Democracy Happy Hour - April 23, 2025

Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

This is a recurring event. You only have to register once. Register here.

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Election Methods Used for Proportional Representation    

With Chris Mason

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/PybaNNGpAWoTAPnlr_eseeM1a0e43t1k47qtA1Asw_Vdp71OrCwNQl6p7gv2VGPdTkFqtQlw3ErkavsH.yZ1NeIs-ByESmmFa
• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Hqq4Xtmt2gtWilXb4HXErYhmpWPN_xspYLD1OyGtrY9uu5z0w7jfFKBaZLkRV9dYUCvO1CxZXbinbDPw._7KSz3P8EFOOag1J

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/5IXO5fUqq1aCqY3vYA9bcS-cG93a4Om_HkkTnDw0AiVn3s9vSvVWmcIWCPSQW5K8yOw2pp-lb4xmXiHd.9oTiqFS3HIBj9DAQ

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/q0zUHqL6yA8w71DFA-ElhY64V9cAjhv-syB51wbBtMMNI5ByLI6ZZdE5ueF9SURpOOFRX1oJ_VC7hjbo.y5TImvPC9MTOmyLb

Meeting resources

• Proportional Representation Articles and Reports: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jgvR9BzrzC58OtnHgFeB9THH1Agc1cUd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104038066764207790379&rtpof=true&sd=true
• Ranked-Choice Voting & Proportional Representation Videos: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10EAs1pJlhc1_VOwj3ZuBrKCW-SU1PiPjdJ9F6VIP08I/edit?usp=sharing

Election Methods Used for Proportional Representation Links

• League of Women Voters of WA Multi-Member Districts - https://lwvwa.org/mmd
• Proportional Representation Articles and Reports: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jgvR9BzrzC58OtnHgFeB9THH1Agc1cUd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104038066764207790379&rtpof=true&sd=true
• Ranked-Choice Voting & Proportional Representation Videos: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10EAs1pJlhc1_VOwj3ZuBrKCW-SU1PiPjdJ9F6VIP08I/edit?usp=sharing

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Apr 30 - Stories Change Power: The Nine Rights Framework with Piper Hendricks
• May 7 - Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map with Carolyn Lukensmeyer
• May 14 - CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour this week (Cindy will be in Phoenix for the American Democracy Summit).
• May 21 - Increasing Civic Youth Engagement with Jeannemarie Halleck
• May 28 - CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour this week (Cindy will be attending a WA State Democracy Summit.)
• Jun 4 - Ranked-Choice Voting: How the Votes are Counted and Why It Leads to More Democratic Outcomes with Damien Burke, OpaVote

Actions and events

Actions

• 5 Calls - https://5calls.org/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Join a local Indivisible group - https://indivisible.org/groups
• Join Braver Angels - https://braverangels.org/get-involved/#become-member
• May Day Nation Day of Action – May 1^st = https://maydaystrong.org/
• Paths to Understanding - The Potluck Project – https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved/potluck
• Protect Public Media Funding - https://protectmypublicmedia.org/
• Share Your Democracy Story, Declaration for American Democracy  -  https://dfadcoalition.org/story
• Stop the SAVE Act (emails) -  https://win.newmode.net/declarationforamericandemocracycoalition/stopthesaveact
• Tell your Senators to oppose the SAVE Act - https://www.lwv.org/take-action/tell-your-members-congress-oppose-save-act
• The Freedom Writers Collaborative - https://freedomwriterscollaborative.org/
• The People's Hub for Grassroots Democracy Organzing - https://www.usgrassroots.org

Events

• 50501 - https://www.fiftyfifty.one – Next National Day of Action,
• Live from the Frontlines: The Fight for Our Democracy – Apr 29^th @ 4 pm PT/7 pm ET - https://www.circle.org/events/live-from-the-frontlines
• May Day Nation Day of Action – May 1^st = https://maydaystrong.org/
• We’re Worth Fighting & Other Events with Election Response Center - https://www.mobilize.us/electionresponsecenter/?utm_source=fixdemocracyfirst

Democracy in the News

Resources

• All of the Trump Administration’s Major Moves in the First xx Days - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-agenda-2025.html
• Democracy 2025 – Democracy 2025 is the strategic hub to protect people and their rights should the Trump-Vance administration seek to unlawfully strip away freedoms and prosperity. -  https://www.democracy2025.org/
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• Trump Administration Highlights - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/18/us/trump-president-news
• What has Trump done today? - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2025/trump-administration-actions

April 2025

April 10

• The Dangers of Congress’s Latest Election Bill - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/dangers-congresss-latest-election-bill

April 14

• How the Federal Government Is Undermining Election Security - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/how-federal-government-undermining-election-security

April 16

• Gov. Mike Braun signs bill banning student IDs at voting booth - https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/16/gov-mike-braun-senate-bill-10-student-voter-id-laws/83030092007/
• Republican group pours half a million dollars into Maine voter ID referendum - https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/04/16/politics/elections/maine-voter-id-referendum-republican-state-leadership-committee-concord-fund-leonard-leo/
• Trump administration asks IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/16/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-irs
• Trump's idea to incarcerate U.S. citizens abroad raises serious constitutional concerns, scholars say - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-idea-incarcerate-us-citizens-el-salvador-constitutional-concerns/

