Democracy Happy Hour – August 25, 2021

Democracy Happy Hour, August 25, 2021 - Meeting Recordings & Chat:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/kgQa0-vldCqsefou7qrPj2LtVkRPj29176MpJGKyOe_Ksm9fu31Rp0QjS0Tdtdut140rlUe3Jf7wyLFt.8YG2UInxLfxq-ZOf

• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/TXbQ0Tmb6_IUpJDYJICVr-__UoeLRkVqvZb73oSAISmfVB6WYq67EmHgxxSnvuGnw-z2ecJwD5xfpiDQ.0-71zs5DeKsuKeOc

• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/NXIweG-_q2RmtJC-5SrooDYPmmyh0g2OLUcp4YLX5Jb9LTiEiHy4UlKS2vO4f5_d5Hmj_Vc97zRDS8v7.kUY9LtYqf4lERL4w

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

• For the People Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act ACTIONS:

• Declaration for American Democracy Take Action page - https://dfadcoalition.org/takeaction/
• Call your Senator to support For the People Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act @ 1.888.453.3211
• Call the White House @ 202-456-1111 and tell @POTUS that the Senate must pass the #ForThePeopleAct & we need @POTUS to use every lever of power and influence at his disposal to get it done.
• Host a Virtual Postcard Distribution "For the People" - https://actionnetwork.org/forms/help-pass-the-for-the-people-act-host-a-virtual-postcard-party/
• PHONE BANKING & TEXTING:

• Common Cause - ongoing phonebanks to key states - https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/376178/
• Represent Us National Phonebanks - https://vol.represent.us/a/events-calendar?date_start=08-24-21&date_end=10-23-21
• Fair Fight Hot Call Summer - https://www.stopjimcrow2.com/
• Common Power - Advocacy page - https://commonpower.org/advocacy

• Letter To the Editor DRIVE - Use this LTE tool to submit a letter to their local newspapers. - https://dfadcoalition.org/lte/
• Petition - Tell Your Representative: Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act - https://igniteadvocacy.com/go/tell-your-representative-pass-the-john-lewis-voting-rights-act/101?link_id=1&can_id=b5e0cc021f810d6766e566cd48f5babf&source=email-take-action-pass-the-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act

• WA Redistricting Links:

• Redistricting Justice for WA - https://www.redistrictingjusticewa.org/

• Yakima Area Legislative District Support Pledge - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18kIoQSuURfdRVqzI9sga_P1oooyagnblIVLxmZJvJW0/viewform?edit_requested=true
• 9th Congressional District Support Pledge -https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAqt1f1j5cwIcTy6GW3yiYv98GIXwSAcU277_MfSI1cgYaHQ/viewform

• WA State Redistricting Commission - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/

• Public Comment: They are still taking public comment via written testimony, email, voicemail, video submissions. More info here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/provide-public-testimony
• Important dates to note:

• End of August – DrawYourWA mapping tool will be live with the official Census Bureau redistricting data and the state’s adjusted data based on relocation of persons in state custody to their last known address for purposes of redistricting. We will inform the public as soon as the data has been uploaded.
• Tuesday, September 21 – Commissioners will each release their proposed state legislative district map.
• Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.
• Tuesday, October 5 (7 p.m.) – Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.
• Saturday, October 9 (10 a.m.) - Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.
• Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.
• Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

• Petition to Improve Accessibility and Maintain Remote Testimony in the State Legislature - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGFNmP5zzGgytQEhTkOn1GgjLT5reGb-hBSlhbIbi64Sdvdw/viewform

• March On For Voting Rights – August 28th - Main Page - https://marchonforvotingrights.org/?source=fixdemocracyfirst&referrer=group-fixdemocracyfirst

• “Democracy Vouchers: How bringing money into politics can drive money out of politics” with author Tom Latkowski - September 9th @ 6 pm

• Register @ https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pH0LBbJmSGW4cdcZsRkdow
• Donate $35 or more & receive a FREE copy of “Democracy Vouchers” - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate/book-fundraiser

• Defending Democracy in a Period of Far-Right Insurrection w/ Leonard Zeskind and Devin Burghart - Sept 23rd @ 5 pm PT - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pL1afA7lQ7OGjfJv_142gw

Democracy in the News Links:

Arizona Senate GOP’s 2020 election report delayed again; COVID-19 infections to blame - https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-senate-gops-2020-election-report-delayed-again-covid-19-infections-to-blame

Washington Republican legislators push election fraud narrative at hearing on Sunday - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-republican-legislators-push-election-fraud-narrative-at-hearing-on-sunday/

Bad-faith Election Audits Are Sabotaging Democracy Across the Nation - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/bad-faith-election-audits-are-sabotaging-democracy-across-nation

Election officials face complex challenges looking to 2022 - https://apnews.com/article/health-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020-5c21e771075acfbfc0bd65e152c2a069

Elections bill passes out of committee as Texas House has quorum, for now - https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/elections-bill-continues-in-committee-as-texas-house-has-quorum-for-now/

10 new state laws shift power over elections to partisan entities - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dozen-state-laws-shift-power-elections-partisan-entities/story?id=79408455

