are six genders. Walker Wildmon: This is James Talarico. One of the most offensive parts of the clip and his campaign is that he frequently quotes the Bible to defend his unbiblical views. Walker Wildmon: Welcome back to At the Core here on American Family Radio. I'm Walker Wildmon. We are going to continue discussing the upcoming midterm election. Tuesday, November 3, folks, you have to vote. Vote, vote, vote, and make sure your family and friends vote as well. We need to be engaged civically. Walker Wildmon: As Christians and believers, just as we covered last segment, the apostle Paul knew his rights. He was civically engaged, he knew how the government functioned, and he knew how to give a defense for his beliefs. We ought to take that lesson from Paul and apply it to current American life with the form of government we have, which is a blessing, by the way, to be able to choose our leaders. Walker Wildmon: That is a blessing that not all groups, countries, and people have had throughout human history. We ought to be thankful, and we ought to take advantage of every chance we get to choose our leaders. Walker Wildmon: Continuing to differentiate the two parties and inform you about what's at stake in this election, I found this clip of major Democrat candidates giving very far-left, liberal positions on the issues of the day. The reason I want to play this is because the narrative you get in the general election from the media and others is that conservatives and Republicans are misleading people and lying, and that Democrats aren't as liberal or extreme as they say they are. They're supposedly very moderate and middle of the road. Walker Wildmon: It's been interesting, whether you're talking about Talarico in Texas or Elissa Slotkin from Michigan. There's this last-ditch effort in October to act like these candidates are somehow middle of the road or moderate, like a Clinton, if you will. That's just not the case, folks. No matter how you try to act or reframe yourself, some of these candidates within the Democrat Party are as far left as they get. We can't forget that as we head into the ballot box on Tuesday. Walker Wildmon: To prove my point, this is a montage of major Democrat candidates espousing the positions of the Democratic Socialists of America. This is clip three. Let's listen. Recorded voice: Woke one was crazy. Recorded voice: The police really need to use guns. Do we need as much of a police force? Recorded voice: I'm proud to say that we have announced the opening of New York City's first-ever city-run grocery stores. Recorded voice: We do believe in taxes on millionaires. Recorded voice: Yeah, absolutely. Recorded voice: Well, what is taxes? Recorded voice: Again, I don't have a solid answer, but I think, shouldn't you? Recorded voice: So again, it's democracy, right? How would you feel if the government opened a big grocery store right next to your local grocery store? Recorded voice: One publicly owned grocery store that brings prices down in the neighborhood is enough to put someone out of business, then maybe they shouldn't have been in that business in the first place. Recorded voice: Abolish ICE and give amnesty to anyone currently in the U.S. illegally. Recorded voice: As a long-term plan, yep. Recorded voice: I don't understand. There's no sexualization at a drag show. It's just people dressing up and singing and performing. I've taken my children to drag shows, and it's fun. It's entertainment. It's wholesome entertainment. Recorded voice: Defund the Pentagon. Absolutely. Recorded voice: Abolish prisons, at least in large part. Recorded voice: Again, that is part of a long-term program. Recorded voice: So, no prisons? Recorded voice: Let's start with abolishing the Senate. The Senate is a very undemocratic institution. Recorded voice: Our goal is liberation. Our goal is communist. Walker Wildmon: Folks, that's just to name a couple of the individuals you heard there and to counteract this lie that those are just fringe people talking on behalf of the Democrats. That's not true. The first voice you heard was Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, running against Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. You also heard Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in that clip. You heard Mayor Mamdani from New York City. You also heard Florida State Representative Angie Nixon, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Walker Wildmon: These are not fringe voices on the left whose names nobody has heard. These are mainstream Democrat politicians espousing views about government-run grocery stores, making illegal immigration legal, creating a pathway to citizenship, and other things. Walker Wildmon: This is where we are. As I mentioned earlier in the program, you're choosing the direction of the country. That's what this is about. When you're voting for parties or candidates, you're not just voting for ideas. You're voting for the direction of the country. Walker Wildmon: The last clip I'll play of these candidates, and then I'll play a clip of what the left ultimately wants to do to your rights, has to do with President Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We have the race in Michigan, as I mentioned, and this is Elissa Slotkin in Michigan talking about how she wants to get rid of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Walker