Democracy Happy Hour – September 21, 2022

Democracy Happy Hour, September 21, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/V5JeOLcgGZ3YqqQ59inZifV5m5zbSu3vMsn1wDFp3FRFvFmltC6i1Wjj7t1LFYipwFxOUr2LLwVS0WKq.Bx5trPCuvwZk8nYo
• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tHZGn8J2Kn4NqwfROnKXtZ8KmnK7v7ujacuAdbYeD--fzma_Mk-hRVyL88ipvJzgZLQPGQxYVz8wFMb6.IvJxXH-OufWDPCAN
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/IYL1jutZcnGTxLtV1fVdYdAhEhDq62PSxEoUZ_ElJoK3aUK4hqIo1SX5X7RQ2a0Ll_CnGqAqJpVRXx5R.vTcl7IGbiRs9epo0

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

Fix Democracy First Links

• DONATE to Fix Democracy First or Fix Democracy First Education Fund @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• YO VOTE! (Youth Organizers for Voter Outreach, Teaching & Engagement) - https://www.yo-vote.org
• WON (Women in Office Now) – https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won

Upcoming Topics:

• Sept 28 - Next U.S. Supreme Court Session: What can we expect?
• Oct 5 - Jan 6 Committee Report Review (tentative)
• Oct 12 - Ranked-Choice Voting on the Ballot

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

• Jan 6. Justice: Our Freedom, Our Vote Movement Call – Sept 29^th @ 5 pm PT (8 pm ET) - https://www.mobilize.us/jan6hearings/event/503866/

DISCLOSE ACT:

• Call Your Senator to Support the DISCLOSE Act - https://act.newmode.net/action/declaration-american-democracy-coalition/call-your-senator-support-disclose-act
• Ranked Choice Voting in Washington State:
• Seattle - https://rcv4seattle.org/
• Clark County – https://fairvotewa.org/ClarkCoCampaign/
• San Juan County – https://fairvotewa.org/SJCOcampaign/
• FVWA - Why Ranked-Choice Voting Works -https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/event/434070/
• Ranked-Choice Voting WA Monday Funday Phone Bank -https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/event/444167/
• Ranked-Choice Voting vs Approval Voting - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g1cE2au5bG1tfjrlIxxswCC_yBHqz7pb/view

Seattle Supports Democracy Actions:

• Democracy Action Hour with Seattle Supports Democracy - https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/480738/
• Eastside Gladiators – Be the Change 509 - https://www.facebook.com/groups/712510762509752
• Sierra Club – Defend Democracy - https://www.sierraclub.org/defend-our-democracy-volunteer-today
• Election Protection - Stopping Voter Suppression - https://protectthevote.net/?partner=fixdemocracy

Benefits & Types of Public Funding for Elections Links:

Public Campaign Financing – Brennan Center for Justice - https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/public-campaign-financing

Citizen Funding for Elections – The Campaign Finance Institute

http://www.cfinst.org/pdf/books-reports/CFI_CitizenFundingforElections.pdfhttps://

Designing Public Financing Systems to Advance Equity and Independent Political Power - Demos

https://www.demos.org/sites/default/files/publications/Public%20Financing.pdf

Expanding Participation in Municipal Elections: Assessing the Impact of Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program - UW Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology

https://www.jenheerwig.com/uploads/1/3/2/1/13210230/mccabe_heerwig_seattle_voucher_4.03.pdf

Diversifying the Donor Pool: How Did Seattle's Democracy Voucher Program Reshape Participation in Municipal Campaign Finance? – Election Law Journal https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/elj.2018.0534

Justices decline challenge to Seattle ‘democracy vouchers’ – AP News

https://apnews.com/dc7e0d6de131703dcb0a2ad161c8bc1d

Seattle Democracy Voucher Program – Reports:

Internal reports: https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/program-data/internal-program-reports-

External reports: https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/program-data/external-reports

YES on W (the Oakland Fair Elections Act) - https://fairelectionsoakland.org/

Democracy in the News Links:

House Passes Overhaul of Electoral Count, Moving to Avert Another Jan. 6 Crisis - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/21/us/politics/house-passes-electoral-count-act.html

Bipartisan electoral count reform bill clears major hurdle - https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2022/09/13/bill-to-clarify-vp-s-role-in-certifying-future-presidential-elections-clears-major-hurdle

Seeing double: dueling electoral count overhauls - https://www.politico.com/newsletters/huddle/2022/09/20/seeing-double-dueling-electoral-count-overhauls-00057692

Proposals to Update the Electoral Count Act - https://protectdemocracy.org/project/electoral-count-act/#section-7

House Jan. 6 committee chairman confirms date for the likely final hearing - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-jan-committee-chairman-confirms-date-final-hearing/story?id=90236049

The Justice Dept.’s Jan. 6 investigation is looking at ... everything - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/15/trump-january-6-subpoenas-meadows/

The Story So Far: Where 6 Investigations Into Donald Trump Stand - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/us/politics/donald-trump-investigations.html

Georgia 2020 election inquiry may lead to prison sentences, prosecutor says - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/15/fani-willis-georgia-prison/

U.S. Asks Appeals Court to Restore Access to Sensitive Records Seized From Trump - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/politics/trump-special-master-justice-dept.html

Special Master Expresses Skepticism of Declassification Claims by Trump’s Lawyers - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/us/politics/trump-declassification-documents.html

