Shawn Griffiths
Veterans for Political Innovation (VPI) is giving the military community a platform to demand better elections and a better political process in the US. The group kicked off the new year with a video, explaining the purpose of VPI and why we need to change how we elect public officials in the US.
"We're tired of these false 'heroic' promises that lead nowhere, so that is why we are in the fight to change the system," says Navy veteran and VPI Founder Eric Bronner.
GET MORE: "Veterans Are Joining the Fight for a Better Democracy," an interview with VPI Founder Eric Bronner
Like millions of Americans, veterans experience the myriad of problems in the US electoral process every election cycle. About half of the military community identifies politically as independent, and yet in several states their ability to have a full and meaningful say in elections is restricted or denied completely as a result of closed primaries.
We have a system that intentionally divides voters, including veterans, into two parties so that the political machine can continue to serve the private interests of these parties. As a result, there is zero competition, zero accountability, and zero trust. VPI wants to break the cycle.
The group has lent their support to nonpartisan reform efforts like Final Five Voting in Wisconsin, Nevada, and elsewhere. Final Five Voting is a combination of a nonpartisan top-five primary -- in which all voters and candidates participate on a single ballot and the top five vote-getters advance -- and ranked choice voting in the general election.
VPI has also joined other nonpartisan reformers in growing coalitions like the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers.
"This is not about left, it's not about right, it's not about center; it's about the type of country, the type of America we want," says Army veteran and VPI Board Chair Yinka Faleti.
If we as a country want to honor the men and women who served in the military, shouldn't we give them a political process that honors them as well? Check out the full video above.