Democracy Happy Hour - July 16, 2026

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.

Put the People in Charge with Voter Dollars

With Dan McMillan

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/_aMiMvMVpPdAB-AjkngmVjx8UotHemPu9fMRKtgUz_XhdpUth4XcfEEGObkBmEa9Pd6qqk7Z6zPQlHeH.BbKcMemhZ6yhU7mC

• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/cWb_j7oS9jh9mQIi47O7KtcaGyc5bWykVe6kyaABSjrYOFD-8AXTbWCfQcPHtOyOxJSuy9BxorAdsbqa.XVyqW3H3XXieL5Gg

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/flml94VRIA68HTJts45i5ThYIxEbXq3ZbiywtXG2wZivajRs59CUo03ADqTWwnjelYMz-k6P72D8CQFG.7t0-Mavy8xWAaNrR

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/CKlMy8NlTJVJrt5XZTRkUdgFggLEYXOVAO-nfCAZXUuGRC98MRgFvWWDNh-1q6Qcx1-qfYuufrziZ8vG.xfZ5WXUZTqi4qZc7

Meeting resources

• Dan McMillan - https://drdanmcmillan.com/
• How Could This Happen: Explaining the Holocaust - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dan-mcmillan/how-could-this-happen/9780465036646/?lens=basic-books
• Podcast interview on Voter Dollars: https://youtu.be/U6f9oR-uxSg
• Save Democracy in America - https://savedemocracyinamerica.org/

FDF Links

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

Fix Democracy First is looking for new board members! If interested, please apply to one or both of our boards. If you have any questions, please respond to this email.

• Fix Democracy First Education Fund (501c3) Board Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXiaGJJ0bVqV5eqW2irfLHWrU0n8iwVIsDwDjtrTP36mEj5g/viewform
• Fix Democracy First (501c4) Board Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtDKKTBsOo7X_nk-7POVUTpJ-K1vfP-U_zHQrW1Ke7JNfvug/viewform

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Jul 23 - Canceled - NO Democracy Happy Hour this week
• Jul 30 - DIY-ing America: Civic Engagement & Innovation with June Klees, Waging Dialogue
• Aug 6 – The Dignity Index: Easing Divisions, Preventing Violence & Solving Problems with Preston Brightwell
• Aug 13 – National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers with Andy Moore, Executive Director

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
• 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 Organizing - https://www.usgrassroots.org

Events

• 50501 - https://www.fiftyfifty.one – Next National Day of Action
• America 250 - https://america250.org
• John Lewis Day of Action: Good Trouble Lives On – July 17^th – https://www.mobilize.us/john-lewis-actions/
  • Planning Meetings - https://www.mobilize.us/john-lewis-actions/event/792911/
  • https://goodtroubleliveson.org/
• We’re Worth Fighting & Other Events with Election Response Center - https://www.mobilize.us/electionresponsecenter/?utm_source=fixdemocracyfirst
• Yes on Prop 1 - Seattle Democracy Voucher Program Levy Renewal – Aug 5^th primary
  • Campaign website - https://yesonprop1seattle.org/
  • Endorsement Form - https://forms.gle/tArHMaFedtXcPqPw7
  • Donation page - https://secure.anedot.com/prop1seattle/donate

Democracy in the News

Resources

• 2024-2025 Term - https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024
• 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/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Study of the 2024 STV City Council Election in Portland, Oregon - https://mggg.org/ppm
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift - https://www.democracydocket.com/timeline-tracking-the-trump-justice-departments-anti-voting-shift/
• Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-administration-lawsuits.html
• 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

July 2025

July 07

• Georgia begins one of the largest voter registration cancellations in history - https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/07/georgia-begins-one-of-the-largest-voter-registration-cancellations-in-history/

July 08

• Trump suggests running NYC if Mamdani elected and the White House taking control of DC - https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-nyc-washington-dc-takeover-b2785075.html

July 09

• DOJ Demands Access to Minnesota’s Voter Rolls - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/doj-demands-access-to-minnesotas-voter-rolls/
• Federal judge issues mixed ruling on Florida’s new ballot initiative law - https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/07/09/federal-judge-issues-mixed-ruling-on-floridas-new-ballot-initiative-law/
• New Indiana law could delete Hoosiers' voter registration without proof of citizenship - https://www.wbaa.org/local-news/2025-07-09/new-indiana-law-could-delete-hoosiers-voter-registration-without-proof-of-citizenship
• New lawsuit seeks to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional maps before 2026 midterms - https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-congress-redistricting-lawsuit-13e483d2ffa83ba6a1c64ea9489eb857
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott orders lawmakers to consider redistricting as GOP seeks midterm advantage - https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/texas-abbott-redistricting-gop-midterms
• U.S. Justice Department presses Pennsylvania for answers on how it manages voter rolls - https://penncapital-star.com/government-politics/u-s-justice-department-presses-pennsylvania-for-answers-on-how-it-manages-voter-rolls/