Wildmon: This is clip one. Let's listen. Recorded voice: I believe that we don't need ICE. In fact, we can go back to INS, back when we were a lot safer and more secure when it came to immigration. We need to make sure we have a clear pathway to citizenship so that people can come here and take opportunities that are legal for them. Walker Wildmon: That's Elissa Slotkin from Michigan talking about how she thinks we should get rid of ICE and put forth some other agency or form of government to address illegal immigration. That's a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan saying that we need to replace ICE and get rid of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Walker Wildmon: Ultimately, here's where I believe the Marxists want to take the country. When given the opportunity, I believe the Biden administration and Obama as well, whether you're looking at President Obama's administration and tenure or President Biden's administration and tenure, want to completely squash opposition. They want to completely squash the rights of people like you and me to vocally oppose their worldview. Walker Wildmon: Remember the mass levels of censorship after the 2020 election? We were all being deplatformed and canceled. Social media pages were disappearing. Internet service providers and web-hosting platforms were pulling conservatives offline. We personally had our own payment processor cut us off overnight. Walker Wildmon: Cancel culture was real, and that's where they want to take us back so they can completely silence our voices. If you don't believe me, listen to this montage of left-wing politicians talking about their ultimate goal to censor our speech. Recorded voice: His Twitter account should be suspended. The privilege of using those words in that way should probably be taken from him. Recorded voice: There's no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, especially around our democracy. Recorded voice: No right given to the people in the United States is absolute, and that includes the right to free speech. Recorded voice: We are simply trying to create factually correct information to prevent harm to people. Recorded voice: You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others for providing misinformation out there. Recorded voice: The First Amendment is not absolute. It does not protect any single thing anyone says. Recorded voice: What this committee has been trying to do for the last year and a half is to chill the federal government from monitoring what is going on on social media. Recorded voice: There are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda, and whether they should be civilly or, in some cases, criminally charged is something that would be a better deterrent. Recorded voice: It's a matter of corporate responsibility. Twitter should be held accountable and shut that site down. Recorded voice: It is a matter of safety and corporate accountability. I strongly believe that it is now a real vessel for evil that needs to come to an end. Recorded voice: The laws that Section 230 protects these big platforms from are very often laws that go back to the common law of England. Walker Wildmon: There you have it. That's a montage of the left talking about how they want to remove our right to disagree with them, essentially, and that no right is absolute. They say you ought not to be able to say certain things. Walker Wildmon: You have to be careful about allowing people like that into positions of power and authority who have no respect for the First Amendment, no respect for religious freedom, and who view our worldview, faith, and beliefs as abhorrent and something that ought not to be able to exist in public life. Walker Wildmon: This is where they want to take us. You have to be very careful about allowing people like this into positions of power and authority, where they have the ability to go after your right to dissent, disagree, and protest your government. Walker Wildmon: Looking at the latest rundown of these elections, the House of Representatives is going to be very hard for Republicans to keep. It's not impossible, but it is very challenging because going into this election, we're talking about a three-vote margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats are vying for more than two dozen of these seats and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the races. Walker Wildmon: It's going to be very difficult for Republicans to defend and keep the House of Representatives, although it might be noted that it is not impossible. A Democrat takeover of the House of Representatives would not surprise me. I'm not foreshadowing that. I'm just telling you, based on the numbers, that's where we are today. Walker Wildmon: Redistricting has played a part in somewhat fighting back against a Democrat takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives. Also, looking at the U.S. Senate map, the polling is pretty close in a lot of these battleground states. Walker Wildmon: The race in Maine between Collins and Jackson is within the margin of error. I'm looking at the RealClearPolitics polling average, by the way. In Texas, Paxton versus Talarico is within the margin of error. In Michigan, Rogers versus Slotkin is within the margin of error. Iowa is within the margin of error, as are Alaska, Ohio, and Minnesota. Walker Wildmon: The