Our speaker will be Prof. Jodi Balma, Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College, speaking on "Ranked Choic Voting and Other Electoral Changes Needed to Improve California Elections." 

Please RSVP to Betty Hammond at lunchwithleague [at] lwvnoc.org by Saturday, May 23, 2026. You can also pay in advance for our April Lunch with League using this LINK.

Professor Jodi Balma started her career as a professor of political science at Fullerton College in 2000. She has served as the faculty coordinator of the Honors Program since 2012.  She was awarded Fullerton College Teacher of the Year in 2021 and 2014.  In 2022, she was named Orange County Community College Teacher of the Year.

 Professor Balma specializes in American politics and California state and local government.  Her goal is to help students learn how to think about politics and community problems with an emphasis on critical thinking and analysis, regardless of political party or ideology. She helps students understand how they can become involved in working with community leaders to find solutions. 

 Balma is a regular on-the-record analyst for newspaper and radio media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Voice of OC, KNX 1070, KPCC, and NPR.  California Senator Josh Newman named her as the 2021 Woman of the Year for Senate District 29. She served as the President of the Honors Transfer Council of California from 2013-2017 and remains active in the organization.