Democracy Happy Hour – July 28, 2021

Upcoming August topics:

• 08/04/21 – Misinformation, Disinformation & Malinformation
• 08/11/21 – The Rise of Authoritarianism
• 08/18/21 – Modernization and Democracy
• 08/25/21 – Social Media's Impact on Democracy

Democracy Happy Hour, July 28, 2021 - Meeting Recordings & Chat:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/vo9gysfxTw95Z8ceK39WyBIOud-iaVnd_IQX9ojBDZr8hV_RxQi3y0oN1CUT5y5LUUtkFNMY_IDMAKon.10Rsj4bxNyqrpPSa

• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/pxeE5Zdu1RSpbUqI4EB1B3E5vufzRgkoblW-x489AaTBaSZP1EPqhTBYV3kKlG-7sI_OWCJhYc7AuVV-.XTut_u75of_IpYO6

• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/xmUsbglgjMtDugXBHKZVjFq2jGp0FnLcVaxae3ZdBEc2Gap-LSh-N009WZrl46V1Z9d5FI4p5dTS2edE.zQ1IEEsqJSNMAZBS

Primary Election is August 3rd – You can still register to vote or update your registration in person up until 8 pm on Aug 3rd - Check on your ballot here: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx

RECESS CAN WAIT - OUR DEMOCRACY CAN’T - https://www.recesscanwait.org/

• Movement Call – Thursday, July 29 @ 5:30 pm PT - https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/403880/
• Call your Senator to support For the People Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act@1.888.453.3211
• S1 PHONE BANKING - Sign up to phone back to key states with Common Cause. -https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/376178/
• Letter To the Editor DRIVE - Use this LTE tool to submit a letter to their local newspapers. - https://dfadcoalition.org/lte/
• Sign Petition - https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/president-biden-lead-the-way-for-voting-rights?source=07262021swap-dfad&referrer=group-declaration-for-american-democracy

WA Redistricting Links:

• Redistricting Justice for WA - https://www.redistrictingjusticewa.org/
• RJW Redistricting Outreach Hearing Signup - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdIk3YIJ-Mm1P8nvkLwJ-QwuS33pju7m2YqEi85ymEVcUiWw/viewform
• WA State Redistricting Commission - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/

Upcoming WA Redistricting Hearings in July:

• 7th & 9th CD: July 31, 10am–12pm
• 8th & 10th CD: July 31, 1–3pm

DONATE:

• Fix Democracy First or Fix Democracy First Education Fund - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• YO VOTE! - https://www.yo-vote.org/donate

Democracy in the News Links:  

Bob Moses, Crusader for Civil Rights and Math Education, Dies at 86 - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/us/bob-moses-dead.html

Capitol riot committee holds first hearing - https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/jan-6-house-select-committee-hearing-07-27-21/h_bf3627bd2890be3a1900dc0da8b25e98

CBS News analysis: What drives Republican and Trump voters' belief in widespread voter fraud? - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-belief-voter-fraud-opinion-poll/

Republicans don’t trust their election officials, research finds — especially in states Biden won - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/26/republicans-dont-trust-their-election-officials-research-finds-especially-states-biden-won/

Maricopa County launches website to address 2020 election misinformation - https://ktar.com/story/4591454/maricopa-county-launches-website-to-address-2020-election-misinformation/ - Link to Maricopa County website: https://recorder.maricopa.gov/justthefacts/

Bad-faith election audits are sabotaging democracy across the nation - https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/563878-bad-faith-election-audits-are-sabotaging-democracy-across-the-nation?rl=1

Texas Democrats Remain In Washington Amid Coronavirus Cases And Congressional Hurdles - https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1018953554/texas-democrats-remain-in-washington-amid-coronavirus-cases-and-congressional-hu

Texas Supreme Court may decide next plot twist in the Democratic walkout, and the fate of 2,100 state employees - https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-supreme-court-democrats-walkout/

Takeover of Fulton elections considered by Georgia Republicans - https://www.ajc.com/politics/takeover-of-fulton-elections-considered-by-georgia-republicans/PN3BIED4SREBBI3JG4DUZYHQJM/

7 Ways New Voting Laws Can Affect People With Disabilities - https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2021/07/25/7-ways-new-voting-laws-can-affect-people-with-disabilities/?sh=472f35f96289

Native Americans are targets of voter suppression too - https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/564961-native-americans-are-targets-of-voter-suppression-too?rl=1

Report: One-third of the country has limited voting access since the 2020 election - https://thefulcrum.us/voting/state-voting-laws-29453

Republican Voter Suppression Laws Are Targeting Democratic Voters - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/republican-voter-suppression-laws-2021

Voting Laws Roundup: July 2021 - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-july-2021

