August 16, 2022
Organization aims to elevate the voices of Virginia voters through making elections stronger and more equitable, including its first flagship issue: Ranked Choice Voting
RICHMOND, VA – Today, a newly-formed nonpartisan democracy reform collective called UpVote Virginia officially launched at an event featuring founding Executive Director Liz White, a bipartisan lineup of elected officials, and a panel of nationally-renowned experts on electoral law.
UpVote Virginia is dedicated to ensuring that Virginia leads the way in improving the structure of our electoral system to better reflect the will of voters, thus providing for a more representative, inclusive, open, and transparent government. The organization aims to build on Virginia’s recent momentum on voting rights by elevating the voices of all Virginia voters through nonpartisan education, advocacy, and grassroots engagement.
“In Virginia, voters are standing up and affecting change by focusing on foundational, nonpartisan solutions that can improve our democracy,” said founding Executive Director Liz White in a launch video. “Now it’s time to build on this momentum and set the stage for years to come.” See Liz White’s full remarks here.
Newly-installed Board President Kathy Utgoff added, “UpVote Virginia’s focus will always be on voters, not politics. Although we are a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, our operation will be nonpartisan. We recognize that hyperpartisan influences have often gotten in the way of progress when it comes to preserving the health of our democratic systems and the fairness of our representation.”
In the organization’s previous iteration as OneVirginia2021, thousands of grassroots volunteers successfully campaigned to end single-party control of redistricting, establishing what many nonpartisan experts agree are “some of the fairest district maps in the country.”
“With the launch of UpVote Virginia, we hope to start a new conversation about democracy reform in Virginia. Not only do we have a new name, but we have new leadership, and a new slate of issues that aim to modernize our electoral system while also making our government more transparent and accessible,” said White.
These issues include expanding voter access, campaign finance/ethics reform, fully independent redistricting, and UpVote Virginia’s first flagship issue: Ranked Choice Voting.
Also known as “instant runoff voting,” Ranked Choice Voting has been gaining momentum in localities and states across America, including right here in Virginia. This is a simple way to ensure that our voting process is more representative of the electorate while also incentivizing candidates who build consensus. Read more about Ranked Choice Voting here.
At today’s launch event, both Governor George Allen and Congressman Don Beyer spoke about their shared support of Ranked Choice Voting.
In his prepared remarks, Governor Allen noted that the law allowing localities to adopt a Ranked Choice Voting pilot program (HB1103), “was supported by the most conservative Republicans, moderates, and the most liberal Democrats. And that’s because this doesn’t benefit one party over another. It benefits the voters; the people of Virginia [because] their will is better reflected.” See Governor Allen’s full remarks here.
Congressman Beyer said, “George Allen and I aren’t always at the same events, but Ranked Choice Voting brings people together, no matter their political leanings. This is an issue that puts the will of the voters front and center.” He added, “I’ve been a strong supporter of democracy reform for a long time, [because] we know how tenuous and fragile American democracy can be.” See Congressman Beyer’s full remarks here.
The virtual launch event also featured a panel discussion with two national experts on democracy reform: Danielle Allen of Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics and Kathay Feng of Common Cause. See their entire conversation here.
In the coming weeks, Executive Director Liz White will be traveling around Virginia to hold grassroots volunteer recruitment events.
Additional information about UpVote Virginia’s launch, platform, leadership changes, and how to get involved can be found at UpVoteVA.org.
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UpVote Virginia is a registered 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the voices of Virginia voters through nonpartisan education, advocacy, and grassroots engagement. As a democracy reform collective, UpVote Virginia will focus on multiple issues related to making our elections stronger and more equitable, including its first flagship issue: Ranked Choice Voting. Learn more at UpVoteVA.org.