Democracy Happy Hour – April 6, 2022

* Democracy Happy Hour, April 6, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/fcZLGtz9VXbX87PbcJ9TsnzDIrU-kNL5WftW7xe39FhRIAlv4I5cnHshURI64lNwVfuPaM-aMLRvbpFh.iep0ZUTap1BxnqfN
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/-fvqxLsBvoeqhq9iYy0KkpY_SWK9UxorHg9QeRky_gjKyl_uuuPwgeRVFeFTFca1womzUMAQC2TNfeXT.J0Js0wdI0oUEQLnk
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/Jns0sGF6VnwqLchBRGyFOwjK-2kffCoL1LWPpPYGBFexJNek0XR3QjHB2OildxVu7bmVgV_7Zs_i92Dr.SFaYGAz6ciL7yxPv

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

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

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:

• Apr 13th – Open Primaries
• Apr 20th – The Politics Industry
• Apr 27th – Open Discussion – Bring your ideas!

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

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

• Training Module 4 – Running a Campaign – What do I need to know? – Register @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won-modules/module-04-running-a-campaign-what-do-i-need-to-know

Free the Vote! Celebrating Voting Rights Restoration in WA – April 7th @ 6 pm - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcucuCvrDsvGtXZGHqjR_08lpOT1s2YZJ-w

• Sign Petition - Boeing, Support Our Fundamental Democratic Values - asking Boeing withdraw funding to Jan 6th seditionist Members of Congress - https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/boeing-support-our-fundamental-democratic-values/

School Board Elections Links:

What Is the Job of a School Board? - https://work.chron.com/job-school-board-14696.html

6 reasons you should care about school board elections - https://nextpittsburgh.com/features/6-reasons-you-should-care-about-school-board-elections/

The Conservative School Board Strategy - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/us/the-conservative-school-board-strategy.html

Republicans see schools as 2022 political battleground - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/Leveraging-big-ideas/democrats-vs-republicans-education

Culture Wars Could Be Coming to a School Board Near You - https://time.com/6159177/school-board-elections-covid-19-critical-race-theory/

School board meetings used to be boring. Why have they become war zones? - https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/09/29/school-board-meetings-used-be-boring-why-have-they-become-war-zones/

Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022 - https://ballotpedia.org/Conflicts_in_school_board_elections,_2021-2022

Parent-activists, seeking control over education, are taking over school boards - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/19/parents-school-boards-recall-takeover/

Students walk out, superintendents stress and parents rage: What's happening as some school boards become more political - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/02/19/school-board-politics-fuels-conflict-douglas-county-colorado/6831758001/?gnt-cfr=1

New conservative PAC targets school board elections - https://www.axios.com/pac-critical-race-theory-school-board-election-2f41f62f-7161-47f0-9a70-5472a69c7ab6.html

Koch network lurks behind school mask battles, despite soothing new tone at the top - https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/07/koch-network-lurks-behind-school-mask-battles-despite-soothing-new-tone-at-the-top/

Bolstered by CRT, book fights, conservative PACs aim to ‘take back’ Texas school boards - https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2022/03/03/bolstered-by-crt-book-fights-conservative-pacs-aim-to-take-back-texas-school-boards/

Texas’ traditionally sleepy school board races are suddenly attracting attention — and money - https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/16/texas-school-board-elections/

School board meetings have gotten heated; this one in California is on a new level - https://www.npr.org/2021/10/24/1048790515/school-board-meetings-have-gotten-heated-but-this-one-in-california-is-on-a-whol

The conservative effort to take over school boards reaches fever pitch in one Colorado district - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/conservative-effort-take-over-school-boards-reaches-fever-pitch-one-n1282783

School board election fights; business owners, candidate on edge - https://www.fox6now.com/news/school-board-election-pewaukee-sussex

What Increasingly Partisan and Venomous Wisconsin School Board Races Reveal About American Elections - https://www.propublica.org/article/what-increasingly-partisan-and-venomous-wisconsin-school-board-races-reveal-about-american-elections

A rural Washington school board race shows how far-right extremists are shifting to local power - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/a-rural-washington-school-board-race-shows-how-far-right-extremists-are-shifting-to-local-power/

Education leaders decry ‘ugly’ behavior by attendees at Washington state school board meetings - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/education-leaders-decry-ugly-behavior-by-attendees-at-washington-state-school-board-meetings/

School board wars: Republicans’ anti-CRT strategy less successful than they hoped - https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/school-board-wars-republicans-anti-crt-strategy-less-successful-than-they-hoped/

In high-profile school board races, some N.H. towns see record turnout, wins for progressive candidates - https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2022-03-10/big-turnouts-for-local-school-board-elections