top seven Senate races, Maine, Texas, Michigan, Iowa, Alaska, Ohio, and Minnesota, are all within the margin of error. I played a clip last week about what the true margin of error is in midterm cycles going back to the late 1990s. That margin is about 3.75 points, nearly four points, where you've seen one candidate leading by three or four points and the other candidate actually wins. Walker Wildmon: Every election, according to the polling, is very close right now. All of these Senate races are very close. There are some instances where, for example, Susan Collins was projected to lose Maine by roughly eight points in the last election six years ago. She won Maine substantially, by six or eight points. That's a 15- or 16-point margin of error. That's embarrassing for the pollsters. Walker Wildmon: Some of these races, like Maine, I just don't think are going to be close. I think Susan Collins has Maine locked up. If you were to ask me what the top three races will be in terms of how close they are and the vote differential on the U.S. Senate side, I would say, at this point, just a couple of days out, that the closest Senate races are going to be Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. Walker Wildmon: I think Texas is going to be close. I still think Paxton will pull it off. I think Ohio and Michigan could go either way. Nonetheless, on the U.S. Senate map, I think Michigan, Ohio, and Texas will be the three closest races when it comes to the vote differential. Ultimately, we'll know, hopefully by the evening of November 3, when polls close and votes are counted. Nonetheless, you should vote, vote, vote. Walker Wildmon: Welcome to the final segment of today's episode. We've been talking about elections, how they have consequences, differentiating between the two parties and different worldviews, and playing clips of the candidates. Ultimately, folks, it's going to be up to you on November 3 to vote your values. Walker Wildmon: As I say frequently, disengagement and sitting at home is just not an option for the Christian. We're called to be engaged and civically engaged. When we get the opportunity to choose the direction of the country, we should not miss out on that opportunity. Walker Wildmon: I want to welcome to the program Heather Hefner. She's director of communications with AFA Action, our government affairs affiliate. Heather has been working with our team over at iVoterGuide as we head into Tuesday's election to put together tons of information. We've been trying to send out as much as we can to educate voters. Heather Hefner: Thanks, Walker. Happy to be here. Walker Wildmon: There are several things we could talk about, and we will talk about them. The first thing is that we partnered with George Barna, who's been a frequent guest of the program, to do some extensive research into voting habits. We had dozens of questions trying to figure out what's on people's minds as we head into the midterms. Walker Wildmon: One of the statistics had to do with the number of voters who start at the top of the ticket, for example, president and U.S. Senate, but the further they go down the ballot, the more likely they are not to choose someone on the ballot. We basically lose voters the farther they go down the ballot. They just leave it blank. Tell us a little bit about that research. Heather Hefner: The research showed us that 85 percent of likely voters can be counted on to vote. They're going to show up, take their ballot, and go into the voting booth. But they're going to vote in the top categories that they're familiar with and have seen on television. Heather Hefner: Once they start getting down the ballot to things like judges and school boards, things that actually affect their daily lives, they're not familiar enough with them. We found that more than half are not going all the way down their ballot. Heather Hefner: The reason is that they just don't have the information. It's not because they don't care or don't want to vote. They just don't feel familiar or knowledgeable enough to cast their vote. Walker Wildmon: All voters, if they're honest, have been in this situation before, especially in local elections. You go to vote and say to yourself, "I don't even know who this person is. I've never heard of them. Maybe my neighbor mentioned their name, but I can't vouch for their character or policy position. I'm better off just not voting." Walker Wildmon: I will say that blindly voting and skipping over the race is wrong as far as showing up to vote. But if you don't know anything about the individuals on the ballot, closing your eyes and circling someone obviously isn't wise either. The solution is to become knowledgeable about the candidates. Heather Hefner: That's right. This is why our voter guide is constantly trying to cover as many races as possible. Walker Wildmon: The conclusion we drew from this research, correct me if I'm wrong, is that if we can educate voters down ballot on the mayor, school board, or local judge, getting them to vote up ballot on the U.S. Senate would follow. If they had a trusted source that gave them this information and knew where to look, they would vote. Heather Hefner: That's a huge number, 64 percent. It would make a huge difference in our elections. Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. Folks, that's what we're doing over at iVoterGuide. We've had Debbie Walthall on the program, and we're going to keep pushing iVoterGuide.com through Tuesday's election. Go to iVoterGuide.com and key in your address. You'll get your personalized ballot. We're covering more than 10,000 races this cycle. Walker Wildmon: We may not go down to the granular level on your ballot, such as school board or city council. Chances are we probably don't, with the exception of a few areas of the country. But we cover all your U.S. Senate races, all your U.S. congressional races, and many statewide and state office races, including state representative and state senate. Walker Wildmon: Heather, another thing you've been working on is ballot measures. Unfortunately, over the past two to four years, the left has gained a lot of ground passing pro-abortion and pro-marijuana ballot measures in different states. Tell us about the resource we've put together for ballot measures. Heather Hefner: AFA Action has put together a free, state-by-state guide on the 58 measures across the 24 states that will have ballot measures on their ballots Tuesday. We put this together so all you have to do is go to AFAAction.net. There's a blue and red banner at the top, and you can see every measure that will be on the ballot in your state. Heather Hefner: Obviously, with 58 measures in 24 states, we can't cover all of them in this segment. I can highlight a few and explain where AFA Action cares and where we stand on them. Heather Hefner: Life is on the ballot this election cycle in four states: Virginia, Nevada, Idaho, and Missouri. In Virginia and Nevada, voters are being asked to write abortion rights into their state constitution. Once something is in the state constitution, it takes another statewide vote to remove it. Heather Hefner: In Nevada, this is actually the second vote that will finalize what voters approved in 2024 to add abortion to their constitution. If it passes again this year, it goes into effect. Walker Wildmon: The weaponization of the ballot measure process has unfortunately allowed the left to outmaneuver conservatives over the last couple of years. One thing that makes it difficult to fight against is the amount of money and misinformation. The left pours millions into advertising, and the way these ballot measures are written is sometimes confusing. Walker Wildmon: What we've done, and what Heather is referring to, is available over at AFAAction.net. I think you've got roughly 24 pages, one page per state. Heather Hefner: Twenty-four pages, one page per state. We debated whether to cover this by issue or by state. The simplest thing for you is by state. All you have to do is look at your state and your ballot measures. Heather Hefner: If you go to AFAAction.net, right there on the home page you can click the banner at the top to look at the ballot measure research. We've got a downloadable PDF. You can print off just your state or all 24 states. We're going to share this on social media as well. Heather Hefner: The helpful thing about this is that we gave you AFA Action's position. With candidates, we can endorse candidates, but we can't tell you who to vote for. We can educate you about ballot measures, and we have the full legal right to tell you our opinion on them. Heather Hefner: At AFAAction.net, for every one of these 24 states, we're telling you AFA Action's position. It will be neutral, yes, no, strong yes, or strong no. Walker Wildmon: So, folks, there's a lot on the ballot. There's more than Senate races and congressional races. You also have these ballot measures. We need to be educated on the ballot measures so that when we go to the ballot box, we don't give a blank stare at them. Walker Wildmon: Heather, one thing I've looked into over the last few years that a lot of voters don't know is that they can take information with them into the polling place. Some people think they can't do that, almost as if they're taking a test with a cheat sheet. But folks, you can take information into the polling place with you. Walker Wildmon: If you print off our resources, whether it's iVoterGuide or this PDF, you can take them with you. Correct me if I'm wrong, Heather, but both iVoterGuide's website and this PDF can be printed and taken with you. Heather Hefner: That's right. All you have to do is go to iVoterGuide.com, type in your address, and it will give you a personalized voter guide based on your ballot. You won't have any extras there. Everything you need to know will be right there in one resource. Heather Hefner: The same applies to the ballot measures. Go to AFAAction.net, click the banner, print off your state, and you have everything you need to go confidently and knowledgeably into the ballot box. Walker Wildmon: That's iVoterGuide.com. Once again, we're talking to Heather Hefner, director of communications with AFA Action. Most of you know this because you listen frequently to American Family Radio, but AFA Action is our government affairs affiliate. We're doing model legislation, judicial research, and elections. Walker Wildmon: We're covering who gets elected and how they get elected. We're covering judges, and we're working in state legislatures and Congress on pro-family legislation. Walker Wildmon: Heather, you were just with the iVoterGuide team in Dallas over the last couple of days. What's something that stands out to you about iVoterGuide and the quality