July 10

• How SCOTUS ruled to increase executive power and challenge constitutional order - https://www.npr.org/2025/07/10/nx-s1-5463516/how-scotus-ruled-to-increase-executive-power-and-challenge-constitutional-order
• Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order in Class-Action Challenge - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us/politics/trump-birthright-citizenship-lawsuit.html
• Justice Dept. Whistle-Blower Warns of Trump Administration’s Assault on the Law - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us/politics/trump-bove-reuveni-whistleblower-doj-deportations.html
• Local Election Officials Survey — July 2025 - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/local-election-officials-survey-july-2025
• More than 10,000 people automatically registered to vote in NM under new program - https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-10-000-people-automatically-034326755.html
• Nearly half of election officials concerned about politically motivated investigations - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/10/election-officials-threat-survey-00445734
• North Dakota tribes want US Supreme Court to hear voting rights case - https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/07/10/north-dakota-tribes-want-us-supreme-court-to-hear-voting-rights-case/
• Social Security pulls field office staff to answer overwhelmed phone line - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/10/social-security-phone-service-wait-times
• The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us/politics/fbi-polygraph-kash-patel.html
• Wyoming’s Largest County Finds No Evidence of Noncitizen Voting, Undermining State’s Anti-Voting Law - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/wyomings-largest-county-finds-no-evidence-of-noncitizen-voting-undermining-states-anti-voting-law/

July 11

• Judge Blocks Trump Administration Tactics in L.A. Immigration Raids - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/us/immigration-raids-judge-injunction.html
• Maine Supreme Court upholds voter ID question wording - https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-supreme-court-upholds-voter-id-question/65384191
• North Carolina’s racial gerrymandering trial ends with dueling expert testimony - https://ncnewsline.com/2025/07/11/north-carolinas-racial-gerrymandering-trial-ends-with-dueling-expert-testimony/
• State Department lays off over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan - https://apnews.com/article/layoffs-diplomats-state-department-trump-rubio-bfdb86767b7bd5b6570819d404a7782e
• Trump administration moves away from abolishing FEMA - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/11/trump-fema-texas-floods/

July 12

• Justice Department purge continues; firings include Trump classified document case investigators and Jan. 6 prosecutors - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-firings-include-trump-investigators-jan-6-prosecutors/
• Trump says he wants to deport ‘the worst of the worst.’ Government data tells another story - https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-immigration-crime-ice-criminal-dangerous-violent-99557d9d68642004193a9f4b7668162e

July 13

• Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us? - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/13/are-a-few-people-ruining-the-internet-for-the-rest-of-us
• Justice Department acts quickly to reverse nationwide blocks following Supreme Court win - https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jul/13/justice-department-acts-quickly-reverse-nationwide-blocks-following/
• Trump wins big on the Supreme Court's "shadow docket" - https://www.axios.com/2025/07/13/trump-supreme-court-shadow-emergency-docket

July 14

• DNC threatens to sue North Carolina elections board over plan to purge 100,000 voters - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/14/dnc-north-carolina-elections-voter-purge
• HUD Rescinds Guidance on Promoting Voter Registration - https://nlihc.org/resource/hud-rescinds-guidance-promoting-voter-registration
• ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings - https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/14/ice-trump-undocumented-immigrants-bond-hearings
• Get Ready for Citizens United 2.0 - https://jacobin.com/2025/07/dark-money-pacs-vance-scotus
• League of Women Voters of Wyoming Files Brief Against Burdensome Proof of Citizenship Law - https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-women-voters-wyoming-files-brief-against-burdensome-proof
• Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education Department - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/politics/supreme-court-education-department.html
• Texas redrawing congressional district after feds say maps unconstitutional - https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article310650175.html
• The government wants AI to fight wars and review your taxeshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/07/14/trump-ai-government-war-taxes-jobs
• This measure would make WA residents prove they are citizens when they register to vote - https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/07/14/this-measure-would-make-wa-residents-prove-they-are-citizens-when-they-register-to-vote/

July 15

• Churches, now allowed to endorse candidates, could transform campaign finances - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/churches-now-allowed-endorse-candidates-transform-campaign-finances/story?id=123766327
• Columbia Law Experts on 2025 Supreme Court Rulings - https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/columbia-law-experts-2025-supreme-court-rulings
• Crypto industry amasses colossal war chest for elections - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/crypto-super-pacs-war-chest-key-house-votes-00452356
• D.C. Finally Moves To Implement Ranked Choice Voting After 3–1 Voter Approval - https://reason.com/2025/07/15/d-c-finally-moves-to-implement-ranked-choice-voting-after-3-1-voter-approval/
• New Restrictions on Voter Registration Are Likely to Harm Young Voters - https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/new-restrictions-voter-registration-are-likely-harm-young-voters
• Newsom floats redistricting retribution if Texas GOP redraws its maps as midterm election approaches - https://abc7news.com/post/gerrymandering-gov-gavin-newsom-floats-redistricting-retribution-texas-gop-redraws-maps-ahead-midterm-elections/17123501/
• Trump tells Texas Republicans to redraw the state congressional map to help keep House majority - https://apnews.com/article/trump-congress-house-republicans-texas-redistricting-d18e8280a32872d9eefcbb26f66a0331
• Trump wants 5-seat pickup from redraw of Texas congressional map - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/trump-five-seat-pickup-redraw-texas-congressional-map-00454301
• Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. What would that mean? - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/07/15/education-department-dismantled-trump-explained

July 16

• DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/16/trump-voter-fraud-elections/
• Supreme Court Keeps Ruling in Trump’s Favor, but Doesn’t Say Why - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/us/politics/supreme-courts-shadow-docket.html
• The White House’s plan to downsize the federal government, in charts - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2025/white-house-budget-federal-government

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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