Videos Show Trump Allies Handling Georgia Voting Equipment - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/us/trump-election-coffee-county-georgia.html

Dozens of Trump’s phony electors, many under investigation, still hold powerful GOP jobs in key states - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/dozens-trumps-phony-electors-many-investigation-still-hold-powerful-go-rcna47468

Prominent election deniers are facing growing legal trouble - https://www.npr.org/2022/09/20/1123898736/prominent-election-deniers-are-facing-growing-legal-trouble

GOP-led voting changes are on the rise, making elections more vulnerable to meddling, many analysts say - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gop-led-voting-rise-making-elections-vulnerable-meddling/story?id=89408633

Republicans in key battleground races refuse to say they will accept results - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/18/republicans-refuse-accept-results/

What an election denier could do if elected secretary of state - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/19/election-deniers-secretary-state/

Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-technology-colorado-donald-trump-voting-95b862c0cb66aac446a213aace504776

Election officials tired, frustrated by continuous 2020 records requests - https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/grid-bending-not-breaking-during-energy-transition-1

Election chief on mounting threats to poll workers ahead of midterms - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-chief-on-mounting-threats-to-election-officials-ahead-of-midterms/

GOP Anti-Voting Lawsuits Increase Nearly Five-Fold in 2022 - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/gop-anti-voting-lawsuits-increase-nearly-five-fold-in-2022

GOP escalates fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-abortion-arkansas-recreational-marijuana-0c003046cc981ebcfb38fa77c1455737

The ‘Cost’ of Voting in America: A Look at Where It’s Easiest and Hardest - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/20/us/politics/cost-of-voting.html

STATE SCORECARD 2022 GRADES FOR VOTE-BY-MAIL AND EARLY VOTING OPPORTUNITIES - https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/CLC_Vote-by-mail-report_v3.pdf

Democracy Challenged - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/briefing/democracy-challenged-threats-elections.html

‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/american-democracy-threats.html

Supreme Court reverses course on religious school’s LGBTQ club in 5-4 vote - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/14/supreme-court-yeshiva-lgbtq/

Yeshiva University suspends student clubs in wake of Supreme Court's LGBTQ ruling - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yeshiva-university-suspends-student-clubs-supreme-court-lgbtq-ruling/

Federal appeals court upholds controversial Texas social media law - https://www.axios.com/2022/09/18/texas-social-media-law-upheld-appeals-court-censorship

A landmark Supreme Court fight over social media now looks likely - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/19/texas-florida-social-media-laws/

States’ chief justices group argues against independent state legislatures ‘theory’ - https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/09/15/states-chief-justices-group-argues-against-independent-state-legislatures-theory/

The story of the praying Bremerton coach keeps getting more surreal - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-story-of-the-praying-bremerton-coach-keeps-getting-more-surreal/

U.S. Senate will vote this week on election transparency bill -Schumer - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-will-vote-this-week-election-transparency-bill-schumer-2022-09-19/

Biden makes push to rid elections of 'dark money' - https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/politics/2022/09/20/biden-makes-push-to-rid-elections-of--dark-money-

Old money: How retirees are funding and fueling political candidates unlike ever before - https://www.businessinsider.com/old-money-retirees-turbocharging-politics-congress-elections-2022-9

New ‘dark money’ group tied to former Trump officials launches provocative ads ahead of 2022 midterms - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/09/new-dark-money-group-tied-to-former-trump-officials-launches-provocative-ads-ahead-of-2022-midterms

National conservative groups pour money into local school board races - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/19/conservative-school-board-fundraising-florida-00057325

Dark Money School Groups Are Trying to Buy the Midterm Elections for the GOP - https://truthout.org/articles/dark-money-school-groups-are-trying-to-buy-the-midterm-elections-for-the-gop/

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PLAN TO INVESTIGATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IF THEY TAKE THE MAJORITY - https://theintercept.com/2022/09/19/house-republicans-chamber-commerce/

Democrats Are Delaying A Stock Trading Ban Until After Midterms - https://dailycaller.com/2022/09/15/democrats-stock-midterms-ban/#google_vignette

Pelosi Says Congress Stock Trading Bill Could Go To Floor This Month - https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2022/09/16/checks--imbalances-pelosi-talks-stocks/?sh=5d829de56a7c

Warnings Mount Over Right-Wing Plot to Rewrite US Constitution - https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/09/19/warnings-mount-over-right-wing-plot-rewrite-us-constitution

Partisan gerrymandering can reduce access to credit, study finds - https://www.marketplace.org/2022/09/20/partisan-gerrymandering-can-reduce-access-to-credit-study-finds/

Scholars Ask Congress to Scrap Winner-Take-All Political System - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/us/politics/redistricting-gerrymandering.html

Americans want younger leaders, but elected officials are getting older - https://thefulcrum.us/average-age-of-congress

How Russian Trolls Helped Keep the Women’s March Out of Lock Step - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/18/us/womens-march-russia-trump.html

Pentagon opens sweeping review of clandestine psychological operations - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/19/pentagon-psychological-operations-facebook-twitter/

Heritage Foundation is dead wrong about WA’s election integrity - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/heritage-foundation-is-dead-wrong-about-was-election-integrity/

Washington state's tax system is worsening income inequality - https://crosscut.com/equity/2022/09/washington-states-tax-system-worsening-income-inequality

The Democracy Group – Exploring the Future of Democracy - Podcasts - https://www.democracygroup.org/