Virtual Discussions Series
Open Primaries Upcoming National Virtual Discussion
America’s Veterans Fight to Remake American Democracy
Tuesday November 9th at 2pm EDT/1pm CDT
Hosted by
Featuring
We’re so excited to be joined by The Institute for Political Innovation as a co-sponsor of our upcoming discussion.
Veterans share a deep belief in the common good--in country over party. They enlist not to serve a Republican America or a Democratic America, but a United States of America. Veterans are more likely to be politically independent than the general population--nearly half (49%) of all vets do not identify with a major party and a disproportionately high percentage of them are locked out of voting in closed primary states.
With their experience working in diverse teams that pursue common goals under great stress, America’s veterans are often distanced from the partisan hostilities in Washington and around the country. Many of them have worked abroad to implement voting reforms, only to find a political crisis at home when they return.
Enter Veterans for Political Innovation (VPI), a new organization launched with the vision to make our system less toxic and more competitive by mobilizing veterans and supporters to advocate for election innovations.
“Like most Americans, I’m distraught at the current state of affairs. This polarization is neither normal, nor cyclical, and we have to take a systems-level view at how to fix it. The primary election has become the primary problem in American politics.”
- Todd Connor, CEO
Please join us November 9th at 2pm EDT (just before Veterans Day!) for our next Open Primaries Virtual Discussion introducing Veterans for Political Innovation. We’ll be joined by Todd Connor & Eric Bronner, who along with Dan Biga founded VPI and Board Member Yinka Faleti, as OP President John Opdycke and IPI Executive Director Solomon Lieberman engage in a spirited discussion on how America’s veterans can help lead a democracy revival.
Participant Bios:
Eric Bronner:
Founder & COO of Veterans for Political Innovation. Eric graduated with Honors from the United States Naval Academy in 1997. After college, he served on Active Duty for eight years as a Naval Flight Officer, Mission Commander, and Navy ROTC Recruiter and Instructor. Eric and his family moved to St. Louis in 2005, where he graduated cum laude from Washington University School of Law in 2009. After some time practicing law, and over seven years as a full-time real estate broker-agent, he’s pursuing his calling and deep passion - systematic political reforms--a champion for any political innovation that fosters a more competitive, better functioning democratic Republic.
Todd Conner:
Co-Founder and CEO of Veterans for Political Innovation, author of Third Shift Entrepreneur. He founded Bunker Labs (www.BunkerLabs.org) to help military veterans and their spouses start and grow their own businesses, and facilitate professional growth experiences through The Collective Academy.
Yinka Faleti:
VFI Board member. He is a Nigerian-American politician and United States Army veteran who was the Democratic candidate for Missouri Secretary of State in the 2020 election. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and with a Juris Doctor from the Washington University School of Law.
He has previously worked as the executive director of the nonprofit Forward Through Ferguson, the senior vice president of United Way of Greater St. Louis, a state prosecutor at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, and a litigation attorney at international law firm Bryan Cave.