Democracy Happy Hour – September 7, 2022

Democracy Happy Hour, September 7, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/1YlMxE3pzyyEnNq5qS-2_qikWupC1B0-8RnyFFPqxuflfphygM-Pk3pDAc2YNvQdkUQquqccJFA8mgdQ.x_nn3BYkquh8y92Y
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/1YlMxE3pzyyEnNq5qS-2_qikWupC1B0-8RnyFFPqxuflfphygM-Pk3pDAc2YNvQdkUQquqccJFA8mgdQ.x_nn3BYkquh8y92Y
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/l36oNhXcG3HxHmsV6bMiIEQQD8xSuy2_AfMZeyIIfBGhWqTKq9-Z4c6-7I94Mz0-d7yKFVeWKnRxxOzS.VYyPgh9HdVNwZ167

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 14 - Minority Rule: How did we get here?
• Sept 21 - Benefits & Types of Public Funding for Elections
• Sept 28 - Next U.S. Supreme Court Session: What can we expect?

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

• Fixing Our Outmoded Election Laws Is Not Partisan; It is Critical for Business and the Economy (virtual) -  Sep 13, 2022 @ 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM ET - https://www.hbscny.org/events/register-ren-fixing-our-outmoded-election-laws-is-not-partisan-it-is-critical-for-business-and-the-economy-virtual/=

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/
• Write Letters to Get Out the Vote with Seattle Supports Democracy and VoteForward - https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/480507/
• Eastside Gladiators – Be the Change 509 - https://www.facebook.com/groups/712510762509752
• Walking to Fix Our Democracy - https://www.fixourdemocracy.us/
• Election Protection - Stopping Voter Suppression - https://protectthevote.net/?partner=fixdemocracy
• Pass a Local Resolution in Response to the January 6 Hearings - https://www.democracyresolutions.org/
• THE 14POINT3 CAMPAIGN - https://freespeechforpeople.org/the-14point3-campaign/

DISCLOSE ACT:

• Sign the petition to the U.S. Senate: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Pass the DISCLOSE Act.- https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-the-us-senate-sunlight-is-the-best-disinfectant-pass-the-disclose-act?source=2022Disclose_FDF&referrer=group-fixdemocracyfirst
• Call Your Senator to Support the DISCLOSE Act - https://act.newmode.net/action/declaration-american-democracy-coalition/call-your-senator-support-disclose-act
• Write a Letter about the DISCLOSE Act! - https://act.newmode.net/action/declaration-american-democracy-coalition/write-letter-about-disclose-act

Why Do We Need the Separation of Church & State? Links:

• Establishment Clause (Separation of Church and State) - https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/885/establishment-clause-separation-of-church-and-state
• Separation of Church and State - https://rac.org/issues/separation-church-and-state
• Top 5 myths of separation of church and state - https://bjconline.org/top-5-myths-of-separation-of-church-and-state/
• Separation of Church and State Has Always Been Good for Religion - https://religionandpolitics.org/2022/06/30/separation-of-church-and-state-has-always-been-good-for-religion/
• In U.S., Far More Support Than Oppose Separation of Church and State - https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/10/28/in-u-s-far-more-support-than-oppose-separation-of-church-and-state/
• The Separation of Church and State Is Breaking Down Under Trump - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/breakdown-church-and-state/613498/
• The Decline of Church-State Separation - https://religionandpolitics.org/2022/04/26/the-decline-of-church-state-separation/
• The activist behind opposition to the separation of church and state - https://religionnews.com/2022/07/18/the-activist-behind-opposition-to-the-separation-of-church-and-state/
• GOP Rep. Boebert: ‘I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/28/lauren-boebert-church-state-colorado/
• The Supreme Court Benches the Separation of Church and State - https://www.aclu.org/news/religious-liberty/the-supreme-court-benches-the-separation-of-church-and-state
• Under right-leaning Supreme Court, the church-state wall is crumbling - https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/07/17/supreme-court-church-state-religion-coach/
• Americans United for the Separation of Church and State - https://www.au.org/