From school boards to statehouses, conservative Moms for Liberty push to grow influence - https://www.yahoo.com/news/school-boards-statehouses-conservative-moms-101313236.html

Moms for Liberty - https://www.momsforliberty.org/

Parents Defending Education - https://defendinged.org/

A look at the groups supporting school board protesters nationwide - https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049078199/a-look-at-the-groups-supporting-school-board-protesters-nationwide

Hotly contested elections shake up local school boards - https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/03/politics/school-board-elections/index.html

It’s time to start voting in your local school board elections - https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/11/01/its-time-to-start-voting-in-your-local-school-board-elections/

School board elections, 2022 – Nationwide - https://ballotpedia.org/School_board_elections,_2022

List of school districts in Washington - https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_school_districts_in_Washington

Why School Board Elections Should Stay Nonpartisan - https://www.governing.com/now/why-school-board-elections-should-stay-nonpartisan

Democracy in the News Links:

Ivanka Trump testifies before House Jan. 6 panel - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/ap-sources-ivanka-trump-set-to-testify-before-jan-6-panel/

Large parts of the Jan. 6 ‘gap’ have already been filled - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/01/large-parts-jan-6-gap-have-already-been-filled/

Trump's presidential diarist tells Jan. 6 committee White House officials provided less detail about his activities days before riot - https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/01/politics/white-house-diarist-january-6-committee-interview/index.html

Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe to look at rally prep, financing - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/03/30/jan-6-fbi-subpoena-justice/

House panel’s possible options for alleging Trump 1/6 crimes - https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-crime-donald-trump-united-states-presidential-elections-3f6f8dea5de6ffd563a77e97fa37529b

Garland Faces Growing Pressure as Jan. 6 Investigation Widens - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/us/politics/merrick-garland-biden-trump.html

Jan. 6 votes show the link between primary system and more extreme views in Congress - https://thefulcrum.us/Elections/Voting/republican-election-objectors

‘We need to work these polls’: Trump stumps for candidates who support the big lie - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/03/i-dont-do-this-often-for-state-people-trump-stumps-for-michigan-candidates-in-voting-rights-battle

How Trump allies are pushing to hand-count ballots around the U.S. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/04/trump-hand-counted-ballots-dominion-machines/

New Right-Wing Conspiracies Threaten to Further Starve Local Election Systems - https://boltsmag.org/right-wing-conspiracies-threaten-to-starve-election-systems/

Mississippi joins states limiting outside election funding - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mississippi-joins-states-limiting-outside-election-funding/2022/04/04/1e1b81ea-b467-11ec-8358-20aa16355fb4_story.html

State, local officials at odds over banning private election grants - https://www.cityandstatepa.com/content/state-local-officials-odds-over-banning-private-election-grants

Debate-dodging takes off in midterm campaigns - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/29/republicans-debates-midterm-00018253

51 candidates sign up to run in Alaska’s special U.S. House election, including Sarah Palin -https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/04/01/live-updates-alaskas-us-house-race-expands-as-5-pm-deadline-nears/

Arizona Republicans enact a controversial new proof-of-citizenship voting law - https://www.npr.org/2022/03/30/1089809421/arizona-republicans-enact-a-controversial-new-proof-of-citizenship-voting-law

How a Republican-backed voting measure could disenfranchise thousands of Arizona voters - https://kjzz.org/content/1769760/how-republican-backed-voting-measure-could-disenfranchise-thousands-arizona-voters

Arizona Supreme Court rejects GOP request to invalidate mail voting - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/arizona-supreme-court-rejects-gop-request-invalidate-mail-voting-rcna23139

Colorado County Clerks Association vow to defend democracy against election deniers - https://www.dailycamera.com/2022/04/03/colorado-county-clerks-association-election-deniers/

Judge strikes down Florida election-law changes - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/judge-strikes-down-florida-election-law-changes/

Georgia Legislature passes bill to empower GBI to investigate elections - https://www.ajc.com/politics/lawmakers-revive-much-of-georgia-elections-bill-on-last-day-of-session/B24EDVAE35ANXMKJPE3TUHQ4NM/

NAACP, Black clergy, voting rights group sue Tennessee county election commissioners - https://thegrio.com/2022/04/04/naacp-black-clergy-voting-rights-group-sue/

How election conspiracy theories turned local politics ‘toxic’ in one Wisconsin city - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/05/election-conspiracy-theories-green-bay-trump-00022946

Republican judges are waging a bizarre war against the First Amendment right to protest - https://www.vox.com/2022/4/2/23004674/black-lives-matter-first-amendment-cancel-culture-deray-mckesson-doe-protest-supreme-court

