COVA Coalition held its May Monthly Meeting on Thursday at Yorgo’s Bageldashery in Norfolk. Carrie Short, one of COVA’s co-founders, kicked off the meeting with a discussion of the redistricting constitutional amendment, which Virginia voters approved in a rare April 21 referendum authorizing mid-decade congressional redistricting. However, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the referendum in a 4-3 vote. Lynn Tiedge, an attorney and a member of the COVA Leadership Team, provided a synopsis of the issue and answered questions. One path forward was an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but SCOTUS rejected it late Friday. This ended any remaining effort to revive the state’s redistricting referendum. The group assembled decided it was time to stop looking back and start looking ahead to our next fight.
Although the redistricting effort has ended, Virginia can still deliver some representatives who will stand up to Trump. One of the Congressional Districts the Dems will target heavily is our very own 2nd District, (not) represented by Republican Jen Kiggans. Defeating her is one of COVA’s priorities, and it was noted that, in many ways, COVA Coalition is better equipped to organize in our own communities than parties or campaigns.
“We’re angrier now,” stated Carrie. She was referring not only to redistricting but also to the U.S. Supreme Court’s significant weakening of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and to what southern states are now doing to disenfranchise voters. A lot of folks do seem angry today, but as Carrie pointed out, we thought voters were angry enough in 2024 to defeat Trump. We are all painfully aware of how that turned out. There was some good discussion on the topic, especially on what will generate turnout. Our work is cut out for us.
COVA has thousands of members, but most are not very active. They might show up at a protest rally or write postcards, but they do not attend meetings or participate in other activities, such as Street Teams or Community Circles. The challenge is how to better engage these members. Leadership training and civic education were mentioned as possible solutions. COVA Coalition will sponsor a weekend training in grassroots organizing on July 17, and COVA is helping sponsor Delegate Jackie Hope Glass’ Summer School for Certified Doers, scheduled for Aug. 8. This might also be a great opportunity for young members. The event provides information on how all levels of government really work and guides participants in writing and advocating for legislation on issues they care about. Watch for more info on both events.
Additional calls to action included Getting Out the Vote, Coalition Building with younger groups and activists in communities of color, Community Circles, and Talking to Friends and Neighbors. We also need to focus on the three constitutional amendments to drive progressives to the polls.
Carrie then gave members an opportunity to discuss upcoming events, including Citizens for Responsible Lighting (CRL), which is urging Norfolk residents to attend one of the city’s public open houses to review LED lighting options. Aaron of South Hampton Roads Indivisible mentioned their upcoming Know Your Rights Immigration Training (check out COVA Coalition’s weekly enews or the Action Connection page of our website for details).
Carrie wrapped up the evening with reports from COVA’s Leadership Team. Bill Johnson-Miles, the lead for the COVA Events calendar, told attendees they can find links to the calendar on the COVA website, along with instructions for submitting events and activities. Catherine Fletcher talked about the Comms Committee, and Pete Woodhead discussed Rallies and Protests. Alison Carlsmith provided the rundown on postcards. Her team is currently working on postcards for former governor Roy Cooper, who is running for a flippable U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.