Democracy in the News Links:

Spokane civil rights activist Sandy Williams was aboard plane that crashed in Puget Sound - https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/sep/05/spokane-civil-rights-activist-sandy-williams-was-a/

Biden Warns That American Values Are Under Assault by Trump-Led Extremism - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/us/politics/biden-speech-trump-maga.html

Historian of Radical Right: Biden Is Correct, Trump Poses Existential Threat to Future of Democracy - https://www.democracynow.org/2022/9/2/biden_speech_maga_trump_democracy

Material on foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities seized at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/06/trump-nuclear-documents/

F.B.I. Found 48 Empty Folders That Had Contained Classified Documents at Trump’s Home - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/us/politics/trump-fbi-folders-classified.html

Obstruction now a major focus in Trump documents probe - https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-05541b18c364a484891f2b3076bf1847

Judge Grants Trump’s Request for Special Master to Review Mar-a-Lago Documents - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/05/us/politics/trump-special-master.html

‘Deeply Problematic’: Experts Question Judge’s Intervention in Trump Inquiry - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/05/us/trump-special-master-aileen-cannon.html

Judge Unseats Official Who Trespassed at Capitol on Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/us/politics/jan-6-griffin-insurrection.html

Lawmaker on Jan. 6 probe panel expects Mike Pence to testify voluntarily - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/lawmaker-jan-6-probe-panel-expects-mike-pence-testify-voluntarily-2022-09-04/

Jan. 6 select panel asks Newt Gingrich to testify - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/01/jan-6-select-panel-asks-newt-gingrich-to-testify-00054594

Trump says he's 'financially supporting' January 6 defendants and will look 'very favorably' about full pardons if he wins the 2024 election - https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-says-hes-financially-supporting-january-6-defendants-2022-9

Ginni Thomas pressed Wisconsin lawmakers to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory - https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/09/01/ginni-thomas-wisconsin-bernier-tauchen/

They Were at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Now They’re Running for Congress. - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/us/politics/jan-6-congress.html

More Than 1 In 2 Americans Will Have An Election Denier On The Ballot This Fall - https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-trump-election-fraud/

Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers list - https://apnews.com/article/oath-keepers-leaked-membership-rolls-2ca4195ed3a10e45dd189bf98f3e5a26

Cameras, Plexiglass, Fireproofing: Election Officials Beef Up Security - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/us/politics/midterms-elections-threats-security.html

Are elections in WA safe from cybersecurity attacks and misinformation? Here’s what experts say - https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/election/article264968899.html

Who Certifies Elections in the U.S. and Abroad? - https://electionreformers.org/who-certifies-elections-in-the-u-s-and-abroad/

The midterm elections need workers. Teens, veterans and lawyers are stepping up - https://www.npr.org/2022/09/07/1120065844/midterms-elections-poll-worker-shortage-recruitment

Explainer: How new U.S. laws could trip up voters this November - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/proceed-with-caution-how-new-us-laws-could-trip-up-voters-this-november-2022-09-06/

Out of 18 pro-democracy bills in 2022, the US Senate filibuster torpedoed 17 of them: report - https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-filibuster-democracy-bill-passage-law-congress-2022-9

A Second Constitutional Convention? Some Republicans Want to Force One - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/us/politics/constitutional-convention-republican-states.html

Democrat Mary Peltola wins special U.S. House election, will be first Alaska Native elected to Congress - https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/08/31/democrat-mary-peltola-wins-special-us-house-election-will-be-first-alaska-native-elected-to-congress/#

Results and analysis from Alaska's first RCV election - https://www.fairvote.org/alaska_rcv_analysis

After Peltola win in Alaska, a debate erupts over ranked-choice voting - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/01/peltola-palin-ranked-choice-voting-alaska/