Redistricting in Louisiana at stalemate, will go to court - https://wgno.com/news/louisiana/redistricting-in-louisiana-at-stalemate-will-go-to-court/

'Tremendous victory': Hogan signs new congressional redistricting map into law after appeal dropped - https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-congressional-redistricting-map-appeal-withdrawn/39628879#

Michigan congressional districts upheld by three-judge panel in face of GOP challenge - https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2022/04/01/michigan-congressional-districts-survive-redistricting-lawsuit/9410192002/

Judge hits pause on ruling against New York's redistricting maps - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/judge-hits-pause-ruling-new-yorks-redistricting-maps-rcna22951

Federal court gives Ohio more time to resolve redistricting mess, considers Aug. 2 primary for legislative races - https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/03/federal-court-gives-ohio-more-time-to-resolve-redistricting-mess-considers-aug-2-primary-for-legislative-races.html

EXPLAINER: Why disputed maps won’t stop Ohio’s May 3 primary - https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-ohio-voting-elections-ohio-supreme-court-5dfae5bc7fb3db46508afd8024521aeb

Texas is quietly using redistricting lawsuits to launch a broader war against federal voting rights law - https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/04/texas-redistricting-voting-rights-act/

Evers urges Wisconsin justices to affirm redistricting plan - https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-us-supreme-court-voting-race-and-ethnicity-hispanics-541205468490372ccb35a2b480a1bb43

As Both Parties Gerrymander Furiously, State Courts Block the Way - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/us/politics/congressional-maps-gerrymandering-midterms.html

The House Map’s Republican Bias Will Plummet In 2022 — Because Of Gerrymandering - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-house-maps-republican-bias-will-plummet-in-2022-because-of-gerrymandering/

The US supreme court’s assault on voting rights hits a new low - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/31/supreme-court-assault-voting-rights-new-low

Once again, Alabama is the battleground over Black voting rights - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/06/south-redistricting-black-voters/

How Alabama’s Gerrymander Could Hurt Black Political Power Across The Country - https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/how-alabamas-gerrymander-could-hurt-black-political-power-across-the-country/

Two More Republicans Back Jackson as Senate Moves Toward Confirmation - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/us/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-judiciary-committee.html

Without checks on the Supreme Court, there is no balance - https://thefulcrum.us/Government/Judicial/virginia-thomas

Close the ethics gap at the U.S. Supreme Court - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/close-the-ethics-gap-at-the-u-s-supreme-court/

The Supreme Court Must Continue To Provide Live Audio Broadcasts of Oral Arguments - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-supreme-court-must-continue-to-provide-live-audio-broadcasts-of-oral-arguments/

FEC fines Hilary Clinton campaign, DNC for improperly disclosing money spent on Trump-Russia dossier - https://www.businessinsider.com/fec-fines-clinton-campaign-dnc-over-spending-trump-russia-dossier-2022-3

GAO: Most lobbyists follow disclosure rules, but some leave out details - https://rollcall.com/2022/04/05/gao-most-lobbyists-follow-disclosure-rules-but-some-leave-out-details/

Congress gets new spending loophole - https://www.axios.com/congress-gets-new-spending-loophole-73124c04-b1b9-467a-9bca-5982525545c2.html

Oklahoma Lawmakers Approve Near-Total Ban on Abortion - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/us/oklahoma-abortion-ban.html

Abortion Pills, Once a Workaround, Are Now a Target - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/us/abortion-pills.html

Anti-CRT bills are aimed to incite the GOP base – not parents - https://www.brookings.edu/research/anti-crt-bills-are-aimed-to-incite-the-gop-base-not-parents/

Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/facebook-tiktok-targeted-victory/

How Google and Amazon bankrolled a ‘grassroots’ activist group of small business owners to lobby against Big Tech oversight - https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/30/how-google-and-amazon-bankrolled-a-grassroots-activist-group-of-small-business-owners-to-lobby-against-big-tech-oversight.html

America's internet is splitting along party lines - https://www.axios.com/americas-internet-splitting-party-lines-54feaa02-7622-4f54-b3e0-ccebd4b393ca.html

Partisan bias divides news consumption for Americans - https://thefulcrum.us/partisan-news

Alaska to use final-four primary, ranked-choice general election for Congress. Will others follow? - https://news.yahoo.com/alaska-final-four-primary-ranked-090116108.html

Portland voters could consider dramatic changes in city government - https://www.opb.org/article/2022/03/31/portland-voters-city-government-changes-oregon-politics/

Missouri House votes against open primaries, ranked voting - https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/missouri-house-votes-against-open-primaries-ranked-voting/

New book argues mandatory voting will fulfill America’s promise of democracy - https://thefulcrum.us/should-voting-be-mandatory