Democracy Happy Hour – March 30, 2022

* Democracy Happy Hour, March 30, 2022 - Meeting Recordings & Chat File:

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/DWdYLPjZKEpB-wrViN3dThJlyQZpdO5LLim1q0Rs1beaMzOo_4KQKheuqHNO_B3l5dZjdq3U25Zkx-kA.s8GXF3yP6Ix5AmuX
• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/mbe0NM5KpIVIEO_oeqP7u0hwZ6gINxJtKuaOfaS0uX_PHbEzCONLDsHVdkDzsXvib07RWc625hs0sPQd.vz23I05SpY16hm_e
• Chat (Link will download a text file to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/lDP4gfzrwR73otaf92_62q0o4qqzS91UX33aSYIV_ELv3W9aZ9efqGBx_I3eL6Lju935N8OMT1m_3sqe.I2xBpp7_o2ml4-Im

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 6th – School Board Elections
• Apr 13th – Open Primaries
• Apr 20th – The Politics Industry

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 3 – The Basics of Running for Office w/ guest speaker Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor – Register @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won-modules/module-03-the-basics-of-running-for-office

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/

Democracy in the News Links:

Federal Judge Finds Trump Most Likely Committed Crimes Over 2020 Election - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/politics/trump-election-crimes.html

Jan. 6 White House logs given to House show 7-hour gap in Trump calls - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/29/trump-white-house-logs/

New Focus on How a Trump Tweet Incited Far-Right Groups Ahead of Jan. 6 - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/politics/trump-tweet-jan-6.html

Jan. 6 Panel Makes Case for Contempt Charges for 2 Former Trump Aides - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/us/politics/peter-navarro-dan-scavino-contempt.html

Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 election, texts show - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/24/virginia-thomas-mark-meadows-texts

Jan. 6 committee to seek interview with Ginni Thomas - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/28/jan-6-committee-thomas-trump

Ethics experts see Ginni Thomas’s texts as a problem for Supreme Court - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/25/clarence-thomas-ginni-thomas/

Democrats in Congress ask Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/29/democrats-clarence-thomas-recuse-jan6-letter/

House Republican Says Trump Asked Him to Illegally ‘Rescind’ 2020 Election - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/us/politics/trump-mo-brooks-senate.html

As GOP lawmakers push for more election fraud charges, prosecutors find few cases - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/23/election-2020-crimes/

The Election Police Are Coming - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/election-police-are-coming

‘A Solution Looking for a Problem.’ Voting Rights Advocates Sound Alarm on Election Police Force Units - https://time.com/6160938/voting-election-police/

1-in-6 Election Officials Report Being Threatened - https://www.route-fifty.com/public-safety/2022/03/1-6-elections-officials-report-being-threatened/363682/

Coordinated phishing campaign targeted election officials in nine states, according to FBI - https://www.cyberscoop.com/election-officials-phishing-email-2022-midterms-fbi/

Midterm mess: States grapple with poll worker and paper shortages - https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/29/politics/midterm-election-shortages-ctzn/index.html

Biden budget seeks $10 billion over decade to improve elections, make ballots postage-free - https://rollcall.com/2022/03/28/biden-budget-seeks-10-billion-over-decade-to-improve-elections-make-ballots-postage-free/

Federal employees get time off to vote, staff polling locations - https://thefulcrum.us/Elections/Voting/time-off-to-vote

White House Releases Report on Native American Voting Rights - https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-03-24/white-house-releases-report-on-native-american-voting-rights

GOP push against ballot drop boxes hits rural places, too - https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4

Bill to ban drive-up voting, curbside drop boxes could harm voters with disabilities, advocates say - https://www.abc15.com/news/state/bill-to-ban-drive-up-voting-curbside-drop-boxes-could-harm-voters-with-disabilities-advocates-say

Arizona Senate Approves GOP Bill That Could Spur US’s “Most Extreme Voter Purge” - https://truthout.org/articles/arizona-senate-approves-gop-bill-that-could-spur-uss-most-extreme-voter-purge/

