Democracy Happy Hour – May 17, 2024

Democracy Happy Hour, May 17, 2023 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/CQB_DY26NYTOmypEx5nMQvSixVpTXtd1N2FLuZ_0OR-VrBnzOackgbYIlD2jTxq94-DLUiei-XbESl4S.3lnNenFCVaXyF6t9
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/wpn7QW-znGDp8aKR8hpXY2Yn-cboWmlMVOe3iL3hyuRx-foW0Kc14vOmUI-6dfrKFjDelA32NfbkIpcj.xwo88Ca4-y36yWS9

Fix Democracy First Links:

• FDF Donation Page @ fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• FDF website - You can view past event recordings on Past Events page @ fixdemocracyfirst.org

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule:

• May 24th - National Infrastructure Bank: What is it and why is it important? w/ Representatives from the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank & Washingtonians for Public Banking
• May 31^st – What is the Federalist Society and what does it want from our courts? with Nick Licata
• June 7th - CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour this week

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

14Point3 Campaign - https://freespeechforpeople.org/the-14point3-campaign/

Campaign to disqualify Trump from 2024 ballot - https://freespeechforpeople.org/trump-is-disqualified-from-the-ballot/

People Powered Elections Washington - https://www.peoplepoweredelections.org/

People Powered Elections Washington: Email Sign Up - https://secure.everyaction.com/Kvt4e-0DY0yyLf_1C7y-og2

Citizen Connect - https://citizenconnect.us/

The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) Links:

• Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) - https://electioninnovation.org
• Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) - https://ericstates.org/

• Election Official Legal Defense Network - https://eoldn.org/
• THE BIG TRUTH: Upholding Democracy in the Age of The Big Lie - https://www.amazon.com/Big-Truth-Upholding-Democracy-Age/dp/1635767849
  

Democracy in the News Links

Trump fills his CNN town hall with a fire hose of old and new false claims - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/11/trump-cnn-town-hall-fact-check/

8 takeaways from Trump’s CNN town hall in New Hampshire - https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/politics/takeaways-trump-town-hall-cnn/index.html

Trump Suggests He Knowingly Took Documents From White House - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/us/politics/trump-documents-white-house.html

Trump’s defiance at the CNN town hall may scare off many voters — but not the GOP base - https://apnews.com/article/trump-republican-president-cnn-2024-69921c48683f26c02eb799513e8e5754

CNN leadership under fire after ‘disastrous’ Trump town hall - https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/05/11/trump-cnn-town-hall-chris-licht-kaitlan-collins/

A short guide to Donald Trump's many legal woes - https://www.salon.com/2023/05/14/a-short-guide-to-donald-many-legal-woes/

Georgia Prosecutor Rebuts Trump’s Effort to Scuttle Elections Case - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/us/trump-fani-willis-georgia-investigation.html

Ahead of 2024 election, several states overhauled voting laws - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/2024-state-voting-laws/

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections - https://apnews.com/article/democracy-ballot-initiatives-abortion-republicans-ohio-missouri-c48033311370f071ccece0da975818cb

Why GOP Govs. Are Rushing to Quit Project for Clean Voter Data - https://www.thebulwark.com/red-states-running-scared-from-bipartisan-vote-data-consortium/

Is This the Most Dangerous Right-Wing Think Tank You’ve Never Heard Of? - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/is-this-the-most-dangerous-right-wing-think-thank-youve-never-heard-of/

What You Need To Know About Florida’s New Voting Law And The Potential Damage To Black Voters - https://www.bet.com/article/mijta8/florida-voting-law-sb-7050-what-you-need-to-know

‘Impossible to hold him accountable’: DeSantis signs laws to ease 2024 run - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/15/ron-desantis-florida-laws-presidential-run

DeSantis signs bill to defund DEI programs at Florida’s public colleges - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/15/desantis-defunds-dei-programs-florida-colleges/

Election deniers seek to oust Kentucky Republican who expanded voting access - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/election-deniers-seek-oust-kentucky-republican-michael-adams-rcna83838

Louisiana Republican elections chief says GOP party 'integrity' effort is bogus, unnecessary - https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2023/05/12/louisiana-republican-elections-chief-dismisses-gop-party-fraud-concerns/70192921007/

Ohioans will vote on 60% constitutional amendment during August special election - https://news.wosu.org/politics-government/2023-05-10/ohioans-will-vote-on-60-constitutional-amendment-during-august-special-election

Oregon - Reformers Unveil Statewide Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative - https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2023/05/10/reformers-unveil-statewide-ranked-choice-voting-initiative/

