Democracy Happy Hour – August 23, 2023

Democracy Happy Hour, Aug 23, 2023 - Meeting Recordings:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/DI7NgMy8tEWw-x4hwBDEDCd549P6z-4vWvyk0nNuU-Kn4GU6Xo4YdsviPRA0888WWRq3zrlyIT464hsN.owtTFOg2XtHDPFLU

• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/AuubAP_BBy1frsuX_09Ks7IN7kEwGweH8FxaVuNnVye9r_wUfxBmT9NTEiHk49t8dOjo8Aa6bI0j2txv.OOJJx9jSla9BHI2C

FDF Links:

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• Fix Democracy First 20^th Anniversary Celebration & Get Together – September 9, 2023 @ 6-9 pm – Bloedel Hall @ St. Mark’s in Seattle - Tickets & Sponsorships: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/event-pages/20th-anniversary-celebration

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule:

• Aug 30th - Forward Party: Reforms & Strategies with Darin Foster
• Sept 6 - Election Security & Protecting Election Workers (Tentative)
• Sept 13 - WA Public Disclosure Commission with Sean Flynn & Kim Bradford
• Sept 20 - The Role of State Courts in Protecting Our Democracy (Tentative)
• Sept 27 - CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour this week

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

Federal Election Commission – Submit your comments on amending regulation to include deliberately deceptive Artificial Intelligence in campaign ads - https://www.fec.gov/updates/comments-sought-on-amending-regulation-to-include-deliberately-deceptive-artificial-intelligence-in-campaign-ads/

Power the Polls - https://www.powerthepolls.org

Common Power & Goodwill Voter Registration Drives - https://linktr.ee/2023voterregcampaign

American Democracy Summit 2023 – Sept 27-29 in Los Angeles - https://americandemocracysummit.org/

Citizen Connect - https://citizenconnect.us/

Veterans for Political Innovation Links:

• Veterans for Political Innovation - https://www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org/
• Veterans for Political Innovation Overview Slides - https://www.canva.com/design/DAFWtt664yM/udEPcTG4llIKupIhZcu6iQ/view
• Bunker Labs - https://bunkerlabs.org/

Democracy in the News Links

Judge approves $200,000 bond for Trump in Georgia election case - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/21/trump-georgia-bond-election-2020/

Trump says he will surrender Thursday on Georgia charges tied to efforts to overturn 2020 election - https://apnews.com/article/trump-bond-georgia-election-indictment-79dbb26a14b5a4ccfc1472d6d3eacd2b

Attorney John Eastman surrenders on charges in Trump’s Georgia 2020 election subversion case - https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-indictment-fulton-county-clark-7641b5c61dbcc39ee3f0edbe51558925

Rudy Giuliani surrenders in Fulton County - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/23/trump-indictment-georgia/

Georgia election indictment highlights wider attempts to illegally access voting equipment - https://apnews.com/article/georgia-trump-indictment-voting-machines-conspiracy-theories-bc3db57cabd25fd8e335f85ed299e79c

Names and addresses of Trump jurors in Georgia posted on rightwing websites - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/17/georgia-grand-jurors-information-posted-rightwing-websites

Authorities investigating threats to grand jurors who indicted Trump in Georgia - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/authorities-investigating-threats-to-grand-jurors-who-indicted-trump-in-georgia/

FBI joins investigation of threats to grand jurors in Trump Georgia case - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/18/fbi-joins-investigation-threats-grand-jurors-trump-georgia-case/

Trump asks to push Jan. 6 trial beyond 2024 election — to April 2026 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/17/trial-date-trump-jan-6-proposal/

Trump and his allies double down on election lies after indictments for trying to undo 2020 results - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/21/trump-indictment-2020-election-lies-georgia-misinformation/65ffe598-3fd8-11ee-9677-53cc50eb3f77_story.html

The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/donald-trump-constitutionally-prohibited-presidency/675048/

Pence Undercuts Trump’s Defense in Classified Documents Case - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/20/us/politics/pence-trump-classified-documents.html

Meadows told special counsel he could not recall Trump ever declassifying Mar-a-Lago docs: Sources - https://abcnews.go.com/US/meadows-told-special-counsel-recall-trump-declassifying-mar/story?id=102396159

Witness in Trump documents case changed lawyers and then his testimony, prosecutors say - https://apnews.com/article/trump-maralago-justice-department-classified-documents-f3f498ed952e50a33c7c68e2fb1936e9

Trump won’t be at the GOP’s first presidential debate. But his presence will be felt - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trump-wont-be-at-the-gops-first-presidential-debate-but-his-presence-will-be-felt

Trump’s plan to skip debate shields him from legal exposure - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/23/donald-trump-republican-debate-tucker-carlson

Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump reunite to try to upstage Fox News - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/22/tucker-carlson-donald-trump-reunite-try-upstage-fox-news

