Welcome to the home of the Virginia Institute for Public Policy on virginiainstitute.org!

Welcome to the home of the Virginia Institute for Public Policy on virginiainstitute.org!

Archives June 2024

Celebrating Fatherhood: The Virginian Roots of Father’s Day and Its Enduring Legacy

Our beloved state of Virginia is known for its rich history of individuals and events that have helped shape our great Nation. But did you know that the origin of Father’s Day is also attributed to a Virginian?

According to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, “Kate Richardson Swineford of Drewry’s Bluff wanted to honor her father, Edward, in a special way. Even before the close of World War I, she began an effort to bring particular recognition to fathers, which led to her formation of the National Fathers’ Day Association in 1921.” Kate also wanted to establish a special day of recognition for Fathers. Gaining local support for her vision, and backed by Virginia governors Westmoreland Davis and E. Lee Trinkle, in 1933 she successfully obtained the trademark status for Fathers’ Day from the United States Patent Office.

In a world that is diminishing the importance of fatherhood, we, like Kate, must continue to honor and celebrate fathers, paternal bonds, and the impact fathers have on society. From our nation’s great heroes to a family’s guide and protector, a father’s influence is immeasurable.

One of our great Virginian Founding Fathers, also known as the “Father of the Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson wrote: “The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.”

Will Rogers, Jr., American politician, writer, and newspaper publisher, commented on fatherhood, “His heritage to his children wasn’t words or possessions, but an unspoken treasure, the treasure of his example as a man and father.”

As we at the Virginia Institute strive to uphold the principles of virtue, integrity and liberty this Nation was founded upon, we reflect with gratitude the “treasured examples” that have come before.

Governor’s Office Announces Key Policy Shifts and Upcoming Legislative Session on Veterans’ Education Benefits

The Governor’s office has been very busy over the last month. Two important announcements from his office include the exciting departure from Virginia’s ties to California’s electric vehicle mandate as well as the announcement of bolstered efforts to maintain an accurate and current registered voter list through information being funneled to the Department of Elections from other state agencies. Click HERE to see a list of recent press releases from the Governor’s office and to subscribe to related email updates.

Additionally, within the last couple weeks, it has been announced that the General Assembly is returning to Richmond to reconsider changes to a program that waives tuition costs for some children of veterans to receive higher education at Virginia public universities. The General Assembly will meet on June 28th to vote on this issue.

Legislative Update: 14 June 2024

In May, a new budget was passed to fund state operations for the next two years. After going through rounds of suggested language, the General Assembly’s proposed budget was still called a “backwards budget,” meaning multiple aspects would be harmful steps backward for the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, in at least one case so far, that has proved true. The General Assembly leadership insisted a ban on presidential election audits be included in the budget, creating budget item 77 F.1:

“Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections C and D of § 24.2-671.2., Code of Virginia, a risk-limiting audit of a presidential election or an election for the nomination of candidates for the office of President shall not be conducted.”

We cannot overemphasize how poor and deeply concerning a decision it was to add this prohibition to the budget. Audits exist to ensure fair elections, regardless of the background—personal, political, or otherwise— of the candidates in question. Prohibiting an audit is a serious affront to the American government system founded on checks and balances to serve the people.

With presidential audits off the table, the next best thing is conducting a statewide audit of the Virginia Senate race. Thankfully, state officials intend to do just that. However, in order for it to be an effective audit, including hand counting some ballots to verify machine counts, both the Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections must choose a specific auditing method called the Batch Comparison Risk Limiting Audit.

The other, more common, method is called a Ballot Polling Risk Limiting Audit. This method includes pulling a “statistically significant” number of ballots (insert eye roll), assuming any needles in the haystack are included, and making a determination about the integrity of the election based on a review of just those ballots.

Please make your voice heard by both the State Board of Elections and the Department of Elections by telling them you support the more robust Batch Comparison Risk Limiting Audit for the statewide audit of the Senate race.

Staff Spotlight: Melody Clarke, Deputy Director, EIN

Melody Himel Clarke joined the Institute in 2023 and is the Election Integrity Network’s deputy director for the eastern states.

She also serves as the director of government affairs at Virginia Institute Action where she is essential in coordinating advocacy efforts such as in-person testimony, media campaigns, and maintaining robust relations with grassroots supporters and the media.

Even before joining the Institute, Melody was known as a leader throughout Virginia for her work on public policy, advocacy, coalition building, and activist training. Melody is a lifelong entrepreneur and small business owner with over four decades of management and team-building experience. She is Christian, married, and for fun enjoys equestrian activities, recreational shooting, and is learning to bird hunt with her Wirehaired Vizslas.

Tuesday Morning Group: June 2024

We had another outstanding Tuesday Morning Group meeting!

Del. Hyland “Buddy” Fowler Jr. from the 59th District gave us an update from an insider’s point of view on the (lack of) negotiation and take it or leave it attitude of his counterparts from across the aisle in the General Assembly. This has been a challenging time in the state legislature.

He was followed by Skip Estes, the Senior Policy Advisor from the Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin who joined us  to address Governor Youngkin’s policy priorities as we reach the halfway mark of the year.

We were excited to hear from David Grembi and Mike Lawson from City Elders. This group is a movement of church, business, and civic leaders who declare the kingdom of God and exercise their authority to establish righteousness in every city across America. They are making great strides in Virginia!

Ned Jones, Director, CERC gave an Election Integrity Network update and finally Lindsey Zea, Deputy Director of Policy, Virginia Institute for Public Policy closed us out! Be sure to mark your calendar for our next TMG on July 9, 2024!