Forward from Virginia: Citizen Involvement As a Key Change Agent for Election Integrity

This interview is part of EIN’s “After and Before" Series. After 2020 and 2022, and Before 2024: Who's Counting With Cleta Mitchell Podcasts discussing state-by-state experiences in 2022 from the Election Integrity Network’s citizen leaders: The bad…but also the good – and the positive difference an election integrity infrastructure made and is making in state after state.

Just after election 2022, Cleta Mitchell sat down with Lynn Taylor, president of the Virginia Institute for Public Policy and chair of the Virginia Fair Elections Coalition (vafairelections.org) to identify the proven impact election integrity coalitions have had in the Commonwealth.

Lynn provides specific examples of the positive effect the local task forces and the state coalition have demonstrated against the backdrop of Virginia's weak election laws.

The goal of the Election Integrity movement according to Lynn Taylor? “Election integrity is not about a particular race, or a political party or political outcome, but striving toward free, fair and transparent elections that provide ALL voters with confidence in results”.

What started out as a small cadre of concerned citizens in 2021 who knew "something is just not right" with their voting procedures has grown into a robust statewide coalition of active and well-trained election integrity advocates and poll observers. A key role is to understand election procedure law, make sure it is followed, and in some cases, even assist election officials to better understand statutory rules.

Virginia's election integrity advocates who came into the coalition in 2021 remain a vital part of the effort, with more patriot heroes being added every week – and determined to stay and to build the network for future elections. THEY are the ones who continue to make it stronger. They are determined to continue to work to change the bad election system in Virginia until integrity is baked into the election code permanently.

At Election Integrity Network, we tell everyone: only YOU can help save America’s election process.

Be encouraged – and be engaged!