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.

How to Rebuild Democracy - Polemic for Democracy: A Framework for Pragmatic Action

With author Zane Gustafson

Meeting resources

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/I18ZSKUpkb64JyBnwCwmVaESTzL0kjSMopTfgk4Xxxj9TSRhI-0QeK_cpsbd8rN0dHPCpDR1d8F92A5p.qDlLdfQ12F-TrfVe
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/qa63ovtAgEI4ivTD7PmnPXbADix6pOAr8ghX6-qxwwRbtinw9RZ0LUkDjJNZOxkVrsEO2AU4gmmiEnSZ.2RuCIjQGY0zqNpcS
• Chat file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/xnXzKKAhf4nbsY5YH2J15qLQbVY5ik-qpIkChWCO_wWmItpK3MD6e1tZZIT91ExqVAFt0nDlwb2nBgk.Q1ph_ImFJI5e2lIA
• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/QQ2nVfIsY32t1aPX1yhTpyTO1nahHvxmFCkVixw5Kr_CEmMvH36VPdAGOJCDNVkNvuK2I2eAz0V_-hKY.zYJg41F8CNU8KPg6

Meeting links

How to Support Zane's Work:

• Purchase Polemic for Democracy https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=e6FpRlwhFaYMhOMP0kOZs4KAZhMdFoLGQEnx0oQp9Ob or https://www.amazon.com/Polemic-Democracy-Zane-Gustafson/dp/B0DKVFJ9QP
• Subscribe to Zane's Substack:  https://impolitik.substack.com/
• Democracy Merch: https://politicalzane.myshopify.com/products/democracy-hat?variant=45505091928235

Also follow Zane on:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@politicalzane/videos
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politicalzane
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@politicalzane

How to Rebuild American Democracy in 20 Minutes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFca2mYb1wc

FDF Links

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

Join Fix Democracy First Boards

• 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

• Mar 11 - Civic Learning Week: Expanding Civic Education with Hands-On Experience with Morgan Kim, Generation Citizen & Margit McGuire, Civic Learning Council
• Mar 18 - Digital Democracy Project with Cassie Clayton
• Mar 25 - Leaving MAGA with Rich Logis
• Apr 1 - NO Democracy Happy Hour this week

Actions and events

Actions

• Sign & Share our WA Citizen Resolution to UNDO Citizens United - https://bit.ly/WA-Undo-Citizens-United

Events

• NO KINGS Day on March 28th, https://www.nokings.org
  • No Kings - Trainings & Calls - https://www.nokings.org/trainings
• The Inquisitor Online Screening Event – Sunday, March 22nd @ 3 pm PT/6 pm ET The film tells the story of Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman from the South elected to Congress. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-inquisitor-online-screening-event-tickets-1983749481099

Democracy in the News

Resources

• The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability - https://www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-corruption-tracker/
• Follow the Money. Find Your Candidate's Conflict of Interest. - https://integrityindex.us/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions - https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/
• State of Emergency - Democracy, Civil Rights & Progress Under Attack  - https://stateofblackamerica.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/NUL-SOBA-Executive%20Summary-2025-web%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• The SAVE Act: Overview and Facts - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-save-act-overview-and-facts/
• Timeline of the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Undermine Elections - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/timeline-trump-administrations-efforts-undermine-elections
• 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
• Transparent Election Initiative (Montana Plan) State-by-State Impact - https://transparentelection.org/states
• Trump’s Take, cash and gifts received by Trump - https://www.americanprogress.org/feature/trumps-take/

February

February 25

• Companies see up to 700% return on political investments - https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/02/companies-see-up-to-700-return-on-political-investments.html
• Florida House approves sweeping election overhaul requiring proof of citizenship - https://www.wtxl.com/news/capitol-news/florida-house-approves-sweeping-election-overhaul-requiring-proof-of-citizenship
• How California Can Neuter “Citizens United” and Improve Democracy for Us All - https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-california-can-neuter-citizens
• Ohio House votes overwhelmingly to ban ranked choice voting in local elections - https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-02-25/ohio-house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-ban-ranked-choice-voting-in-local-elections?_amp=true
• Trump’s Push for Election Power Raises Fears He Will ‘Subvert’ Midterms - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/politics/trump-elections-midterms.html

