Democracy Happy Hour – April 17, 2024

Democracy Happy Hour, April 17, 2024 - Meeting Recordings:

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/UKBjh7E6aGLfsBzSnEf6Sae8CGlHxN4Dc0eWfQlMaKaMwI4b8YKCu1qbdQ5whxWcjbC8dBbytq_s7vnZ.bod4ZBA1MeNBfr4j

• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/W7H1SxuCAcG9hVsrfHdfFECYGXl-Q_UJwjMQblGc5a0HbglXwB1R749bv_oYN7okyy1q7g7b26jdiBfP.Lhv-Wmv1kDWw7V_u

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/Ca65ihZwmh6vtHmg21QM5jZxGoUyDIlE7xWhZn4y8Uc9LmdgI-QU1Qv5DHaVe4ZaQYtU2lAWY1EQEJaO.dx5-pOntyZcK_rJW

FDF Links:

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/

• Annual Spring Online Auction 2024 – April 20^th to May4th – All proceeds will be used for our youth action civics pilot project: https://fdfef.winningbidder.com/

• Donate to Fix Democracy First Education Fund to support our civic education and engagement work @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate/fdfef

• Join our board(s)! We are looking for people to join our Fix Democracy First and Fix Democracy First Education Fund boards.some text
  • Fix Democracy First (501c4): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtDKKTBsOo7X_nk-7POVUTpJ-K1vfP-U_zHQrW1Ke7JNfvug/viewform
  • Fix Democracy First Education Fund (501c3): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXiaGJJ0bVqV5eqW2irfLHWrU0n8iwVIsDwDjtrTP36mEj5g/viewform

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule:

• Apr 24 - Building Women's Political Power through Democracy Reform with Alissa Bombardier Shaw, RepresentWomen
• May 1 - Creating Local Democracy Hubs to Strengthen Communities with Vinay Orekondy, Coalition Director at Rank the Vote
• May 8 - The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025 with Elise Wirkus, Protect Democracy
• May 15 – SPECIAL EVENT: How to Steal a Presidential Election with Lawrence Lessig

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

• John Lewis: Good Trouble Online Screening Event – Sponsored by Meaningful Movies Project & Fix Democracy First – April 28^th @ 4 pm PT/7 pm ET - Register @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-lewis-good-trouble-online-screening-event-tickets-864265149327

• Minority Rule: A Conversation with Ari Berman – April 30^th @ 4 pm PT/7 pm ET - https://www.circle.org/events/minorityrulewithariberman

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

• Support the Building Civic Bridges Actsome text
  • https://resolutionaries.org/advocacy-bcba/#/2/
  • https://kilmer.house.gov/imo/media/doc/building_civic_bridges_act.pdf

• Teachers Advancing Civic Learning (TACL) – https://civxnow.org/our-work/tacl/some text
  • Sign up @ https://www.congressweb.com/signup/?id=AE4C45D3-ADF3-451E-19442D42806D333B

• High School Video Contest 2023-2024 with League of Women Voters of WA - https://lwvwapsacontest.wpcomstaging.com/

• Why Do You Vote? - https://www.whydoyou.vote/

• Respect Voters - https://www.respectvoters.org/

Team Democracy Links:

• Team Democracy - https://www.teamdemocracy.org/some text
  • About Team Democracy - https://www.teamdemocracy.org/about-team-democracy
  • Initiatives:some text
    • Civics Credentialing - https://www.teamdemocracy.org/civics-credentialing
    • Trusted Elections - https://www.teamdemocracy.org/trusted-elections
  • Get Involved - https://www.teamdemocracy.org/get-involved

Democracy in the News Links:

Trump hush money trial: Prosecutors want to question Trump about civil cases - https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/trump-hush-money-trial/judge-sets-hearing-on-holding-trump-in-contempt-109259505

New York judge says Trump can’t attend Supreme Court arguments on presidential immunity - https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4595849-ny-judge-trump-supreme-court-presidential-immunity/

US Supreme Court leans toward Jan. 6 rioter in obstruction case, with Trump implications - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-tackles-rioters-obstruction-case-with-trump-implications-2024-04-16/

If convicted this year, Trump could lose the right to vote for himself - https://www.npr.org/2024/04/14/1240672009/trump-conviction-voting-rights

Lara Trump’s RNC robocall falsely claims ‘massive fraud’ in 2020 election - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/11/lara-trump-rnc-election-robocalls

Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor to Face Inquiry for Role as Fake Trump Elector - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/us/burt-jones-trump-georgia.html

Voting technology company settles lawsuit against far-right news outlet over 2020 election claims - https://apnews.com/article/2020-election-voting-machines-smartmatic-conspiracy-theories-2d6774bf7730c8e26c32b47d06ea99b5

Trump and Mike Johnson push for redundant ban on non-citizens voting - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/11/trump-mike-johnson-migrant-voting-bill

Latino voters are a target for election misinformation - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/latino-voters-are-a-target-for-election-misinformation

