Democracy Happy Hour – August 7, 2024

Democracy Happy Hour, August 7, 2024 - Meeting Recordings

• Speaker View: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/K1U9CJAW85nIiZP45tBaVFgmbjaTbB1STHA8QVxS761eZOXMFibmdb6Y_LwQq1-AvLeZqCc5-IWVs_N0.Se5221F3fR3YIZGn

• Gallery View: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/cVUKOJo9faBdbiASC66ZXeKaLIRG_sL3eq7c9CLwYUYkXe1InhMwvHnAjB5ERPs0nubIv40_dOGYOFWR.E36Utw2eZ0t1Bwos

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):
  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/kYT-sf3q1uI3nRry21hqw1oLi3vSva3div55Y_kH9hhvJ1TfcnnvTnMr4FZnbMn-8oxOkzXlZplQ0NKg.0tOXDvi3oP5m6lPf

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/d-8-Mzp8dPiML6rGBg8nFepDR4SatGFraYMHYBGKqWVFjTCbvG8XFvF49tFMM8DGJq_2284-GzedHT9k.s_p5YzQ90iJ7eJJe

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 14 - Better Together America: Supporting State & Local Democracy Roundtables & Hubs with Jacob Bornstein
• Aug 21 - The American Schism in 2024 with Seth Radwell
• 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

Actions and events

• Democracy in the Park Picnics
  • Seattle, WA: Democracy in the Park Picnic, Magnolia Park in Seattle, Saturday, August 24th @ 12 pm
    https://bit.ly/Democracy-in-the-Park-Seattle
  • Spokane, WA: Democracy in the Park Picnic, Manito Park in Spokane, Saturday, September 28th @ 12 pm https://bit.ly/Democracy-in-the-Park-Spokane
• Events with FairVote WA to support Ranked Choice Voting https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/
• Power the Polls https://www.powerthepolls.org/fixdemocracyfirst
  • August 1^st is Poll Worker Recruitment Day!
• 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

Project 2025: The Far Right's Plan for Authoritarian Rule

Project 2025 details

• A chief architect of Project 2025 is ready to shock Washington if Donald Trump wins a second term - https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-russell-vought-trump-federal-government-38fc446832062e40fc2ccad6f3348dfd
• Is Project 2025 real? Yes! And it’s a real danger to real people.
  https://www.peoplefor.org/project-2025-real
• Mapping Project 2025: Organizational Network Visualization - https://www.radicalreports.org/p/mapping-project-2025-organizational-network
• Podcast - Project 2025: The Plan of the Century with Peter Montgomery - Inform Your Resistance Season 2: Episode 4
  https://politicalresearch.org/2024/03/12/project-2025-plan-century-peter-montgomery
• Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism by Peter Montgomery
  https://religiondispatches.org/project-2025-how-trump-loyalists-and-right-wing-leaders-are-paving-a-fast-road-to-fascism/
• Project 2025: Presidential Transition Plan - https://www.project2025.org/
• The head of Project 2025 has resigned, but the policy suggestions aren’t going anywhere - https://www.mediamatters.org/project-2025/head-project-2025-has-resigned-policy-suggestions-arent-going-anywhere

Organizations and campaigns

• People For the American Way: https://www.peoplefor.org/
  • PFAW Right Wing Watch
    https://www.rightwingwatch.org/
• Right Wing Watch – Project 2025 links https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/project-2025/
• STOP THE COUP 2025! - STOP PROJECT 2025! - https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/

Democracy in the News

Resources

• No Kings Act Bill https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/No%20Kings%20Act%20-%20One%20Pager.pdf
• Open Secrets 2023 Annual Report - https://www.opensecrets.org/about/2023-annual-report

July

July 19

• Who Are Election Officials, and What Do They Do? - https://campaignlegal.org/update/who-are-election-officials-and-what-do-they-do

July 30

• Opinion: How to harden our defenses against an authoritarian president - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/30/trump-authoritarian-president-government-defend

July 31

• Alabama, civic groups spar over law restricting assistance with absentee ballot applications - https://apnews.com/article/alabama-absentee-voting-restrictions-c048cc3214c875a34a1bee7566596658
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine opposes anti-gerrymandering reform heading to voters in November - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/07/31/ohio-gov-mike-dewine-opposes-anti-gerrymandering-reform-heading-to-voters-in-november/
• Term Limits and a Binding Ethics Code Can Save the Supreme Court from Itself - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/term-limits-and-binding-ethics-code-can-save-supreme-court-itself