Election deniers repeatedly visited Ga. county office at center of criminal probe, video shows - https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/09/06/coffee-county-georgia-breach-logan/

Michigan elections panel declines to send voting rights proposal to ballot - https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/31/michigan-elections-panel-voting-rights-proposal/65462378007/

What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water. - https://texas.votebeat.org/2022/8/29/23325012/gillespie-county-election-staff-resigns-anissa-hererra-harassment

Wisconsin disabled voters may have help returning their ballots, federal judge rules - https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/08/31/disabled-voters-wisconsin-may-have-help-voting-federal-judge-rules/7949607001/

Wis. activist who said voter fraud is easy to commit faces election charges - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/01/harry-wait-wisconsin-voter-fraud/

Inflation and abortion are the biggest motivators for young voters in 2022 - https://thefulcrum.us/voter-turnout-478093245

17 Million Women Have Lost Abortion Access Since The Supreme Court Overturned Roe - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/overturning-roe-abortion-17-million-people_n_630d1f5ee4b063d5e61dc41f

States watch Texas to determine impact of abortion bans - https://rollcall.com/2022/09/01/states-watch-texas-to-determine-impact-of-abortion-bans/

Veterans Affairs says it will provide abortions — even in Texas - https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/02/va-abortions-veterans-texas/

UN committee calls on US to address effects of Dobbs ruling on racial, ethnic minorities - https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3622430-un-committee-calls-on-us-to-address-effects-of-dobbs-ruling-on-racial-ethnic-minorities/

Local judges now have more power to decide who gets an abortion - https://19thnews.org/2022/08/local-judges-abortion-decision-restrictions/

The Legal Dilemma on Student Debt Relief - https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/09/06/groups-may-sue-over-bidens-debt-plan-they-need-plaintiff

Our Voting Rights Are at Stake in Upcoming Supreme Court Ruling - https://truthout.org/articles/our-voting-rights-are-at-stake-in-upcoming-supreme-court-ruling/

Top state court judges defend their election oversight at U.S. Supreme Court - https://news.yahoo.com/top-state-court-judges-defend-154743640.html

Leonard Leo: the secretive rightwinger using billions to reshape America - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/04/leonard-leo-federalist-society-conservative-abortion

How a Record Cash Haul Vanished for Senate Republicans - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/us/politics/senate-republican-committee-funds.html

Polarized Contributions but Convergent Agendas - https://www.philadelphiafed.org/the-economy/macroeconomics/polarized-contributions-but-convergent-agendas

FEC approves rule to remove candidate loan repayment restrictions - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/09/fec-approves-rule-to-remove-candidate-loan-repayment-restrictions/

The Conflicted: Reps Own Stock in Companies While Serving on Committees Overseeing Them - https://readsludge.com/2022/09/02/the-conflicted-reps-own-stock-in-companies-while-serving-on-committees-overseeing-them/

Our Super Rich Are Fretting About Their Great-Great-Grandkids - https://inequality.org/great-divide/our-super-rich-are-fretting-about-their-great-great-grandkids/

How Abbott Kept Sick Babies From Becoming a Scandal - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/business/abbott-baby-formula-lawsuits-jones-day.html

YouTube more likely to recommend election-fraud content to those skeptical of the 2020 election: study - https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/3625989-youtube-more-likely-to-recommend-election-fraud-content-to-those-skeptical-of-the-2020-election-study/

Facebook parent company repeatedly violated WA campaign finance law, court finds - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/facebook-parent-company-repeatedly-violated-wa-campaign-finance-law-court-finds/

Data shows how well Seattle’s democracy voucher program is working - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/data-shows-how-well-seattles-democracy-voucher-program-is-working/

Seattle’s ‘Girlvolution’ shapes youth leaders to act now - https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattles-girlvolution-shapes-youth-leaders-to-act-now/

Democracy Day 2022 - https://collaborativejournalism.org/democracyday/about/

‍