Federal security officials warn local election offices to upgrade their websites - https://www.wunc.org/2024-04-16/federal-security-officials-warn-local-election-offices-to-upgrade-their-websites

Katie Hobbs vetoed a trio of Republican election bills - https://azmirror.com/briefs/katie-hobbs-vetoed-a-trio-of-republican-election-bills/

Arizona’s abortion ban is a political nightmare for Republicans in the 2024 election - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/10/trump-arizona-abortion-ban

California officials sue Huntington Beach over voter ID law passed at polls - https://apnews.com/article/california-voter-identification-lawsuit-huntington-beach-2ac3a59eb19fef90a6382dbcfdb12898

Judge throws out Miami’s ‘unconstitutional’ voting map over racial gerrymandering - https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article287566750.html

Residents sue to stop ‘gerrymandered’ Tampa Bay Senate districts - https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2024/04/10/florida-redistricting-legislature-aclu-desantis-lawsuit/

Voting rights lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to begin Monday - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/04/12/voting-rights-absentee-ballot-suit-against-raffensperger-to-begin-monday/73116768007/

Judge Dismisses Challenge to Georgia’s Voter Citizenship Verification Requirements - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/judge-dismisses-challenge-to-georgias-voter-citizenship-verification-requirements/

Idaho voter identification lawsuit comes to an end after Idaho Supreme Court ruling - https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/04/11/idaho-voter-identification-lawsuit-comes-to-an-end-after-idaho-supreme-court-ruling/

Maine joins compact to elect the president by popular vote but it won't come into play this November - https://www.wabi.tv/2024/04/15/maine-joins-compact-elect-president-by-popular-vote-it-wont-come-into-play-this-november/

Stiffer penalties for threatening election workers will be in effect for Maryland primary - https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2024-04-10/stiffer-penalties-for-threatening-election-workers-will-be-in-effect-for-maryland-primary

Federal judge rejects GOP lawmaker suit over state election laws - https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/federal-judge-rejects-gop-lawmaker-suit-over-state-election-laws/

Nebraska lawmakers pass a bill to restore voting rights to newly released felons - https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-felons-nebraska-elections-49dee80b7787a60d33b25a35aefa6e98

Nevada judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Election Worker Protection Act - https://www.kolotv.com/2024/04/10/nevada-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-challenging-election-worker-protection-act/

Secretary of State report says no widespread voter fraud in Nevada history - https://www.kolotv.com/2024/04/15/secretary-state-report-says-no-widespread-voter-fraud-nevada-history/

NC Board of Elections rejects complaint about duplicate voter registrations, but wants cleaner rolls - https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-board-of-elections-rejects-complaint-about-duplicate-voter-registrations-but-wants-cleaner-rolls/

Voting rights groups ask appeals court to reconsider ruling on undated mail-in ballots - https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/voting-rights-groups-ask-appeals-court-to-reconsider-ruling-on-undated-mail-in-ballots/

People with disabilities sue in Wisconsin over lack of electronic absentee ballots - https://apnews.com/article/disabled-voters-wisconsin-lawsuit-absentee-ballots-b22829262de32ebd26fc263ad077be6a

Wisconsin Supreme Court liberal won’t run again, shaking up race for control - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/11/wisconsin-supreme-court-justice-reelection/

Court declines to intervene in lawsuit against Black Lives Matter organizer - https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/04/court-declines-to-intervene-in-lawsuit-against-black-lives-matter-organizer/

The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states - https://www.vox.com/scotus/24080080/supreme-court-mckesson-doe-first-amendment-protest-black-lives-matter

Don’t Panic About the Supreme Court’s Right to Protest Ruling—Yet - https://newrepublic.com/article/180739/mckesson-doe-first-amendment-sotomayor

Supreme Court Poised to Cut Back Scope of Anti-Corruption Law - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/us/supreme-court-anti-corruption-law.html

Leo rejects Senate subpoena from panel probing gifts to Supreme Court justices - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/11/leonard-leo-subpoena-senate-supreme-court-gifts/

New Trump Super PAC Says It Has $27 Million After Its First Major Event - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/us/politics/trump-super-pac.html

Biden fund gets big donation from son of Republican megadonor Larry Ellison - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/16/biden-fund-gets-money-from-son-of-gop-donor-larry-ellison.html

DNC uses political donations to pay Biden's legal fees from special counsel Robert Hur's investigation - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dnc-political-donations-pay-bidens-legal-fees-special/story?id=109171427

Trump’s staunchest allies see third-party candidates as his path to victory over Biden - https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2961802/trumps-staunchest-allies-see-third-party-candidates-as-his-path-to-victory-over-biden/

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. AND THE SPOILER EFFECT - https://fairvoteaction.org/robert-f-kennedy-and-the-spoiler-effect/

Why we’re in favor of ranked-choice voting and even-year elections - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/why-were-in-favor-of-ranked-choice-voting-and-even-year-elections/

GOOD NEWS Websites:

Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy

Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news

ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news

Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/

The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/