August

August 01

• A Shocking New Super PAC Is Trying to Buy Elections - https://newrepublic.com/post/184483/crypto-super-pac-buy-elections-trump
• Appeals court upholds Donald Trump’s gag order as he again presses judge to exit hush money case - https://apnews.com/article/trump-gag-order-hush-money-02ed921ed04264766b53e64308d38847
• Elections 101: How decentralized election administration makes big fraud basically impossible - https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/08/pennsylvania-election-administration-officials-fraud-rigging/
• In an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Schumer introduces the No Kings Act - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-schumer-immunity-senate-king-149763b93d62599eac7d0a7c77ff4d4a
• Judge clears way for civic groups to resume voter registration drives - https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/01/judge-clears-way-for-civic-groups-to-resume-voter-registration-drives/
• More (grassroots) leaders please - https://thefulcrum.us/ethics-leadership/more-grassroots-leaders
• Schumer vows Supreme Court reform will be 'a very big priority' if Democrats win election - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/schumer-vows-supreme-court-reforms-democrats-win-2024-elections-rcna164719
• Throwing out mail-in ballots over missing dates violates the Pa. Constitution, voting groups argue - https://penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/throwing-out-mail-in-ballots-over-missing-dates-violates-the-pa-constitution-voting-groups-argue/
• Wisconsin judge refuses GOP request to pause absentee voting ruling sought by disabled people - https://apnews.com/article/disabled-voters-wisconsin-absentee-ballots-402f7e55975ba3b476bdc220d2e09389

August 02

• $10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt - https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/08/02/trump-campaign-egypt-investigation
• Appeals Court Further Narrows Voting Rights Act’s Scope - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/02/us/texas-voting-rights-minorities.html
• Court reverses itself on Arizona voter registration rules - https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/elections/arizona-voter-registration-rules-9th-circuit-court/article_9899613c-50f3-11ef-ba4e-23e62b9dd2c1.html
• Harris campaign says it raised $310 million in July fundraising surge -https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/02/harris-310-million-july-record-fundraising-haul
• How an Elon Musk PAC is using voter data to help Trump beat Harris in 2024 election - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/02/elon-musk-pac-voter-data-trump-harris.html
• Justice Dept. says it’s committed to sharing info about foreign election threats with tech companies - https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fbi-election-security-social-media-59c396dcef707b5bc54476dae666f126
• Opinion: What democracy is, and why it’s worth preserving - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/what-democracy-is-and-why-its-worth-preserving
• Ranked-Choice Voting for DC Elections Will Be on the Ballot in November - https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/08/02/ranked-choice-voting-for-dc-elections-will-be-on-the-ballot-in-november/
• Trump’s election subversion case returned to D.C. after immunity ruling - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/02/trump-election-subversion-immunity

August 03

• Chutkan sets Aug. 16 hearing in Trump election interference case - https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4809322-chutkan-hearing-trump-election-interference-case/
• Trump says he’ll skip an ABC debate with Harris in September and wants them to face off on Fox News - https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/trump-says-hell-skip-an-abc-debate-with-harris-in-september-and-wants-them-to-face-off-on-fox-news

August 04

• Judge rejects Trump effort to dismiss 2020 federal election subversion case - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/04/trump-election-subversion-case
• VP’s campaign launches ‘Republicans for Harris’ in push to win over GOP voters put off by Trump - https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-republicans-kinzinger-haley-voters-8b67604df273c0e198b1d46eb4755d50

August 05

• Former WA congressman and ex-GOP chair join ‘Republicans for Harris’ - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/former-wa-congressman-and-ex-gop-chair-join-republicans-for-harris
• Jenna Ellis, Former Trump Lawyer, Will Cooperate in Arizona Election Fraud Case - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/us/jenna-ellis-trump-arizona-election-fraud.html
• Supreme Court rejects Missouri's long-shot bid to block Trump's gag order and sentencing in hush money case - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-missouris-long-shot-bid-block-trumps-gag-order-h-rcna163629

August 06

• Arizona grand jurors discussed indicting Trump, but prosecutors urged them not to - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/06/trump-arizona-indictment-prosecutors/
• Court blocks enforcement of Arizona’s voter intimidation rules, just before election - https://www.votebeat.org/arizona/2024/08/06/arizona-court-blocks-voter-intimidation-rules-outside-polling-places/
• Georgia Board Grants Local Officials New Power Over Certifying Elections - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/us/politics/georgia-elections-certification.html
• Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP pick - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/06/harris-walz-vp
• Judge in Trump’s hush money case delays date for ruling on presidential immunity - https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-immunity-8db10bfa2631bbafdb32a35241a79e4f

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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