ACTBLUE + WINRED = HIDDEN GREEN

Given the ongoing discussions surrounding voter fraud, campaign finance abuses, and so-called “grassroots” donations, I decided to do my small part and undertook an analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) data specific to my zip code. My goal was to identify any irregularities or patterns of concern. With a strong background in data analysis and Excel, and aided by a six-pack of Heineken for motivation, I approached the task systematically and objectively with no idea what I might find.

While the concept of centralized organizations coordinating political donations may seem positive in theory, in practice there is a troubling lack of transparency. These private entities are often shielded from meaningful oversight through strategic corporate filings and jurisdictional choices, making it exceedingly difficult to trace the flow of money. These structures are, in my opinion, intentionally designed to avoid scrutiny. Although I have previously advocated for meaningful Campaign Finance Reform, the focus of this report is specifically my analysis of FEC donation records for my zip code 76205.

• I obtained a dataset containing all recorded donations made within zip code 76205 for the years 2020 through 2024. The dataset consisted of 34,947 individual records1.

• Using Microsoft Excel pivot charts, I analyzed the dataset to determine:

  • To whom the contributions were made

  • Who the contributors were

  • What addresses were associated with the donations

• The purpose was to identify any data points or patterns that appeared unusual or merited further investigation.

The primary anomaly identified concerns my neighbor, a donor named Richard L. Simms2. Mr. Simms, an 82-year-old retired college professor3, appears to have contributed more funds — and made more individual donations — than half of the other donors in the zip code combined.

Specifically, the data indicates that Mr. Simms made 2,461 donations totaling $51,601 in the year 2023 alone, with similarly high levels of activity recorded in other years (hint 2022). Given the volume and small value of these transactions, Mr. Simms needs to be contacted directly to verify the authenticity of these donations, but my wife thinks that is a bad idea for me the amateur sleuth. I have found no other neighbors that know him to go ask. My local newspaper was also of no help as always.

A more detailed analysis focused solely on Mr. Simms is included in the accompanying materials.

Results: From 1/1/2020 – 8/1/2024 34,947 individual donations from 1,541 donors are recorded on the FEC website as having originated from 76205.

The top 20 contributors were:

The top 20 recipients were:

One major anomaly quickly observed is in a donor named Richard L Simms of 2249 Stonegate Drive listed as not employed.

A listing of who he gave too in 2024 also seems suspect as many of these are out of state or obscure.

And in 2023:

And mostly importantly in 2022:

The year 2022 stands out dramatically in the analysis of Mr. Simms' donation history. Records show that he made 4,216 donations in 2022 alone, amounting to a total of $105,828. This equates to an average of 11.5 donations per day, including weekends and holidays — an extraordinary rate of activity for any individual donor.

By comparison, in 2021, Mr. Simms made only 161 donations, totaling $8,914. The abrupt and massive increase from 2021 to 2022 raises serious concerns. Given Mr. Simms’ background as a retired college professor, it seems highly unlikely he could have afforded — either financially or practically — to make donations at this scale.

Based on the data, it appears improbable that Mr. Simms personally executed these thousands of contributions. This discrepancy leads to questions regarding who actually made these donations and by what mechanism they were submitted under his name.

Accordingly, the complete findings have been forwarded to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for further investigation. It is strongly recommended that authorities address not only this particular case but also pursue broader reforms, including the adoption of the Simple Campaign Finance Reform measures I have proposed.

I encourage everyone to audit their little world4. The problem is too big for any one person but if we all took on a piece of the solution it would not take long for real change.

Deus benedicat, falli possum.

OTHER SOURCES AND INFORMATION:

• https://publicintegrity.org/politics/how-actblue-is-trying-to-turn-small-donations-into-a-blue-wave/

• https://nevadanewsandviews.com/actblue-really-feeling-blue-as-its-foreign-donations-are-investigated/

• http://actblue.com/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActBlue