Democracy Happy Hour – April 27, 2022

Democracy Happy Hour, April 27, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:  

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/5xC2yss6qhPVnca-BG1zwxR2ZTOz5voVVBlNdHgQhze7p2gCiDDcTbpDGbjDvJFIjwh0btTJSOgF95EF.0sVmkNxnV3WxG4uj
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/9RplK5jejsdsQKBuCvu_HN5BMdlppQ3n2Tri-Qqt2H9T6TDdGL77aVq9bppmHkqe987b8r-ITulo58XX.1DoH_RwKs1l0aMp_
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/s3NXR3aUhh5y_rYSGtIGdBwlkWt4vgFUyO46qB54XFdKhv8T5AusicsANiTQfusjDnsygq9Jk01f1zXC.EtbU4K6EGmCdsTAA

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

Fix Democracy First Spring 2022 Online Auction – https://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/index.cfm?auctionID=22798

FDFEF GiveBIG 2022 – May 3 & 4 - early giving happening NOW – https://www.wagives.org/organization/fixdemocracyfirst

DONATE to Fix Democracy First or Fix Democracy First Education Fund @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:

• May 4^th – Tax the Rich: How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer w/ Bud Wurtz & special guest Senator Patty Kuderer
• May 11^th – What Divides Rural, Suburban & Urban Politics?
• May 18^th – Ranked Choice Voting: Clark County Campaign w/ FairVote WA
• May 25^th – The Precinct Strategy: What is it and why?

YO VOTE! (Youth Organizers for Voter Outreach, Teaching & Engagement) - https://www.yo-vote.org

WON (Women in Office Now) – https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won

• Choosing Your Campaign Team – May 3^rd @ 6 pm – w/ guest speakers Cassidy Butler & Emma Mudd from IBEW Local 89 – Register @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won-modules/module-05-choosing-your-campaign-team
• Running With My Girls – Film Screening & Panel Discussion – May 26^th @ 6 pm PT – Register @ https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bJh0GUlAR3-G8z0WV4NhOw
• Suppressed and Sabotaged: The Fight to Vote – Film Screening & Panel Discussion – June 9^th @ 6 pm PT –  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t-6eJlOiR6Kdw7TqMzIruQ

ACTION NEEDED: Boeing, Support Our Fundamental Democratic Values - Tell Boeing to stop funding Members of Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 election:

• Share the Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/boeing-support-our-fundamental-democratic-values/
• Submit a Letter to the Editor
• Call Boeing - Main switchboard: 312-544-2000
• Share these with your network, on social media, etc.:  
• Sludge article - Grassroots Groups Call on Boeing to Cut off Donations to Election Objectors – https://readsludge.com/2022/04/20/grassroots-groups-call-on-boeing-to-cut-off-donations-to-election-objectors/
• Common Dreams – Boeing OP-ED -https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/04/19/boeing-stop-funding-those-who-undermine-democracy

Ecumenical Advocacy Days - Ask the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. Here is the link to the many religious organizations and denominations that sponsor EAD each year: https://advocacydays.org/about-ead/sponsors/.

Democracy in the News Links:

Filing Provides New Details on Trump White House Planning for Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/23/us/politics/trump-meadows-freedom-caucus-jan-6.html

Mark Meadows' 2,319 text messages reveal Trump's inner circle communications before and after January 6 - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/25/politics/mark-meadows-texts-2319/index.html

Meadows was warned of violence before Jan. 6, new court filings show - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/23/meadows-jan6-secret-service-committee-testimony/

New Details Underscore House G.O.P. Role in Jan. 6 Planning - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/jan-6-texts-mark-meadows.html

‘I’ve Had It With This Guy’: G.O.P. Leaders Privately Blasted Trump After Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/us/politics/trump-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy.html

McCarthy Said Trump Acknowledged ‘Some Responsibility’ for Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/us/politics/mccarthy-trump-jan-6-recording.html

McCarthy Feared G.O.P. Lawmakers Put ‘People in Jeopardy’ After Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/mccarthy-republican-lawmakers.html

A top Democrat ties Pence’s ‘I’m not getting in the car’ to Jan. 6 ‘coup’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/26/pence-car-raskin-comments/

GOP lawmakers were deeply involved in Trump plans to overturn election, new evidence suggests - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/22/gop-lawmakers-deeply-involved-in-trump-plans-to-overturn-election-new-evidence-suggests-00027340

Jan. 6 revelations will 'blow the roof off the House,' Rep. Jamie Raskin says - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jan-6-revelations-will-blow-roof-house-rep-jamie-raskin-says-rcna25542

Jurors reject array of defenses at Capitol riot trials - https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-new-york-city-riots-3d6b7ea4fc5ebc78738505cca5c15f0c

Marjorie Taylor Greene hostile in testimony over eligibility - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-presidential-atlanta-525429753ace40f5b6e01ceab6f79549

Greene says she can’t remember if she urged Trump to impose martial law - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/21/rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-expected-testify-about-jan-6/

A Crusade to Challenge the 2020 Election, Blessed by Church Leaders - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/us/politics/evangelical-churches-trump-election.html

Building the “Big Lie”: Inside the Creation of Trump’s Stolen Election Myth - https://www.propublica.org/article/big-lie-trump-stolen-election-inside-creation

The Secret Origins of the Tea Party - https://time.com/secret-origins-of-the-tea-party/

House Democrats ramp up investigation into impact of election disinformation - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/21/house-democrats-ramp-up-investigation-into-impact-election-disinformation/

Disinformation Is a Threat to Our Democracy - https://barackobama.medium.com/my-remarks-on-disinformation-at-stanford-7d7af7ba28af

Doorbelling group checking voter rolls in Spokane County not government-sanctioned, Auditor’s Office says - https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/apr/23/doorbelling-group-checking-voter-rolls-in-spokane-/#

Washington Voter Research Project - https://www.wavoterresearch.org/

Washington Election Integrity Coalition United or WEiCU pronounced (We See You) - https://weicu.org/

Bipartisan Senate group to hash out new proposals to prevent stolen elections - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/bipartisan-senate-group-hash-new-proposals-aimed-preventing-stolen-ele-rcna25964

FL suspended enforcement of new voting restrictions the day DeSantis signed bill into law - https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/04/26/fl-suspended-enforcement-of-new-voting-restrictions-the-day-desantis-signed-bill-into-law/

Florida bans ranked-choice voting in new elections law - https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/26/florida-bans-ranked-choice-voting-new-elections-law/

Florida governor signs bill creating election police unit - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/florida-governor-signs-bill-creating-election-police-unit-84301645

Mississippi's GOP governor vetoes bipartisan bill to curtail Jim Crow-era voting restriction - https://www.salon.com/2022/04/26/mississippis-governor-vetoes-bipartisan-bill-to-curtail-jim-crow-era-voting-restriction/

Charges Dropped Against Tennessee Woman Who Was Jailed Over Voter Fraud - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/23/us/pamela-moses-voter-fraud-charges-dropped.html

Deep-red Utah embraced voting by mail. Then came 2020. - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-utah-election-2020-f4b52c6feb078cd9aa46ed508e7f91c6

Native Americans warn of voter suppression in Western states - https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3459240-native-americans-warn-of-voter-suppression-in-western-states/?rl=1

Disabled people face GOP pushback in bid to study voting access - https://lailluminator.com/2022/04/20/disabled-people-face-gop-pushback-in-bid-to-study-voting-access/

Democrats Fear for Democracy. Why Aren’t They Running on It in 2022? - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/us/politics/democrats-democracy-election.html

A Forgotten Section of the Constitution Could Help Democrats Save Voting Rights - https://newrepublic.com/article/165919/constitution-14th-amendment-section-2-democrats-voting-rights

Florida Senate Passes Congressional Map Giving G.O.P. a Big Edge - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/us/politics/florida-redistricting-maps-desantis.html