February 26

• CAP's Tom Moore Praises Georgia Bill To End Corporate Political Spending - https://www.americanprogress.org/press/statement-caps-tom-moore-praises-georgia-bill-to-end-corporate-political-spending/
• Despite Trump push for voter ID law, Senate Republicans say votes aren’t there to change filibuster rules - https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/politics/voter-id-save-act-filibuster
• Judge: IRS broke law ‘approximately 42,695 times’ in giving DHS data - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/26/irs-data-federal-judge-dhs-illegal
• Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to End Protections for Syrian Migrants - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/politics/supreme-court-deportation-syrians.html
• Trump DOJ expands voter roll crusade, sues five more states — including four red ones - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-doj-expands-voter-roll-crusade-sues-five-more-states/
• Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/26/trump-elections-executive-order-activists

February 27

• Florida Supreme Court blocks challenge to Gov. DeSantis’ redistricting push - https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2026-02-27/florida-supreme-court-blocks-challenge-gov-desantis-redistricting-push
• Trump says he's not mulling a draft executive order to seize control over elections. Here's what we know - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-hes-not-mulling-a-draft-executive-order-to-seize-control-over-elections-heres-what-we-know
• Voting rights groups sue Georgia for refusing to release voter purge records - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/voting-rights-groups-sue-georgia-for-refusing-to-release-voter-purge-records/
• Will Trump try to seize voting machines to disrupt the midterm elections? - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/27/trump-voting-machines-midterm-election

March

March 02

• Senate Dems aim to disrupt Trump bid to declare national emergency on elections - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/senate-dems-aim-to-disrupt-trump-bid-to-declare-national-emergency-on-elections/
• SupCo reverses AG Knudsen on powers-of-initiative ballot measure - https://dailymontanan.com/2026/03/03/supco-reverses-ag-knudsen-on-powers-of-initiative-ballot-measure/
• Supreme Court blocks law against schools outing transgender students to their parents in California - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-students-california-cca311ae39d267f31c1392a0bcf780cd
• Supreme Court grants Republicans’ request to pause order to redraw New York congressional map - https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/supreme-court-grants-republicans-request-to-pause-order-to-redraw-new-york-congressional-map/
• Trump pushes back on mounting criticism about his Iran war battle plan as conflict spreads - https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-maga-regime-change-2758513ac034ffb75beaa12db68c7bd7
• Trump says Iran war could last weeks, US citizens in more than a dozen countries urged to leave - https://apnews.com/live/iran-us-israel-hezbollah-strikes-03-02-2026
• Voting Rights Groups Launch Campaign to Defeat Voter ID Ballot Initiative that Would Restrict Access to the Ballot for Millions of Californians - https://lwvc.org/voting-rights-groups-launch-campaign-defeat-voter-id-ballot-initiative/

March 03

• After abandoning law firm executive orders, Trump administration reverses course and pursues fight - https://apnews.com/article/trump-law-firms-justice-department-executive-orders-407a8099c8cc2bb235cdac87bb61adf2
• ICE training was slashed, records show, corroborating whistleblower claims - https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/03/03/ice-training-cuts-graduation-rate
• NC Board of Elections will no longer provide forms to voter registration drives - https://ncnewsline.com/2026/03/03/nc-board-of-elections-will-no-longer-provide-forms-to-voter-registration-drives/
• Texas Supreme Court stops Dallas County from counting late votes after confusion over new rules - https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/03/politics/dallas-voter-rule-confusion-texas-primary

March 04

• ‘MAGA is Trump’: President fires back at right-wing mutiny over Iran - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/04/trump-iran-maga-influencers
• Senate Republicans Block War Powers Limits as Mideast Crisis Widens - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/04/world/iran-war-israel-lebanon-trump

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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