20th anniversary Event

Fix Democracy First 20th Anniversary Celebration & Get Together

Please join Fix Democracy First to celebrate our 20 years of supporting and helping build a stronger democracy. We will be honoring democracy heroes, hear from special guests, enjoy delicious food catered by Falafel Salam and wine donated by Eleven Winery, and more!


This is our first in-person event since 2019, and we look forward to celebrating together.

This year we are excited to welcome John Bonifaz, Free Speech for People President and Co-founder, as our keynote Speaker!

Fix Democracy First Democracy Champion Awardees for 2023:

  • State Senator Patty Kuderer: State Official of the Year - For work championing pro-democracy reforms in Washington state
  • Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda: Local Official of the Year - For support and advocacy for public funding of elections via Democracy Vouchers in Seattle and across the country
  • The Washington Bus: Organization of the Year - For work on pro-democracy reforms and expanding youth engagement
  • Alice Woldt: Lifetime Democracy Champion - For ongoing advocacy and support for democracy and furthering Fix Democracy First's mission

Schedule of Events

Online Auction – Sept. 11-18

Our Online Auction will be up for a full week starting on Friday, Sept. 11th through Friday, September 18th. There will many great items including, wine, gift baskets, art supplies, fun experiences, & lots more!

Democracy Happy Hour - September 16 @ 5 pm

Join us for a SPECIAL Democracy Happy Hour on September 16th from 5-6 pm! This event is free for anyone to join. Come meet our board members, hear about our past successes, ongoing work, and upcoming projects to help expand outreach and strengthen democracy.

Virtual Awards Ceremony - September 17 @ 6 pm

We will be honoring this year's awardees online at our Virtual Awards Ceremony on Thursday, September 17th at 6-7:30 pm! In addition to holding up our 2020 Democracy Awardees, will have some entertainment, and share current Fix Democracy First's projects to improve democracy and representation for all.

Our 2020 Democracy Awardees include:

  • State Elected Official of the Year - Mike Pellicciotti, WA State Representative - For ongoing work to tackle money in elections through common sense campaign finance and democracy reforms
  • Local Elected Official of the Year - Lorena González, Seattle City Councilmember - For her leadership in strengthening democracy with the Seattle Clean Campaigns Act
  • Organization of the Year - League of Women Voters of Washington - For 100 years of ongoing work to expand democracy throughout Washington State and beyond.
  • Volunteer of the Year - Juan Vega, Voter Registration Coordinator - For his ongoing commitment to voter registration and civic engagement.

Special Lifetime Democracy Achievement Awardee:

  • John King: Past President & Longtime Board Member of Fix Democracy First - For his many years of dedicated service and commitment to strengthening democracy in Washington State and beyond

Lawrence Lessig – September 18th @ 6 pm

We are honored to welcome a very special guest, author, academic, attorney, and political activist, Lawrence Lessig on Friday, Sept. 18th from 6-7:30 pm for our main speaker event.

About the Speaker

Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to returning to Harvard, he taught at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago. He clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court.

Lessig is the founder of Equal Citizens and a founding board member of Creative Commons and serves on the Scientific Board of AXA Research Fund. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, he has received numerous awards including a Webby, the Free Software Foundation's Freedom Award, Scientific American 50 Award, and Fastcase 50 Award.

Cited by The New Yorker as “the most important thinker on intellectual property in the Internet era,” Lessig has focused much of his career on law and technology, especially as it affects copyright. His current work addresses “institutional corruption”—relationships which, while legal, weaken public trust in an institution—especially as that affects democracy.

His books include: They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy (November 2019), Fidelity & Constraint: How the Supreme Court Has Read the American Constitution (May 2019), America, Compromised (2018), Republic, Lost v2 (2015), Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It (2011), Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy (2008), Code v2 (2006), The Future of Ideas (2001), and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (1999).

Lessig holds a BA in economics and a BS in management from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in philosophy from Cambridge University, and a JD from Yale.

BONUS: Purchase a ticket for $50 or above, receive a FREE copy of Lawrence Lessig's book, They Don't Represent Us.

Get your ticket

All tickets and sponsorships are tax deductible and will support Fix Democracy First Education Fund, our 501(c)(3).

Ticket Options

  • $100 - Regular
  • $750 - Table for 8
  • $25 - Living Lightly - for students or under 25, lower income, etc.

Sponsorship

  • $250 and above - for Individual or Couples
  • $500 and above – for Organizations or Groups

Purchase by Check

You can also purchase tickets or sponsorship by sending us a check to the address below.

  • Mail checks to: 1402 3rd Ave, Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98101
  • Please include a note that the payment is for purchasing tickets to our 20th Anniversary event and list the name(s) of attendees.

Thank you to all our Sponsors!

A HUGE thank you to all our sponsors who donated at the $250 level! You are a true Democracy Visionary.

Citizens Institute
Impact Sponsor
League of Women Voters of WA
Starter Sponsor
Meaningful Movies Project
Starter Sponsor
Ken Dammand
Democracy Visionary Sponsor
Diane Turner
Impact Sponsor
Linda Brewster
Impact Sponsor
Alice Woldt
Starter Sponsor
Emilce Sanchez
Starter Sponsor
Erik & Charlotte Connell
Starter Sponsor
Juan Vega
Starter Sponsor
Linda & Dennis Bock
Starter Sponsor
Norm Conrad
Starter Sponsor
Kathy & Geoff Sakahara
Starter Sponsor
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