Florida's DeSantis erases two districts that sent Black people to Congress - https://www.facingsouth.org/2022/04/floridas-desantis-erases-two-districts-sent-black-people-congress

Voting groups sue over Florida congressional map - https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-tallahassee-ron-desantis-legislature-52a83252616bf108a85f4130563244a8

Congressional map drawn by Kansas Republicans is unconstitutional, Wyandotte County judge rules - https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/25/congressional-map-drawn-by-kansas-republicans-is-unconstitutional-wyandotte-county-judge-rules/

Voting rights groups file lawsuit challenging Mississippi Supreme Court voting maps - https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2022/04/25/lawsuit-mississippi-supreme-court-plan-violates-voting-rights-act/7409139001/

Judge rules the redrawn NM congressional map stays in place — for now - https://sourcenm.com/2022/04/20/judge-rules-the-redrawn-nm-congressional-map-stays-in-place-for-now/

New York’s Top Court Voids Democrat-Drawn House Map - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/nyregion/redistricting-congress-gerrymander-ny.html

Federal judges to pick maps rejected by Ohio Supreme Court if redistricting leaders don't act - https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/04/20/ohio-redistricting-federal-judges-could-pick-rejected-maps-may-28/7354517001/

Ohio Republicans Are Just Ignoring The State Supreme Court’s Anti-Gerrymandering Rulings. It’s Working. - https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ohio-republicans-ignoring-state-supreme-court-gerrymandering-redistricting-rulings-constitutional-amendment-federal-court

WI - New maps unlikely to give Republicans veto-proof majority and open to voting rights challenges - https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/04/22/new-maps-unlikely-to-give-republicans-veto-proof-majority-and-open-to-voting-rights-challenges/

This year’s House battlefield is almost locked in. The next decade is still wide open. - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/27/congressional-redistricting-court-challenges-00027946

Courts are still a key battleground in the fight against gerrymandering - https://prismreports.org/2022/04/20/courts-key-battleground-fight-against-gerrymandering/

Voters Are Split on Their Perception of the Supreme Court, but Support a Code of Ethics for Justices - https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/4/19/voters-are-split-on-their-perception-of-the-supreme-court-but-support-a-code-of-ethics-for-justices

Judicial Stock Disclosure Bill Poised to Clear House Next Week - https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judicial-stock-disclosure-bill-poised-to-clear-house-next-week

States rush to revise their abortion laws as a major U.S. Supreme Court decision nears - https://www.azmirror.com/2022/04/20/states-rush-to-revise-their-abortion-laws-as-a-major-u-s-supreme-court-decision-nears/

US Supreme Court lets R.I. election finance disclosure law stand - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/25/metro/us-supreme-court-lets-ri-election-finance-disclosure-law-stand/

Trump targets outraise challengers, unlike some other incumbents - https://rollcall.com/2022/04/20/trump-targets-outraise-challengers-unlike-some-other-incumbents/

Apple, Amazon, Meta report record Q1 lobbying spending amid antitrust fight - https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/3275654-apple-amazon-meta-report-record-q1-lobbying-spending-amid-antitrust-fight/?rl=1

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover adds to his corporate political influence and lobbying power -https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/04/elon-musk-political-spending

The third-party brokers who make millions selling your data to political groups - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/04/the-third-party-brokers-who-make-millions-selling-your-data-to-political-groups/

Democratic Party weighs banning its consultants from anti-union activity - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/19/democratic-party-anti-union-amazon-00026204

E.U. Takes Aim at Social Media’s Harms With Landmark New Law - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/technology/european-union-social-media-law.html
Toyota resumes political donations to 2020 presidential election objectors - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/toyota-political-donations-to-election-objectors/

Grassroots Groups Call on Boeing to Cut off Donations to Election Objectors - https://readsludge.com/2022/04/20/grassroots-groups-call-on-boeing-to-cut-off-donations-to-election-objectors/