Something's Got These Guys Sweating (And It's Not Cyclospora)

[littlemissmartypants]

Friday, July 17, 2026 Weekly Memo

The Weekly Memo is an email from Progress NC Action featuring messaging, talking points, and links of interest for the week ahead.

Something’s Got These Guys Sweating (And It’s Not Cyclospora)

President Trump and North Carolina Auditor Dave Boliek seem to have something in common these days– they’re both VERY worried about November.

These elected officials are officially terrified of elections, so they’re doing everything they can to tilt the scales in their favor.

At the national level, Trump is still stuck on losing the 2020 election. He gave a primetime address on Thursday where he peddled the same lies that he’s been pushing for years now– refusing that he has ever lost an election or could ever lose an election– all in the name of his SAVE America Act, a piece of legislation that could make it harder for tens of millions of Americans to vote.

That number isn’t an exaggeration. The SAVE America Act would require all Americans to present proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote or while updating their registration. REAL IDs, driver’s licenses, and military IDs don’t count– just passports and birth certificates.

146 million Americans don’t have a passport. And if this bill were to pass between now and November, those Americans wouldn’t have much time to jump through the necessary hoops to get one on time for the election.

And do you know where your birth certificate is? Even if you do– it may not be enough. If your legal name doesn’t match your birth certificate, it can’t be used to prove your citizenship. This provision would be especially harmful to the 69 million married women who took on their partner’s last name.

Interestingly, Republicans are less likely to possess a passport, and conservative-leaning women are twice as likely to have changed their last name. Trump doesn’t care– he is so scared of losing in November that he wants to obstruct the ballot box from all Americans, left, right, and center.

He wants these voting obstacles so bad that he held up an affordable housing bill to try and get the SAVE America Act passed. The bill ultimately became law without his signature, but the message was clear– he cares more about voter suppression than lowering costs.

We’re seeing something similar at the state level. State Auditor Dave Boliek– whose main job is to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely– has been busy pressuring county election boards to change their voting plans to align with GOP priorities. Removing voting sites and adding them, shortening hours or eliminating days entirely– Boliek and his staff are pushing anything that could tilt the scales and give them an edge in November.

Boliek also supports a bill that would give him power to “audit” the elections of any county he wants, to challenge the ballots of any and all voters that he wants– a big red flag for a state party that already tried to overturn the results of the 2024 Supreme Court race by tossing over 60,000 North Carolinians’ legally cast ballots.

Trump and Boliek have been so hell-bent on keeping folks away from the ballot box that you’ve gotta ask– what’s got these guys sweating?

The answer is you– they are scared of you, your voice, your vote, your power.

If MAGA Republicans had a good record– if they were improving our lives, lowering our costs, making us safer, and strengthening our communities– they wouldn’t be so scared of folks turning out to vote.

But they don’t have a good record. They fear being held accountable for policies that have stripped people of health insurance, raised the cost of gas and groceries, defunded public schools, and flooded the streets with violent, untrained federal agents.

But no matter what they toss our way– the bad bills and proposed restrictions, the changes to voting hours and voting sites– North Carolinians are going to show up and do our job of holding our leaders accountable.

And that work starts today. It’s likely that policies in the SAVE America Act will continue to be debated in Congress in the coming weeks. You can contact Senator Tillis at [phone], and Senator Budd at [phone]. Encourage them to oppose Trump’s attacks on our elections and to protect the right to vote for millions of Americans. The fight is long from over, and you can truly make a difference in it.

In Case You Missed It

WRAL: NC attorney general challenges Duke Energy Progress rate hike
By: Liz McLaughlin (July 15, 2026)

WCNC: Charlotte immigrant community voice concerns after reported ICE activity
By: Alexandra Rios-Malviya (July 15, 2026)

WUNC: ‘Anything can stop working’: NC is funding a fraction of its $10 billion school infrastructure backlog
By: Colin Campbell (July 16, 2026)

WRAL: 'We're supporting a lie': NC elections board votes to throw out ballots more easily
By: Will Doran (July 16, 2026)

WRAL: Democrats on NC Elections Board call for investigation into recently resigned staffer
By: Will Doran (July 16, 2026)

Matt Schlosser, Progress NC Action

https://progressncaction.org/2026/07/somethings-got-these-guys-sweating-and-its-not-cyclospora/

Stay encouraged.
❤️pants