I have a deep connection with Utah Valley University. I have children who have graduated from there. I’ve been honored to chair the boards of the university’s College of Science and College of Health Sciences & Public Service. The campus arena is named after my late wife Becky, a former speaker of the Utah House of Representatives. Until last week, Utah Valley was best known as the largest university in Utah, a welcoming and inclusive campus where students from all walks and stages of life came to get an education and build a better future. But that image was shattered by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I am heartbroken. Our community is still reeling – just as our nation is. This act of political mayhem was an attack on all of us. Last week it was Charlie Kirk, but before that it was Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. And before that there were two attempts to kill President Trump. It's also the death threats on the lives of Utah legislators whom I’ve known and worked alongside for decades. This terrorism must stop now. These acts of violence destroy families and communities. But they also pose a threat to our very republic. America’s Framers built our great, pluralistic nation on the foundation of free speech. When political figures cannot speak freely without fearing for their lives, that foundation is at risk. Our Governor, Spencer Cox, may very well have been right when he said, “Kirk's assassination represented a watershed moment in American history.” Change will not happen on its own. But we have solved similar problems in the past in our country, and I’m optimistic that we can solve this problem too. In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to discussion in our community and nation about how to dial back the hatred, and respond to our political differences through debate and at the ballot box. My late wife Becky taught me a great deal about loving those who believe differently than her when she was Utah speaker of the house. By any measure, Becky was one of the most conservative members in the Utah legislature. Yet two of her friends were the two minority leaders she served with, David Litvack and Jen Seelig. In spite of deep disagreements on philosophy and policy, and much more often than not voting on different sides of bellwether issues, there was deep mutual respect. Becky genuinely loved these legislative colleagues and they loved her too, grieving for her when she died. We could all learn a lesson from this. In this watershed moment, I’m proud to be a FairVote board member and part of the larger election reform movement. We don’t have all the answers. Nobody does. But we do believe that improving the way we vote can turn down the temperature of our politics. It is but one small part of the path forward – a path to dialogue, to vigorous but respectful disagreement, to a healthy republic. I hope that, in the wake of Charlie’s death, we do not turn inward or blame others. That we try to speak to – and better understand – those with whom we disagree. And in that process, that each of us keeps trying to change what is unacceptable, and to make things better. The need to make things better feels more urgent than ever. Kindest regards,
Stan | 
