Friends, These past two weeks have been BIG. Our leaders across the U.S. have been on the frontlines of reform here at VPI. Whether taking an overzealous Attorney General in Idaho to task for trying to kill a citizen effort to open elections, fighting back in Ohio from the state legislature attempt to make it harder for citizens to pass a ballot initiative, or defending against a meritless lawsuit from the Democratic Party in Washington, DC to stop a ballot initiative to give choices to voters, we are where the action is. In each of these instances three things hold true: 1) We're winning... 2) It's the politicians, whether Republicans or Democrats, fighting to keep power for themselves and keep people out 3) VPI volunteers are on the front lines of these fights We just got back from the National Conference of State Legislatures in Indianapolis where more people are waking up everyday to the idea that if you want to fix politics, you have to allow independent voters into the process, eliminate partisan primaries as we understand them, and give voters real choices. Check out some of the news round-ups from around the country and what our extraordinary volunteers are doing. If you want to support this urgent mission, consider volunteering, donating, or forwarding this newsletter to a couple people in your network. With you, Todd, Eric, and the Team
News from our VPI States
Idaho AG Raúl Labrador ordered to rewrite titles of ranked-choice voting ballot initiative - Idaho Statesman
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador must rewrite the titles to a ballot initiative that would overhaul primary elections in the state, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
AG Labrador and initiative groups wage war of words - Boise State Public Radio News
The legal descriptions of a proposed ballot initiative to open up Idaho’s primary elections are now in the hands of the state supreme court in a literal battle of words. Last month, Idahoans for Open Primaries and Reclaim Idaho, the organizers behind the initiative, sued Attorney General Raúl Labrador over his assigned descriptions.
Open primary coalition asks court to disqualify Raúl Labrador from any action involving ballot initiative, says bias plays a role - Youtube Video
D.C. Democratic Party Sues To Keep Ranked Choice Voting And Open Primaries Off The Ballot - dcist.com
The D.C. Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit aiming to keep a ranked choice voting and open primaries from getting onto the city’s ballot for next year, saying that both changes to how D.C. runs its elections would run afoul of the city’s charter and the U.S. Constitution.
A D.C. Democratic Party lawsuit is decidedly undemocratic - The Washington Post
The D.C. Democratic Party filed a lawsuit last week aimed at killing a ballot initiative that would improve elections in the District, opening city primaries to independents and implementing ranked-choice voting. The party’s legal maneuvering would deny D.C. residents a say over how elections are administered to defend a status quo in which local government is less representative — and therefore less responsive to the majority — than it could be. The legal case is meritless. The D.C. Board of Elections determined on July 21 that the initiative, called the Make All Votes Count Act, is “proper subject matter” for a ballot referendum next year and that, if passed, the statute would be legal.
Toxic partisanship will end our political parties - The Nevada Independent
Destructive and toxic partisanship is nothing new in American politics. What should be worrying, however, is just how unrepresentative of the broader public our electeds have become as a result.
When Democratic candidates were bragging about their willingness to “reach across the aisle” in the 2020 presidential primary, there was no shortage of partisan operatives, pundits and analysts who lamented the prospect of team blue taking part in anything that looked like a “post-partisan” compromise. And, of course, it doesn’t take much to see the nearly cultish obsession within the GOP to “own the libs” rather than extend an olive branch to moderate or left-leaning voters.
Event Photo Re-cap of the 2023 NCSL Legislative Summit and our Indiana state leader, Rodger Pinto speaking to the crowd at Democracy and Drinks Happy Hour Event.
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