Feb. 17, 12pm - VIRTUAL EVENT: Network NOVA Power Lunch
From Network NOVA:
Primaries are a lot more important than most people realize! One of the consequences of Virginia’s new redistricting is that many of the hottest races will be fought out during the primary. We are now entering a season of primary election battles. Some of these battles will be between two or three elected officials now finding themselves in the same district or a newly formed district with a large slate of impassioned candidates. Having hotly contested primaries has become a blood sport turning off voters and eroding their faith in the process. It makes one wonder how and why primaries have gotten so messy.
This week on the Friday Power Lunch (2/17/2022) we are going to explore how we ended up with the primary system we have, what are the roots that make it so toxic, and what can be done about it.
Dr. Joe Romance, co-author of the new book, Primary Elections and American Politics, will take us on a journey through time to learn how our current primary process came to be and its unintended consequences.
Next, we will explore an alternative approach to candidate selection. Liz White (Executive Director, UpVoteVA) and Jerome Legions (President, Richmond Crusade for Voters) will explain what Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) could mean for Virginia politics and how RCV benefits candidates and voters of color.
Last week some of the ugliest and cruelest bills proposed by the Republican party were debated on the House floor. Attacking the LGBTQ community was front and center in the Republican playbook. Narissa Rahaman (Executive Director of Equality Virginia) will unpack these bills, explain where they are in the process, and what we can do to protect and support our LGBTQ community.
Join us on Friday for a conversation on the consequences of hate and negativity driving politics and the desperate need for a return to civility.