Wide partisan divide on whether voting is a fundamental right or a privilege with responsibilities - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/22/wide-partisan-divide-on-whether-voting-is-a-fundamental-right-or-a-privilege-with-responsibilities/

'Time for action:' Voting and civil rights groups intensify pressure on Biden and Congress to move on federal election bills - https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/civil-rights-groups-voting-biden-congress/index.html

Biden says ditching the filibuster would throw Congress ‘into chaos’ and lead to gridlock. - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/us/politics/biden-filibuster-chaos.html

Democrats craft revised voting rights bill, seeking to keep hopes alive in the Senate - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-craft-revised-voting-rights-bill-seeking-to-keep-hopes-alive-in-the-senate/2021/07/28/855b93fc-efc5-11eb-81d2-ffae0f931b8f_story.html

Federal lawsuits challenging Georgia’s new voting law now face long odds - https://georgiarecorder.com/2021/07/25/federal-lawsuits-challenging-georgias-new-voting-law-now-face-long-odds/

Stacey Abrams’ organizing model goes national - https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/the-jolt-stacey-abrams-organizing-model-goes-national/EAE4KKQ3LBAMLM4WROBS2BZ3SA/

Why Every Assumption The Two Parties Have About Latino Voters Is Wrong - https://ivn.us/posts/why-every-assumption-the-two-parties-have-about-latino-voters-is-wrong

Republicans increasingly look to ballot initiatives as way to enact voting measures - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-increasingly-look-ballot-initiatives-way-enact-voting-measures-n1273691

Major Companies Get ‘Fs’ on Voting Rights in New Scorecard - https://readsludge.com/2021/07/21/major-companies-get-fs-on-voting-rights-in-new-scorecard/

Manchin campaign contributions skyrocketed amid debate over For The People Act - https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/manchin-campaign-contributions-skyrocketed-amid-debate-over-for-the-people-act/article_a36ebc52-ccd6-50b4-95cc-4e221c98a548.html

Washington is a lobbying boom town under Biden - https://www.rollcall.com/2021/07/26/washington-is-a-lobbying-boom-town-under-biden/

In Nearly All Other Democracies, This Is Not Normal - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/opinion/house-elections-constitution.html

Republicans poised to rig the next election by gerrymandering electoral maps - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/27/gerrymandering-republicans-electoral-maps-political-heist

Drawing maps isn't just for gerrymanderers anymore - https://thefulcrum.us/redistricting/redistricting-tool

Runoff elections see little turnout despite steep costs, per new report - https://thefulcrum.us/voting/runoff-elections

New law requires NJ middle schools to teach about voting - https://abc7ny.com/laura-wootens-law-new-jersey-education-civics-lessons-in-rutgers-university/10905689/

We must all be lifeguards for democracy - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/protecting-democracy

Wanted: Ideas for how to strengthen American democracy - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/strengthening-democracy-challenge

Fair & Impartial Courts: How do we get there? Links:  

What Does Fair and Impartial Judiciary Mean and Why is it Important? - https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/2019/11/what-does-fair-and-impartial-judiciary-mean-and-why-is-it-important/

Fair Courts – Common Cause - https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/constitution-courts-and-democracy-issues/fair-courts/

How many states elect judges? With more than 20 different selection systems, that's a very complicated question. - https://www.ncsc.org/information-and-resources/trending-topics/trending-topics-landing-pg/how-many-states-elect-judges-with-more-than-20-different-selection-systems,-thats-a-very-complicated-question.

Why Merit Selection? - https://moderncourts.org/programs-advocacy/judicial-selection/why-merit-selection/

Merit Selection: The Best Way to Choose the Best Judges - http://www.judicialselection.us/uploads/documents/ms_descrip_1185462202120.pdf

Promote Fair Courts – Brennan Center - https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/strengthen-our-courts/promote-fair-courts

Court Reform Gets New Attention - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/court-reform-gets-new-attention

Money in Judicial Elections - https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/strengthen-our-courts/promote-fair-courts/money-judicial-elections

Judicial Ethics & Recusal - https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/strengthen-our-courts/promote-fair-courts/judicial-ethics-recusal

Legislative Assaults on State Courts — 2021 - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/legislative-assaults-state-courts-2021

4 ideas for Supreme Court reform - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/15/4-ideas-supreme-court-reform/

Structural Reforms to the Federal Judiciary - https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/courts/reports/2019/05/08/469504/structural-reforms-federal-judiciary/

Reforming State Judicial Selection - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/reforming-state-judicial-selection

Choosing State Judges: A Plan for Reform - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/choosing-state-judges-plan-reform

Public Funding of Judicial Elections: Financing Campaigns for Fair and Impartial Courts - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/public-funding-judicial-elections-financing-campaigns-fair-and-impartial