Democracy Happy Hour – March 27, 2024

Democracy Happy Hour, March 27, 2024 - Meeting Recordings:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/K3cIE-vpE-Q-cGXVNDY9qg2ib1xy7C8rT78pcAhMwz2Ff8no0SZCMctUynrqPWnwA8r68SGMxEr_cGA.uwFG8eunZtDa-TRu

• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/YUffucyN3mpc4ofWUMHTOjAgMs88lY4vGwud-N-oANKP0G51NS9O37mjL8ax3e_bgyskLta-9E-ufwsI.t7Yqa5ehS2Sa20VS

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/2HGHMhpJD4N4s8Nm2d3mFfXytF_0OJyH9_0X6fVsBv-fzQ55vnnJ11xaeq9JuB2_awj1jhN6ABKH_RXy.wwRwjerr5aiqH2Sk

FDF Links:

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

• Donate to Fix Democracy First Education Fund to support our civic education and engagement work @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate/fdfef

• Join our board(s)! We are looking for people to join our Fix Democracy First and Fix Democracy First Education Fund boards.some text
  • Fix Democracy First (501c4): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtDKKTBsOo7X_nk-7POVUTpJ-K1vfP-U_zHQrW1Ke7JNfvug/viewform
  • Fix Democracy First Education Fund (501c3): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXiaGJJ0bVqV5eqW2irfLHWrU0n8iwVIsDwDjtrTP36mEj5g/viewform

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule:

• Apr 3 - Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center with Kelly Goss Sechrist & Tiffany Montemayor
• Apr 10 - The Democracy Group: Giving a Voice to the Democracy Community with Brandon Stover
• Apr 17 – Uniting in Support of our Constitutional Democracy with Alyssa Newlon, Team Democracy
• Apr 24 - Building Women's Political Power through Democracy Reform with Alissa Bombardier Shaw, RepresentWomen
• May 1 - Creating Local Democracy Hubs to Strengthen Communities with Vinay Orekondy, Coalition Director at Rank the Vote
• May 8 - The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025 with Elise Wirkus, Protect Democracy

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

• Washington's New Legislative Maps—How Did We Get Here? Where Do We Go Next? Virtual Event – Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of WAsome text
  • April 10, 2024 @ 6:30-8:00 PM - https://lwvwa.org/event-5665785
  • April 13, 2024 @ 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM - https://lwvwa.org/event-5667167

• John Lewis: Good Trouble Online Screening Event – Sponsored by Meaningful Movies Project & Fix Democracy First – April 28^th @ 4 pm PT/7 pm ET - Register @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-lewis-good-trouble-online-screening-event-tickets-864265149327

• Become A Poll Worker - https://www.nass.org/can-i-vote/become-a-poll-worker

• The Building Civic Bridges Actsome text
  • https://resolutionaries.org/advocacy-bcba/#/2/
  • https://kilmer.house.gov/imo/media/doc/building_civic_bridges_act.pdf

• Teachers Advancing Civic Learning (TACL) – https://civxnow.org/our-work/tacl/some text
  • Sign up @ https://www.congressweb.com/signup/?id=AE4C45D3-ADF3-451E-19442D42806D333B

• High School Video Contest 2023-2024 with League of Women Voters of WA - Deadline is May 1st: https://lwvwapsacontest.wpcomstaging.com/

• Why Do You Vote? - https://www.whydoyou.vote/

The Bridge Alliance Projects to Empower Citizens & Strengthen Democracy Links:

• Bridge Alliance Education Fund
• Citizen Connect
• The Fulcrum
• Engaged Athlete Fellowship
• News Ambassadors
• Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Mapping Project
• National Week of Conversation

Democracy in the News Links:

Trump’s New York hush money trial to begin April 15 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-new-york-hush-money-trial-hearing/

Trump placed under limited gag order ahead of N.Y. hush money trial - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/26/trump-gag-order-hush-money-trial

Hurry up and wait: Trump’s classified documents case is mired in delays that may run past election - https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-delay-trial-election-83be6fb5362e7bb2b7aaf6371a9acabf

Trump wins partial stay of fraud judgment, allowed to post $175 million - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-bond-reduced-new-york-fraud-case/

Trump Seeks to Delay Jan. 6 Civil Cases - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/us/politics/trump-delay-civil-cases.html

‘It’ll be bedlam’: how Trump is creating conditions for a post-election eruption - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/23/donald-trump-political-violence-fears-us-election

Was the 2020 election stolen? Job interviews at RNC take an unusual turn. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/26/rnc-2020-election-stolen-trump-hiring

With push from Trump, Republicans plan blitz of election-related lawsuits - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/22/republicans-election-lawsuits-rnc/

To boost Trump, GOP attorneys general charge into battle over state election rules - https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/22/to-boost-trump-gop-attorneys-general-charge-into-battle-over-state-election-rules/

Mass purges are the new voter suppression - https://thefulcrum.us/electoral-reforms/voter-suppression