Extended boycott disqualifies 2 GOP senators, 1 independent in Oregon Senate from being re-elected - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/three-members-oregon-senate-disqualified-re-elected-rcna84584

Inside the Tennessee legislature, where a GOP supermajority reigns - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/inside-tennessee-legislature-where-gop-supermajority-reigns/

Tennessee Gov. Lee signs bills to shield gunmakers, place armed guards at schools in wake of Covenant shooting - https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tennessee-gov-lee-signs-bills-shield-gunmakers-place-armed-guards-schools-wake-covenant-shooting

Texas - Big Oil Tries To Buy Its Own Courts - https://www.levernews.com/big-oil-tries-to-buy-its-own-courts/

Virginia joins Republican states pulling out of multi-state voter list program - https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/

OPINION | The End of Advisory Votes Is a Victory for Immigrant and New Voters - https://southseattleemerald.com/2023/05/16/opinion-the-end-of-advisory-votes-is-a-victory-for-immigrant-and-new-voters/

How One Local Republican Is Trying To Invalidate Washington State’s Voting Rights Act - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/how-one-local-republican-is-trying-to-invalidate-washington-states-voting-rights-act

State Supreme Court Diversity — May 2023 Update - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-supreme-court-diversity-may-2023-update

Tracking Supreme Court decisions in major cases - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/11/supreme-court-decisions/

Moore v. Harper: Will the Supreme Court give up on Independent State Legislature case from NC? - https://www.wral.com/story/moore-v-harper-will-the-supreme-court-give-up-on-independent-state-legislature-case-from-nc/20855706/

Supreme Court to Consider South Carolina Voting Map Ruled a Racial Gerrymander - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/us/politics/supreme-court-south-carolina-voting-map.html

A new Supreme Court case threatens to make gerrymandering even worse - https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/15/23724075/supreme-court-gerrymandering-voting-rights-south-carolina-naacp-alexander

The Origins of Our Investigation Into Clarence Thomas’ Relationship With Harlan Crow - https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-investigation-origins

Jane Roberts' anti-abortion advocacy helped her husband, Chief Justice John Roberts, land his spot on the Supreme Court years before Roe v. Wade was overturned - https://www.businessinsider.com/jane-john-roberts-anti-abortion-husband-supreme-court-roe-wade-2023-5

Anatomy of the Supreme Court as an Institution in Crisis - https://www.governing.com/context/anatomy-of-the-supreme-court-as-an-institution-in-crisis

Democrats reintroduce Supreme Court expansion legislation - https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4006799-democrats-reintroduce-supreme-court-expansion-legislation/

Group Tied to Influential Conservative Activist Spent $183 Million in a Year - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/us/politics/leonard-leo-marble-freedom-trust.html

Who Is Leonard Leo’s Mysterious Dark Money King? - https://newrepublic.com/article/172480/barre-seid-leonard-leo-dark-money-king

House GOP election law overhaul may try to protect donors - https://rollcall.com/2023/05/11/house-gop-election-law-overhaul-may-try-to-protect-donors/

Ron DeSantis is about to make a mockery of campaign finance law - https://popular.info/p/ron-desantis-is-about-to-make-a-mockery

AS MANCHIN EYES PRESIDENTIAL RUN, HIS ALLIES AT NO LABELS FACE MOUNTING LEGAL CHALLENGES - https://theintercept.com/2023/05/16/no-labels-2024-election-lawsuit/

From School Boards to City Councils, Local Redistricting Matters - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/from-school-boards-to-city-councils-local-redistricting-matters

Alaska - OPINION: In support of open primaries and ranked choice voting - https://www.adn.com/opinions/2023/05/06/opinion-in-support-of-open-primaries-and-ranked-choice-voting/

Democracy isn't ready for its AI test - https://www.axios.com/2023/05/11/democracy-ai-artificial-intelligence-2024-elections

AI presents political peril for 2024 with threat to mislead voters - https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-misinformation-deepfakes-2024-election-trump-59fb51002661ac5290089060b3ae39a0

7 Ways AI Could Solve All Of Our Election Woes: Out With The Polls, In With The AI Models - https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2020/11/02/7-ways-ai-could-solve-all-of-our-election-woes-out-with-the-polls-in-with-the-ai-models/?sh=33202667622c

America needs a cross-national approach to counter authoritarianism - https://thefulcrum.us/countering-authoritarianism-with-cross-national-approach

Fighting back against authoritarianism - https://thefulcrum.us/fighting-back-against-authoritarianism