Democracy Happy Hour – August 21, 2024

Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

Topic: The American Schism in 2024 with Seth Radwell.

Democracy Happy Hour, August 21, 2024 - Meeting Recordings

• Speaker View:
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/7ngqfKWHM_r1qdndsnN9y1hfQJUuhMsjUpkimh8GEzZnfaMCLdFf2ruLK1Pkv7NRpXf1lC4dcnMvqaPa.WaQhGeOocKYyniqM

• Gallery View:
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/XWm2ixyxUevpLeHsN_gT_sQCcoRsVK4RO3hYZmWbh_313RMyXY1kbicQewKQ9a4XTofGiliqpceGNng.RHnrQrx8NADirxm0

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/aZZsJN3spXg2eWaQoWxpRQ_1jFLXUJdxuBVTIKWK1g2hIdRWhNQM-Mp-g5XSKd4ShZ9js6ovzZ8s472w.0co4F47AW92-fZlK

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/NiRXvNhU1wCee7mnVUycz1AMPHTy9ERugRDY54CqT9ri3bYz2xef5yypYmu2syuLplHTtZfG8iXoMdzA.LU3TcSaclI4fbap1

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/

• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Aug 28 - Making Democracy Count: How Mathematics Improves Voting, Electoral Maps, and Representation with Ismar Volić
• Sept 4 – CANCELED – No Democracy Happy Hour this week
• Sept 11 – OpenSecrets: Tracking Money in Elections with Sarah Bryner, Director of Research and Strategy
• Sept 18 – Living Room Conversations: Connecting People Across Differences with Becca Kearl, Executive Director
• Sept 25 - When We All Vote with Amanda Hollowell, National Managing Director

Actions and events

• Democracy in the Park Picnics
  • Spokane, WA: Democracy in the Park Picnic, Manito Park in Spokane, Saturday, September 28th @ 12 pm https://bit.ly/Democracy-in-the-Park-Spokane
• FairVote WA events to support Ranked Choice Voting: https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/
• Why Do You Vote?  https://www.whydoyou.vote/
  • • Coffee Chats – Tuesdays at 9 am PT/12 pm ET
      https://www.whydoyou.vote/events
    • SPARK THE VOTE Social Media & Film Challenge, September 14^th - https://www.whydoyou.vote/spark-the-vote-challenge

• Petition – Please Sign: Pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act, and DC Statehood. - https://act.newmode.net/action/voting-rights-now/sign-petition-tell-congress

The American Schism in 2024

Seth Davis Radwell - https://sethdavidradwell.com/

• American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing our Nation - https://americanschismbook.com/ or https://greenleafbookgroup.com/titles/american-schism
• Better Together America - https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/current-projects/better-together-america
• Inter-Movement Impact Project - https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/current-projects/inter-movement-impact-project
• Other Current Projects - https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/current-projects

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Democracy in the News

Resources

• Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos - https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-project-2025-secret-training-videos-trump-election

August

August 7 - 12

50 Years After Watergate, Unregulated Money Continues to Corrode Our Politics - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/50-years-after-watergate-unregulated-money-continues-corrode-our-politics

Expanding ranked choice voting statewide in Oregon will be on November ballot - https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/08/08/expanding-ranked-choice-voting-statewide-in-oregon-will-be-on-november-ballot/

States Take the Lead in Regulating AI in Elections — Within Limits - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/states-take-lead-regulating-ai-elections-within-limits

August 13

Bipartisan task force urges lawyers to defend America’s democracy and election integrity - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/bipartisan-task-force-urges-lawyers-to-defend-americas-democracy-and-election-integrity

Idaho Supreme Court dismisses AG’s challenge to open primary ballot initiative - https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/08/13/idaho-supreme-court-dismisses-ags-challenge-to-open-primary-ballot-initiative/

Missouri’s Proposed Ranked-Choice Voting Ban Survives Court Challenge - https://www.governing.com/policy/missouris-proposed-ranked-choice-voting-ban-survives-court-challenge

Texas Rangers find no evidence of efforts to sway 2022 election results in Harris County - https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/13/harris-county-2022-election-investigation/

August 14

9 More Republican-Led States Sue Biden Over 2021 Voter Registration Order - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/9-more-republican-led-states-sue-biden-over-2021-voter-registration-order/

Idaho Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit challenging a ballot initiative for ranked-choice voting - https://apnews.com/article/idaho-ranked-choice-voting-primary-lawsuit-b0a5923cee968f2f65855d0999e9842e

Nebraska Supreme Court sets Aug. 28 oral arguments for lawsuit on felon voting rights - https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-supreme-court-sets-aug-28-oral-arguments-for-lawsuit-on-felon-voting-rights/

Trump-tied Project 2025 would weaken campaign finance laws and give big donors more power - https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/trump-tied-project-2025-would-weaken-campaign-finance-laws-and-give-big-donors-more-power/

US Lawmakers Tell States to Guarantee Equal Voting Rights for Independents or Lose Federal Funds - https://ivn.us/posts/webinar-us-lawmakers-tell-states-guarantee-equal-voting-rights-independents-or-lose-federal

Voting Rights Are Under Assault in the South - https://www.lafocusnews.com/voting-rights-are-under-assault-in-the-south/

