Friends and Supporters,
With just over 4 weeks until Election Day, Veterans for All Voters and our reform partners in states across the U.S. are on the air with our message: voters deserve access to the elections they pay for, real choices at the ballot box, and elected officials that put public interest ahead of party interest.
Take a look and let us know your thoughts. Keep scrolling for all the events coming up both virtually and in person. It's go time!
-VAV HQ
Alaska Updates
Veterans for Alaska Voters Happy Hour @ King Street Brewing Company on Sept. 12
Our Founder, Todd Connor traveled to Alaska to get to know fellow Alaska veterans, talk politics and election reform, and hear personal experiences of what brought each of them to the event.
Arizona Updates
In a recent interview with a France TV Washington team, Ray Kimball—an Army Veteran and Veterans for Arizona Voters State Leader—discussed his perspective on the upcoming election as an Independent voter.
Colorado Updates
Our Founder, Eric Bronner, alongside Colorado State Volunteer, Greg Moore, Volunteer Engagement Director & Colorado Task Force Leader, Tony Haas, and State volunteer, Lisa Feret attended a campaign dinner in Denver hosted by Kent Thiry (far right) and the team working to pass Prop 131, which creates top-4 open primaries and ranked voting general elections. It was a great evening of camaraderie and collaboration!
More than 100 organizations, current and former elected officials, and voters from across Colorado announced their support on Sept. 17 for Proposition 131, the Open Primary initiative that will be on the November General Election ballot.
"The men and women of our armed services signed an oath to protect and defend our Constitution — not political parties. Military service is non-partisan, and the same can be true of our elections. In November, we will send the message that elections belong to voters — not political parties," said Tony Haas of Veterans for All Voters
Idaho Updates
Veterans for Idaho Voters Member and Air Force Veteran, Randy Worrall, shares a testimonial on why he supports Proposition 1 on the November Ballot
"After service in the military, many veterans choose not to affiliate with a political party. They vote as an independent. Supporting the candidate they view as most capable and likely to do the best job while in office - serving the community, as the veteran did for our nation."
Montana Updates
Veterans for Montana Voters, Billings Chamber of Commerce, and Montana Alliance for Retired Americans Endorse CI-126 and CI-127 in a recent virtual Town Hall
Three organizations across the state representing over 100,000 Montanans announced their joint endorsements of CI-126 and CI-127, two citizen initiatives that give voters better choices, more voice, and greater accountability in Montana elections.
“Veterans for Montana Voters represents tens of thousands of Montanans who served to protect our nation and our values,” said Veterans for Montana Voters (VMV) state volunteer David Oclander. “We sacrificed and risked our lives overseas for democracy and our American values. Now, we are standing up to defend democracy here at home. We are proud to endorse these initiatives that will unlock competition in our elections, make our politics less polarizing, and ensure our government is more effective, furthering our journey to be a ‘more perfect Union’."
Former President of the Montana Senate, Republican Jim Peterson, has written an op-ed in support of open primaries initiative Yes on 126 citing his experiences as a Legislator: “Party bosses started demanding loyalty to the party, not to the people of Montana. It meant leaders were punished for taking hard votes, with threats of “getting primaried” stronger than the will to do the right thing.
Nevada Updates
Nevada denies independent voters the right to vote in our closed primary elections. That means the 1 million registered voters who are neither Republican or Democrat, many of them military veterans and first responders, are being denied an equal voice in elections their tax dollars pay for.Question 3 will open our primaries to give all registered voters the right to vote in every election, regardless of political party registration.
Our Nevada State Leader and Military Veteran, Mike Escobar was filmed for Yes on Question 3 to open the primaries and hold elected leaders accountable to Nevada's residents - not party bosses and special interests. Additionally, he filmed a video for Spanish-language speaking individuals.
New York Updates
Independent Voters of America
holds 9/11 event in NYC
In their personal capacity, Veterans for All Voters Founder and Board President, Yinka Faleti, attended the Independent Veterans of America (IVA) Celebration of Service event in New York City on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.
At the event, we heard from three inspiring Independent Veteran candidates: Tyrell Hicks, Shelane Etchison, and Dan Osborn.
IVA is a new initiative to support Independent Veteran candidates, led by our friend, Army Veteran Paul Reickhoff
Oregon Updates
RCV will be on Nov. ballot in Oregon
If Measure 117 passes, it would allow Oregon voters to rank candidates by preference for federal and state office elections. Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is already in place in Benton County, Multnomah County, and Portland.
Other updates and re-caps
VAV Vermont State Leader Rick Hubbard, walking across America for democracy, makes stop in Madison, WI
Hubbard said he wants the country's political system to be more fair and representative of people's views, regardless of political ideology. He said that right now, elected officials of nearly all levels do not have public interest in mind and are too focused on getting re-elected. That's why he is walking across the country, making stops to share his message
Ballot initiatives to open primaries to all voters have qualified for November's election in Nevada, South Dakota, Idaho, and the District of Columbia. A Maricopa County judge ruled on [August 16] that Arizona's version qualified for the ballot. Supporters of open primaries are waiting for final determinations in Colorado and Montana, too.
Ranked-choice voting has brought Alaskans together. In past general elections, we had to choose between two extreme candidates, each advanced by a party’s base in the primaries. With ranked choice, the political parties can no longer shove their more partisan candidates down our throats.
"The political class doesn’t like that, because it shifts power from them to the voters
Starting Sunday, Rank MI Vote will host 40 town halls in 40 days in cities in metro Detroit, as well as Grand Rapids, Flint, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette and Traverse City. Rank MI Vote is a nonprofit modeled after Voters Not Politician, the group that successfully led statewide ballot initiatives introducing Michigan’s independent redistricting commission in 2018 and backed expanded voting rights in 2022.
Todd sat down with Bradley Tusk, philanthropist, venture capitalist, political strategist, and recent author of "Vote With Your Phone" which you can purchase here.
In this conversation, Bradley shares his political insights, based on his experience as Deputy Governor of Illinois and campaign manager for NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, emphasizing that it is the incentives, rather than the politicians themselves, that ultimately drive elected officials' behavior
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