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Idaho's Open Primary and Ranked Choice Voting Initiative Panel Discussion

Idaho's Open Primary and Ranked Choice Voting Initiative Panel Discussion In-Person

On November 5, Idahoans will vote on whether to establish open primaries and ranked choice voting (RCV) for future general elections, including congressional, gubernatorial, and state and county elected offices. What are open primaries and RCV? What are the benefits and drawbacks of these systems, and how would they alter Idaho politics and elections?

Join us for a conversation with panelists Todd Achilles, co-founder of Veterans for Idaho Voters, Trent Clark, former chair of the Idaho Republican Party, and McKay Cunningham, Graduate Professor & Director of Graduate Initiatives at The College of Idaho to discuss and debate these questions. The panel will be moderated by Latonia Haney Keith, Dean of Graduate Studies & Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at The College of Idaho.

Click here to watch online.

Date:
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Time:
5:30pm - 6:30pm
Time Zone:
Mountain Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
Campus:
The Community Library
Audience:
  Adults  
Categories:
  Lectures & Conversations  
Registration has closed.

Latonia Haney Keith currently serves on the executive leadership team of The College of Idaho as Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, overseeing the High Impact Practices Division, the Office of Institutional Equity & Compliance and the Marketing & Communication Division. Haney Keith joined The College from Concordia University School of Law where she served most recently as Interim Dean and Associate Dean of Academics. Prior to that, she spent nearly seven years running a world-wide pro bono practice at a large law firm based in Chicago. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she clerked for the Honorable Judith Ann Wilson Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In March 2023, Haney Keith was confirmed by Mayor Lauren McLean as a Boise City Councilmember, representing District 3 through the remainder of the 2023 calendar year. In March 2020, she was confirmed by City Council as a Commissioner of the Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), the redevelopment and urban renewal agency for Boise, Idaho, and currently serves as its Chair. Haney Keith also regularly conducts trainings on recognizing and reducing implicit biases and has published scholarship on the topic of bias, discrimination and harassment in the legal profession. Additionally, she enjoys engaging in research and dialogue centered on constitutional law, housing and homelessness and a variety of public policy issues.

McKay Cunningham is currently the Director of Graduate Initiatives and a Graduate Professor at the College of Idaho. Previously, he was a tenured law professor, teaching for 13 years at several law schools, including Concordia Law School and the University of Idaho. Professor Cunningham taught courses related to property law and constitutional law, during which time he published 12 law review articles, one book, and several shorter publications. Professor Cunningham often discusses constitutional law issues on NPR and PBS, drafts opinion pieces for local newspapers, and testifies before the Idaho Legislature regarding the legal implications of proposed laws. Prior to joining legal academia, Professor Cunningham practiced law for nine years, including a one-year clerkship on the Eleventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, four years at a law firm in Dallas, Texas, and four years as a Staff Attorney on the Texas Supreme Court. He earned his undergraduate degree and a juris doctor degree at Baylor University, where he served as managing editor of the law review.

Trent L. Clark is President and CEO of Customalting, LLC, manufacturer of custom grain malts, based in Soda Springs, Idaho. He has chaired the Idaho Rural Partnership, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, the Idaho Workforce Development Council, and the Idaho Republican Party. He has also served on the boards of Idaho Voices for Children, the Idaho Community Foundation, and the Idaho Humanities Council. He currently chairs the Advocacy Committee of the Friends of Idaho Public Television. Trent finished his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University with honors in political science and botany. He has since done graduate work at the Harvard School of Public Health and at La Selva Research Center in Costa Rica. Prior to entering the private sector, he worked in Washington, D.C. as Chief Environmental Economist for the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

Todd Achilles grew up raising sheep on a family farm. After college, he served on active duty as an Army tank commander and platoon leader. He spent over 20 years in the tech industry with executive roles at T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard and start-ups. Todd now teaches public policy at Boise State University and UC Berkeley, with a focus on technology, innovation and antimonopoly. He is a Frank Church Institute board member, advocate for electoral reform as a co-founder of Veterans for Idaho Voters and an Idaho State Representative for Seat 16B. Todd is also a member of the American Federation of Teachers.

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Martha Williams