ABOUT THE

New Electoral Reform Alliance for Virginia

New Era for VA is a coalition of over one hundred Virginians who support common sense reforms aimed at making our electoral system work better. Most of our members are lawyers who have assisted voters directly in past elections, and know first-hand the problems voters have encountered.

New Era for VA was formed following the 2004 election in response to problems we encountered surrounding that election. Although the election ran smoothly in Virginia for the most part, our lawyers documented a host of difficulties voters encountered in casting their votes. These included:

· Confusion as to whether or not an individual is qualified, under the current “excuse” requirement, to vote absentee;

· Voters who thought they were properly registered being told at the polls that their names did not appear in the pollbooks;

· Voting machine breakdowns and long lines;

· Concern about whether election machines that lack a paper trail are properly recording voters’ choices.

New Era for VA believes that problems such as these can be solved relatively easily through common sense changes to our election laws. Since 2004, the Virginia Legislature has made some important improvements that have directly helped voters, but the core problems outlined above remain. For this reason, New Era for VA will continue to develop and advocate for reforms that will ensure that all citizens of Virginia can exercise their right to vote with confidence in the security and integrity of our electoral system.

New ERA for VA Leadership team

Carrie Nixon, Chair and Co-Founder

Michael Signer, Vice-Chair and Co-Founder

Ivy Main, Policy Director

Carol Doran Klein, Political Director

Martina Leinz, Communications Director

Sharon Henderson, Outreach Director

Nancy Wallin, Operations Director

Sharon Glover, Richmond Regional Director

Nancy Hughes, Southwest VA Regional Director

Chris Day, Research Chair

Wai Ping Chan, Cultural Outreach Chair

Larry Stein, Alliances Chair

Sean Kumar, Membership Chair