August 15

Americans - especially Democrats - see Supreme Court as big election issue - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/15/election-poll-supreme-court-issue-2024/74771816007/

Florida Supreme Court Allows DeSantis to Undermine Prosecutorial Independence - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/florida-supreme-court-allows-desantis-undermine-prosecutorial

In Undercover Video, Project 2025 Architect Says Trump Is 'Very Supportive of What We Do' - https://www.commondreams.org/news/russell-vought-project-2025

New hidden camera video reinforces Trump’s Project 2025 problem - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/15/new-hidden-camera-video-reinforces-trumps-project-2025-problem/

New York Governor Signs Several Voting Rights Laws Ahead of 2024 Election - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/new-york-governor-signs-several-voting-rights-laws-ahead-of-2024-election/

Opinion: To protect rule of law, Congress must check Supreme Court overreach - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/15/chuck-schumer-supreme-court-reform/

Outside spending in 2024 federal election tops $1 billion - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/08/outside-spending-in-2024-federal-election-tops-1-billion

Trump, Musk Lovefest Triggers FEC Complaint - https://whowhatwhy.org/elections/trump-musk-lovefest-triggers-fec-complaint/

Trump Seeks to Delay His Sentencing Until After the Election - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/15/nyregion/trump-delay-sentencing-election.html

August 16

9th Circuit Upholds California’s Mail-In Voting Laws - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/9th-circuit-hears-far-right-challenge-to-californias-mail-in-voting-laws/

Backers of Ohio redistricting measure vow lawsuit over ballot language they call ‘deceitful’ - https://apnews.com/article/ohio-gerrymandering-redistricting-bd589ead234436f1b113b35d28c71cc7

Compensation commissions can fix the state legislative pay problem - https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/state-legislator-salary

Georgia election workers to get ‘panic buttons’ amid rising threats - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/16/atlanta-election-panic-buttons

Justice Department urges Supreme Court to keep parts of Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship voter law on hold - https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/arizona-proof-of-citizenship-voting-law-supreme-court/index.html

Ohio Ballot Board approves controversial language to describe anti-gerrymandering amendment - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/08/16/ohio-ballot-board-approves-controversial-language-to-describe-anti-gerrymandering-amendment/

Supreme Court rejects Biden administration’s request to enforce new civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ students - https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/supreme-court-lgbtq-title-ix/index.html

Texas election officials are dealing with a flood of challenges to voter registrations - https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/16/voter-registration-challenges-texas/

August 17

Deploying on U.S. Soil: How Trump Would Use Soldiers Against Riots, Crime and Migrants - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/us/politics/trump-2025-insurrection-act.html

Supreme Court immunity fallout to crescendo in September - https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4831636-supreme-court-immunity-trump-cases/

The Democratic Party’s Money Machine - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/business/dealbook/dnc-democratic-party-money-machine.html

August 19

Alabama says law cannot block people with certain felony convictions from voting in 2024 election - https://apnews.com/article/alabama-voting-law-felonies-2024-election-268bd2bae3c014887cc569effdc07988

Election Deniers Secretly Pushed Rule That Would Make It Easier to Delay Certification of Georgia’s Election Results - https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-election-board-vote-certification

‘Guardian angel’ megadonors give $196M to influence 2024 elections - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/08/guardian-angel-megadonors-give-196m-to-influence-2024-elections/

How a Far-Right Takeover of Georgia’s Election Board Could Swing the Election - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/us/politics/trump-2024-georgia-elections.html

Iran Is to Blame for Hacking Into Trump’s Campaign, Intelligence Officials Say - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/us/politics/iran-trump-campaign-hacking.html

Project 2025: A Christo-fascist manifesto designing a theocracy - https://thefulcrum.us/democracy/project-2025-christian-nationalism

Prosecutors Leave Decision on Delaying Trump’s Sentencing Up to Judge - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/19/nyregion/trump-sentencing-delay.html

Sanders Urges Ban on Super PACs in Democratic Primaries - https://prospect.org/power/2024-08-19-dnc-sanders-ban-super-pacs-democratic-primaries/

With false ‘coup’ claims, Trump primes supporters to challenge a Harris win - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/19/trump-stolen-election-coup-overthrow/

August 20

Charlottesville’s about to become the second Virginia city to adopt ranked choice voting - https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/charlottesvilles-about-to-become-the-second-virginia-city-to-adopt-ranked-choice-voting/

First-ever digital ID for voting approved by NC elections board, as GOP members object - https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article291217655.html

GOP megadonor drops another $50M into pro-Trump super PAC - https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/20/timothy-mellon-maga-inc-00175249

Harris and Trump Shield Their Big Campaign Fund-Raisers From the Public - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/us/elections/campaign-bundlers-harris-trump.html

How Kamala Harris shifted Democrats’ message from ‘democracy’ to ‘freedom’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/20/kamala-harris-freedom-democracy-biden

Nevada Launches Statewide Unified Voter Registration System - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/nevada-launches-statewide-unified-voter-registration-system/

New York Court of Appeals rules state law allowing early voting by mail is constitutional - https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/politics/2024/08/20/n-y--high-court-says-voting-early-by-mail-is-constitutional

Schumer: Voting rights will be first priority in 2025 if Democrats control Congress - https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4837144-chuck-schumer-voting-rights-democrats/

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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