Where the 2024 candidates stand on elections, democracy and Jan. 6 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/where-2024-candidates-stand-elections-democracy-jan-6

Trump touts authoritarian vision for second term: ‘I am your justice’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2023/04/21/trump-agenda-policies-2024

Trump indictment underscores election security risk for 2024 - https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/15/trump-indictment-election-security-risk-00111276

Democratic Group Plans $10 Million Push to Protect Election Officials - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/us/politics/democrats-election-officials-value-the-vote.html

Inside the right’s effort to build a voter fraud hunting tool - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/conservatives-voter-fraud-hunting-tool-eagleai-cleta-mitchell-rcna97327

American democracy is cracking. These forces help explain why. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/18/american-democracy-political-system-failures

Fight over felons' voting rights heats up for 2024 - https://www.axios.com/2023/08/16/felon-vote-where-us-map

Alabama congressional map battle now in hands of three-judge panel - https://whnt.com/news/alabama-news/alabama-congressional-map-battle-now-in-hands-of-three-judge-panel/

Supreme Court sides with Miami commissioners in ongoing redistricting dispute - https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/17/supreme-court-sides-with-miami-commissioners-in-ongoing-redistricting-dispute/

New vote-by-mail changes might mean fewer Floridians use the ballots - https://www.wmfe.org/2023-08-21/new-vote-by-mail-changes-might-mean-fewer-floridians-use-ballots

Judge strikes down Georgia law banning food, drinks in voting lines - https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/08/18/judge-strikes-down-georgia-law-banning-food-drinks-voting-lines/

More than 180K Georgia voters at risk of being labeled 'inactive' - https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/video/2023/08/21/more-than-180k-georgia-voters-risk-being-labeled-inactive/

New Louisiana Legislature app wins national award for promoting 'online democracy' - https://www.nola.com/news/politics/legislature/louisiana-legislature-app-wins-democracy-award/article_b67c73ca-3c4e-11ee-a5c7-136ce288829f.html

Sweeping election law changes moving forward again in NC legislature, ahead of 2024 elections - https://www.wral.com/story/sweeping-election-law-changes-moving-forward-again-in-nc-legislature-ahead-of-2024-elections/21001576/

Watchdogs And Redistricting Experts File Brief In Challenge To New Mexico’s Congressional Maps - https://ladailypost.com/watchdogs-and-redistricting-experts-file-brief-in-challenge-to-new-mexicos-congressional-maps/

Challenge to election law heads to Texas Supreme Court - https://news.ballotpedia.org/2023/08/21/challenge-to-election-law-heads-to-texas-supreme-court/

Court Finds that Texas Law Requiring the Rejection of Mail Ballots and Applications Violates the Civil Rights Act - https://www.kcbd.com/2023/08/18/court-finds-that-texas-law-requiring-rejection-mail-ballots-applications-violates-civil-rights-act/

South Carolina League of Women Voters argues state congressional map is racially gerrymandered  - https://abcnews4.com/news/local/south-carolina-league-of-women-voters-argues-state-congressional-map-is-racially-gerrymandered-united-states-us-supreme-court-alexander-v-naacp-sc-gerrymandering-lwvsc-wciv

Attorney for 2020 gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp suspended for ‘frivolous’ vote-fraud claims - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/attorney-for-2020-gubernatorial-candidate-loren-culp-suspended-for-frivolous-vote-fraud-claims

School board elections across the nation are being stormed by conservatives demanding more 'parental rights' — including Spokane Valley's Central Valley School District - https://www.inlander.com/news/school-board-elections-across-the-nation-are-being-stormed-by-conservatives-demanding-more-parental-rights-including-spokane-valleys-cent-26478653

SCOTUS ruling opens door to limit LGBTQ+ civil rights - https://crosscut.com/news/2023/08/scotus-ruling-opens-door-limit-lgbtq-civil-rights

AI cannot hold copyright, federal judge rules - https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/21/ai-cannot-hold-copyright-federal-judge-rules-00111865

Super PACs raise millions as concerns about illegal campaign coordination raise questions - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/08/super-pacs-raise-millions-concerns-illegal-campaign-coordination-raise-questions/

Party-aligned groups funnel millions in ‘dark money’ to closely-tied super PACs ahead of 2024 election - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/08/party-aligned-groups-funnel-millions-in-dark-money-to-closely-tied-super-pacs-ahead-of-2024-election/

D.C. Attorney General is probing Leonard Leo’s network - https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/22/d-c-attorney-general-is-probing-leonard-leos-network-00112331

New FedSoc Filing Shows Leo’s Circular Profit Scheme at Work - https://accountable.us/new-fedsoc-filing-shows-leos-circular-profit-scheme-at-work/

As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back - https://stateline.org/2023/08/21/as-ranked-choice-voting-gains-momentum-parties-in-power-push-back/