Overworked, underpaid, under attack: on the frontlines in a US election office - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/23/election-office-luzerne-county-pennsylvania

Fearing political violence, more states ban firearms at polling places - https://stateline.org/2024/03/22/fearing-political-violence-more-states-ban-firearms-at-polling-places/

Justice Department: Crackdown on threats to election officials won’t relent - https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/25/justice-department-threats-election-officials-00148934

‘The final act’: fears US journalism crisis could destabilize 2024 election - https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/24/us-election-journalism-crisis

Fretting About Election-Year Deep Fakes, States Roll Out New Rules for A.I. Content - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/us/politics/election-year-deep-fakes-ai-rules.html

Push for voting rights strengthens amid voter suppression backlash - https://prismreports.org/2024/03/26/push-for-voting-rights-amid-voter-suppression/

Alabama Gov. Key Ivey signs absentee ballot bill amid criticism from voting rights groups - https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/20/gov-kay-ivey-signs-bill-to-protect-integrity-of-alabama-elections/73040978007/

State department, SBA team up to promote voter registration - https://www.sooleader.com/local-news/state-department-sba-team-up-to-promote-voter-registration-8474128

Nebraska lawmakers advance bill to restore voting rights to felons who complete their sentences - https://theindependent.com/nebraska-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-restore-voting-rights-to-felons-who-complete-their-sentences/article_fe372012-e7c4-11ee-97fb-2be2b23cb213.html

NY's highest court asked to weigh in on NYC’s noncitizen voting law - https://gothamist.com/news/ny-highest-court-asked-to-weigh-in-on-new-york-citys-noncitizen-voting-law

A North Dakota ballot question could be a legal test case for political age limits - https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239621060/north-dakota-political-age-limit

Pennsylvania Republicans are at odds over critical mail-in voting measures - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/22/pennsylvania-republicans-mail-in-voting/73055625007/

Court Keeps Washington, D.C. Noncitizen Voting Law in Place Despite Right-Wing Challenge - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/court-keeps-washington-d-c-noncitizen-voting-law-in-place-despite-right-wing-challenge/

U.S. Appeals Court won’t block WA’s new legislative district map - https://crosscut.com/briefs/2024/03/us-appeals-court-wont-block-was-new-legislative-district-map

Washington Governor Signs Three Elections Bills - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/washington-governor-signs-three-elections-bills/

Gov. Tony Evers signs bills to protect voting officials, bar last-minute polling place closures - https://madison.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/wisconsin-tony-evers-signs-vetoes-bills-election-poll-worker-observer/article_9feb558e-e7ae-11ee-9e24-6bb8a94a287f.html

WY purged 86,000 voters, must re-register for presidential election - https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2024-03-25/civic-engagement-and-voting/wy-purged-86-000-voters-must-re-register-for-presidential-election/a89473-1

Supreme Court hears its biggest abortion case since the fall of Roe - https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/26/abortion-is-back-at-the-supreme-court-heres-what-to-know-00148918%C2%A0

Supreme Court seems likely to preserve access to the abortion medication mifepristone - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone-telemedicine-4406d53e8af90f6a523264f535f5adf8

The 5th Circuit Is Rehearing Voting Decisions at an Alarming Rate - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/the-5th-circuit-is-rehearing-voting-decisions-at-an-alarming-rate/

The Supreme Court and Young Voter Turnout - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/us/politics/the-supreme-court-and-young-voter-turnout.html

Supreme Court opens new frontier for insurrection claims that could target state and local officials - https://apnews.com/article/14th-amendment-insurrection-supreme-court-new-mexico-bfae39fc022578fc23f5c19d9330653d

Senators push to bolster security for state and local judges - https://www.axios.com/2024/03/20/bipartisan-senators-threats-public-officials-esther-salas

Trump leadership PAC racks up millions in legal bills amid courtroom fights - https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/20/trump-leadership-pac-legal-bills-00148184

Trump’s invite to major donors prioritizes the committee paying his legal bills over the RNC - https://apnews.com/article/trump-campaign-fundraising-rnc-c0e8f1e7b59f70c5237e13a3462e5790

How Trump Moved Money to Pay $100 Million in Legal Bills - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/27/us/politics/trump-cases-legal-fund.html

Leonard Leo, Koch networks pour millions into groups prepping for potential second Trump administration - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/leonard-leo-koch-networks-pour-millions-prep-potential-second-trump-ad-rcna144360

US politicians exploit loophole to skirt campaign finance rules, study finds - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/23/us-politics-campaign-finance-loophole

Voters Need to Know that “Redboxing” Remains a Widespread Problem - https://campaignlegal.org/update/voters-need-know-redboxing-remains-widespread-problem

How a new way of electing the House can change our politics - https://thefulcrum.us/electoral-reforms/proportional-representation

House Delegation Unveils Updated Fair Representation Act to Reform Congressional Elections - https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6094

Fair Representation Act - https://beyer.house.gov/uploadedfiles/beyer_100_xml.pdf

GOOD NEWS Websites:

Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy

Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news

ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news

Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/

The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/