of the work? There's a lot there, whether it's the evaluations, research, and so forth. What would you say is the most impressive part of iVoterGuide? Heather Hefner: I would say the amount of research. Everything iVoterGuide does is completely rooted in research. Each candidate profile you see when you go to iVoterGuide.com will show you questionnaire answers, voter records, endorsements, and donations behind the ratings. Heather Hefner: These ratings are done by real people. This is not an AI rating. This is not information being plugged into AI and allowing AI to tell us what to think about someone. These are real people who have been trained and vetted. These panelists rate each candidate, and then an oversight panel reviews every one of those ratings. Walker Wildmon: It is, and I've told people on the show numerous times that it's the best voter guide in the country. I've still never had anyone send me a voter guide that's even remotely close, which I find interesting considering how often I make that assertion. But I think it's because it's true. Walker Wildmon: You can find some local or state voter guides that are close, though not as good as iVoterGuide. But I totally underestimated that we're covering more than 15,000 candidates. Last cycle we covered more than 15,000 candidates, and this cycle, even though it's not a presidential year, we're still covering more than 10,000, closer to 13,000 candidates. Walker Wildmon: It's all free. This is an invaluable resource that doesn't require you to enter credit card information, sign up for a payment plan, or sign up for a monthly subscription. You can donate, and we greatly appreciate that, but you go to iVoterGuide.com, enter your voting address, and get your personalized ballot. Walker Wildmon: That's another thing that makes iVoterGuide unique. We're not giving you a list of 70 races in your state and asking you to highlight which ones are actually on your ballot. You enter your voting address, and we provide a printout and a web version of your personalized ballot. We're only going to show you races that are on your ballot. Walker Wildmon: As I mentioned earlier, we have a print option as well. I just entered my personalized ballot. The website is very speedy. It gets your information quickly, auto-fills your address, and provides information about when early voting begins. Walker Wildmon: At this point in the conversation, when early voting begins is not as relevant, but we provide when early voting begins and ends. In some states, early voting runs up to Election Day, correct? Heather Hefner: Yes. Some people can vote up until Election Day, even though it is referred to as the end of early voting. It's important to know when early voting ends. If you're using a mail-in ballot, you need to know when it has to be postmarked and whether that even matters in your state. Walker Wildmon: In some states, even though you requested an early voting ballot, you can take it with you on Election Day, correct? Heather Hefner: Correct. Walker Wildmon: Lastly, we provide when your polls are open on Election Day. On iVoterGuide.com, you can even find your polling location. Folks, iVoterGuide.com is a one-stop location for all information on elections. Walker Wildmon: As Heather and I talked about earlier, the ballot measure resource over at AFAAction.net is available for you to download. Go to AFAAction.net, right there on the home page at the top, and click on the ballot measure tab. You'll have a PDF. More than 20 states, 24 states, are having these ballot measures, and we've given you the topic being covered. Walker Wildmon: We're providing the name of the measure. For example, in Alabama there's a measure called Statewide Amendment 3. We're also providing a paragraph summarizing what the ballot measure is about, followed by AFA Action's position for you on November 3. Walker Wildmon: AFAAction.net has all the information on ballot measures, and iVoterGuide.com has all the information on candidates on your ballot. Heather Hefner has been with us, director of communications with AFA Action, the government affairs affiliate of the American Family Association. Heather, thanks for coming on. Heather Hefner: Thanks, Walker. Walker Wildmon: All right, there you have it, folks. We're providing all the resources, information, and tools for you to be an educated voter. The choice is yours when it comes to being educated and voting on Tuesday, November 3.
Walker Wildmon examines the connection between Christian citizenship and constitutional rights through Acts 24, then discusses how voters should evaluate candidates, party platforms, and the direction of the country in the 2026 midterm election. He reviews contested Senate races, including Texas, and plays clips involving abortion, gender ideology, immigration, government control, and free speech.
Heather Hefner, Director of Communications with AFA Action, explains why many voters leave down-ballot races and ballot measures blank. She discusses research showing that more than half of voters do not complete their ballots, along with resources covering 58 measures across 24 states. Hefner also outlines how iVoterGuide provides personalized candidate information and how AFA Action’s state-by-state guide helps voters understand measures involving abortion and other major issues.
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