April 17

• Eighth Circuit probes Arkansas limits on voter assistance - https://www.courthousenews.com/eighth-circuit-probes-arkansas-limits-on-voter-assistance/
• Judge expected to rule next week on challenges to Trump’s executive order on elections - https://www.votebeat.org/2025/04/17/trump-executive-order-elections-lawsuit-ruling/
• Key Federal Elections Agency Moving Forward With Trump’s Anti-Voting Order - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-election-executive-order-elections-assistance-commission/
• Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Trump Plan to End Birthright Citizenship - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship.html
• Trump brushes aside courts’ attempts to limit his power - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/17/trump-power-congress-courts
• Trump’s freeze on $2.2 billion to Harvard provided no proof of wrongdoing - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/04/17/harvard-trump-grant-freeze-antisemitism
• ‘We are all afraid’: Murkowski says fear of retaliation from Trump administration is ‘real’ - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/17/lisa-murkowski-trump-retaliation-00295852
• What to know about birthright citizenship as it heads to Supreme Court - https://www.axios.com/2025/04/17/trump-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court

April 18

• Appeals Court Pauses for Now Contempt Proposal by Trial Judge - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/us/politics/court-contempt-trump-deportations.html
• Judge orders new limits on DOGE data access at Social Security Administration - https://www.npr.org/2025/04/18/nx-s1-5369295/doge-data-social-security
• How Could the SAVE Act Impact Young Voters and Married People Who’ve Changed Their Name? - https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/how-could-the-save-act-impact-voting/
• Michigan Board of State Canvassers approves petition requiring ID to register to vote - https://www.wilx.com/2025/04/18/michigan-board-state-canvassers-approves-petition-requiring-id-register-vote/
• Republicans in many states forge ahead with bills requiring proof of citizenship to vote - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/18/republican-states-bills-proof-of-citizenship-vote
• Supreme Court, for Now, Blocks Deportations of Venezuelan Migrants - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04/18/us/trump-news
• Tenn. Voting Rights Restoration Process Likely To Change - https://www.greenevillesun.com/news/ap_state_news/tenn-voting-rights-restoration-process-likely-to-change/article_44f8bb6b-a9f7-4243-831b-5cdd20849900.html
• Trump to reclassify many federal workers, making them easier to fire - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-government-change-service-regulations-career-government-employees-2025-04-18/
• Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/business/trump-harvard-letter-mistake.html

April 19

• Harvard pushes back on claim that Trump team mistakenly sent demand letter - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/04/19/harvard-trump-letter-mistake-unauthorized
• Protesters unite against Trump in hundreds of rallies across the U.S. - https://www.npr.org/2025/04/19/nx-s1-5369483/anti-trump-protests-50501-tesla-takedown
• The nightmarish problem with trying to make Trump obey court orders - https://www.vox.com/criminal-justice/409627/donald-trump-defy-court-order-supreme-court-boasberg-xinis

April 20

• Trump claims unfettered presidential power on immigration - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/20/trump-clashes-with-courts-immigration

April 21

• Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Threats to Cut Funding - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/harvard-lawsuit-trump-administration.html
• Justice Dept. agrees to let DOGE access sensitive immigration case data - https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/04/21/doge-ecas-justice-immigration-courts-trump
• Lawsuit claims new ballot laws violate voting rights, seeks court intervention - https://katv.com/news/local/lawsuit-claims-new-ballot-laws-violate-voting-rights-seeks-court-intervention-the-league-of-women-voters-of-arkansas-lwvar-senator-kim-hammer-arkansas-attorney-general-tim-griffin-secretary-of-state-cole-hester-governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders
• League of Women Voters of California Seeks to Protect Mailed Ballots in California - https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-women-voters-california-seeks-protect-mailed-ballots-california
• US Supreme Court appears likely to uphold Obamacare’s preventive care coverage mandate - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-obamacare-preventive-care-302c4a0de7c72461a6617b8271b3fba6

April 22

• Federal judges block NC Supreme Court election ‘cure’ process — for now - https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article304819896.html
• Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism - https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5340753/trump-democracy-authoritarianism-competive-survey-political-scientist
• Judge Blocks Trump Effort to Dismantle Voice of America - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/politics/judge-trump-voice-of-america.html
• Musk says he will step back from DOGE, refocus on Tesla after earnings plunge - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/04/22/tesla-earnings-elon-musk-politics-stock
• Pentagon ban on transgender service members draws skepticism from appeals court - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/federal-appeals-court-pentagons-ban-transgender-service-members/story?id=121042369
• Rubio unveils sweeping reorganization of State Department - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/22/trump-rubio-state-department-reorganization
• SCOTUS Could Get Chance to Disenfranchise Voters Whose Ballots Arrive After Election Day - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/scotus-could-get-chance-to-disenfranchise-voters-whose-ballots-arrive-after-election-day/
• Supreme Court likely to rule for parental opt-out on LGBTQ books in schools - https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/supreme-court-likely-to-rule-for-parental-opt-out-on-lgbtq-books-in-schools/
• The Supreme Court Could Take Another Shot at Voting Rights - https://newrepublic.com/article/194210/virginia-felon-disenfranchisement-supreme-court
• Veterans Affairs asks employees to report ‘anti-Christian bias’ for investigation by new task force - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/22/trump-rubio-state-department-reorganization

April 23

• A little-known federal agency is at the center of Trump’s executive order to overhaul US elections - https://apnews.com/article/trump-elections-voting-executive-order-eac-419ed4db0ea30b69bf47d11647a6b816
• CLC Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Illegal Election Overreach - https://campaignlegal.org/update/clc-sues-block-trump-administrations-illegal-election-overreach
• Seattle Council sends Democracy Voucher renewal to August ballot - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-council-sends-democracy-voucher-renewal-to-august-ballot/

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Democracy's Good News - https://www.democracygroup.org/topics/democracys-good-news
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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