Election Integrity: The Virginia Model

When we began the Virginia Fair Elections (VFE) coalition in 2021, we had no idea if it would be successful or not. What we
did know was that Virginians were distrustful of the election process in Virginia. We knew that it was not remotely relevant
whether people’s worries were grounded in truth or not. The fact of the matter was that approximately half of Virginia voters – Democrats, Republicans, and
Independents – did not believe in the integrity and transparency of our election processes.

After the first summit hosted by VFE members in the Spring of 2021, we began to see local groups working in various Election Integrity areas but with
little to no coordination. When we spoke to groups, they said they were the only ones doing anything. They had no idea that other organizations were
working on the same issues in different locations, or on other aspects of Election Integrity. Even a few small coalitions were cropping up focused on
“brainstorming organizing and planning” with none working in concert to advance the broader issue. In short, we had dozens of musicians show up to the
gig but with no one conducting.

We put the VFE coalition together with one goal in mind – bring transparency to Virginia’s elections and bring back trust in our electoral processes. We knew
when we launched the coalition that it would be occasionally chaotic, very messy, never perfect, and we would need to execute strategies in the midst of
formulating plans because the timeframe was very short, and we would quickly be in the 45-day election season of September 17th through November 2nd.

The coalition rallied and we were able to train more than 4,500 poll watchers and election officials who were deployed and covered over 85% of the nearly
14,000 shifts necessary to have full parity in registrars’ offices and polling places. Did this make a difference in Virginia? I think that goes without saying.
We are honored to be representing the thousands of volunteers who worked long hours to bring transparency to Virginia’s elections. The VFE coalition
continues growing to this day because we have much that still needs to be done in our quest to solidify an Election Integrity infrastructure that can stand the test of time.

We hope you join us – whether you are a Virginian, or not.

VIPP Election Integrity: The Virginia Model

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