'Democracy will be on the ballot': Secretary of state races emerge as newest US political flashpoint - https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/politics/secretary-of-state-races/index.html

Election officials call for audit guidelines after Trump-fueled surge - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/17/election-officials-call-for-audit-guidelines-after-trump-fueled-surge-505562

No Evidence for Voter Fraud: A Guide To Statistical Claims About the 2020 Election - https://www.dropbox.com/s/o120sormtbw9w10/fraud_extended_public.pdf?dl=0

House Passes a Voting Rights Bill, but a G.O.P. Blockade Awaits in the Senate - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/us/politics/house-democrats-voting-rights-bill.html

H.R.4 - John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4/text

How the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Targets Discrimination - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act-targets-discrimination

House Democrats Just Got Serious About Reining In the Supreme Court - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/john-lewis-house-democrats-supreme-court-reform.html

The For the People Act is not dead yet - https://thefulcrum.us/voting/for-the-people-act-2370986

“WE CANNOT OUT-ORGANIZE VOTER SUPPRESSION”: CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS ARE HITTING THE PANIC BUTTON FOR 2022 - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/08/voter-suppression-civil-rights-leaders-joe-biden-2022

Can Democrats Move Forward A Voting Rights Bill By Making A Moral Case For It? - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-democrats-move-forward-a-voting-rights-bill-by-making-a-moral-case-for-it/

John Roberts and the Supreme Court might block anything Democrats do on voting rights - https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/politics/congress-democrats-john-lewis-voting-rights-supreme-court/index.html

Five takeaways from a groundbreaking census report - https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/567669-five-takeaways-from-a-groundbreaking-census-report?rl=1

Mapping America’s racial population shifts over the last decade - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/census-maps-race-population-demographics/

Seattle grew by more than 100,000 people in past 10 years, King County population booms, diversifies, new census data shows - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-grew-by-more-than-100000-people-in-past-10-years-kent-among-fastest-growing-cities-new-census-data-shows/

Census data shows Latinos now make up more than half of Yakima County's population - https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/census-data-shows-latinos-now-make-up-more-than-half-of-yakima-countys-population/article_6ee0b9f7-b01c-5d4f-a54e-7f5c6310b0b2.html

Census Shows a Nation That Resembles Its Future More Than Its Past - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/us/politics/census-demographic-shifts.html

Addition Without Representation - https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2021-08-13/minority-gains-in-census-likely-wont-be-reflected-in-congress

Democrats face new hurdles in legal fight over redistricting - https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-us-supreme-court-voting-rights-47cae4259991179d10a51126269cbe5d

Power Up: Census data could make voting rights legislation even more important to Democrats - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/13/power-up-census-data-could-make-voting-rights-legislation-even-more-important-democrats/

Princeton Gerrymandering Project - https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/

The Blueprint for Corporate Power Turns 50 - https://washingtonmonthly.com/2021/08/24/the-blueprint-for-corporate-power-turns-50/

THE POWELL MEMO AT 50 - 50 YEARS OF “GUERRILLA WARFARE” FROM CORPORATE AMERICA - https://rethinkmedia.org/preview/5315

The Powell Memo Explained, 50 Year Anniversary VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSK7t1IAZg

Foreign lobbyists gave millions to influence 2020 elections amid foreign influence concerns - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/08/foreign-lobbyists-gave-millions-to-influence-2020-foreign-influence-concerns/

New intel reports indicate fresh efforts by Russia to interfere in 2022 election - https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/politics/intel-report-russia-election-interference-2022/index.html

Why colleges should invest in civic engagement - https://thefulcrum.us/civic-ed/civic-engagement-college-programs

America needs democracy learning communities - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/democracy-learning-communities

Report finds mail voting increased in 2020, but ballot rejections did not - https://thefulcrum.us/voting/eac-2020-election-report

Almost all eligible Georgians are registered to vote, data show - https://www.ajc.com/politics/almost-all-eligible-georgians-are-registered-to-vote-data-show/WVN373LTIZAN7IJECDODHRJWLM/

Court rules North Carolina must allow former felons to vote - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/23/north-carolina-grants-voting-rights/

WASHINGTON STATE JOINS THE MOVEMENT TO HONOR VOTING RIGHTS FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS - https://www.sightline.org/2021/08/10/washington-state-joins-the-movement-to-honor-voting-rights-for-all-community-members/

Did Seattle’s Democracy Vouchers combat 'big money' in August's mayoral primary? - https://www.kuow.org/stories/did-seattle-s-democracy-vouchers-combat-big-money-in-the-august-mayoral-primary

Report finds small-dollar donors in Portland achieved new influence in local elections - https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/09/portland-elections-oregon-politics-city-hall-small-donors-campaign-funding/

AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION CONTINUES TO KICK ASS IN OREGON - https://www.sightline.org/2021/08/03/automatic-voter-registration-continues-to-kick-ass-in-oregon/

SOME GOOD NEWS ON STATE VOTING RIGHTS BILLS - https://www.sightline.org/2021/08/19/some-good-news-on-state-voting-rights-bills/

Don't shy away from honest, open discourse - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/open-dialogue