Arizona GOP election bill could create an avenue for politically motivated audits, according to Democrats - https://www.courthousenews.com/arizona-gop-election-bill-could-create-an-avenue-for-politically-motivated-audits-according-to-democrats/

Florida Republicans on verge of barring free legal help for election officials - https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/25/politics/florida-republicans-elections-bar-free-legal-help/index.html

Nassau County elections website features ‘report election fraud’ button, stoking concern of mistrust - https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/03/24/nassau-county-elections-website-features-report-election-fraud-button-stoking-concern-of-mistrust/

Local Election Officials in Georgia Oppose G.O.P. Election Bill - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/politics/georgia-election-bill.html

Georgia elections bill gutted in committee vote - https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-elections-bill-gutted-in-committee-vote/6DENAAZBKNFR5FNAPTAIMTY7R4/

“Throwback to Jim Crow”: New Texas voting law means Black voters' ballots get tossed - https://www.salon.com/2022/03/24/throwback-to-jim-crow-new-texas-voting-law-means-black-voters-ballots-get-tossed/

Ambiguous laws leave state's clerks unsure of what's legal during absentee voting - https://journaltimes.com/news/local/ambiguous-laws-leave-states-clerks-unsure-of-whats-legal-during-absentee-voting/article_ff2691da-ad1d-11ec-a597-9b7a7e693a8e.html

People with disabilities worry about tougher time voting in Wisconsin - https://www.wuwm.com/2022-03-23/people-with-disabilities-worry-about-tougher-time-voting-in-wisconsin

“Designed to End Protesting”: Louisiana Supreme Court Makes Protesters Guilty by Association - https://boltsmag.org/designed-to-end-protesting-louisiana/

Why census undercounts are problematic for political representation - https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2022/03/28/why-census-undercounts-are-problematic-for-political-representation/

Why redistricting has stalled in 4 unfinished states - https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/28/redistricting-stalled-fl-la-mo-nh-00020723

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoes Congressional map in push for heavier GOP gerrymander - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-congressional-map-ron-desantis/

Judge Throws Out Maryland Congressional Map, in Blow to Democrats - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/us/politics/maryland-redistricting-map-judge-ruling.html

Md. Senate passes new congressional map, which GOP calls gerrymandered, too - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/29/maryland-congress-gerrymandering-redistricting-democrats/

Michigan Supreme Court rejects challenge to state House map - https://www.michiganradio.org/news/2022-03-25/michigan-supreme-court-rejects-challenge-to-state-house-map

Ohio Supreme Court sets arguments for challenges to Republican congressional map past May primary election - https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/03/ohio-supreme-court-sets-arguments-for-challenges-to-republican-congressional-map-past-start-of-voting-for-may-primary-election.html

Democrats take redistricting challenge to Texas Supreme Court - https://www.kut.org/politics/2022-03-24/democrats-take-redistricting-challenge-to-texas-supreme-court

DOJ sues Texas county alleging discriminatory redistricting plan - https://www.axios.com/doj-texas-redistricting-plan-lawsuit-2bde0fbf-7d74-4682-a801-bbc82b4f792e.html

Supreme Court blocks revised legislative map for Wisconsin that created a new Black voting district - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-blocks-wisconsins-revised-legislative-map-created-new-bl-rcna19682

Sotomayor torches “unprecedented” Supreme Court ruling that could gut protections for Black voters - https://www.salon.com/2022/03/24/sotomayor-torches-unprecedented-ruling-that-could-gut-protections-for-black/

Supreme Court Elections May Re-Open Gerrymandering Floodgates in Two Key States - https://boltsmag.org/supreme-court-elections-ohio-north-carolina-redistricting/

Ketanji Brown Jackson is the most popular Supreme Court nominee in years - https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/26/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-supreme-court-biden/index.html

GOP questions for Jackson in her hearings were about midterm messaging — 4 takeaways - https://www.npr.org/2022/03/23/1087238896/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-gop-midterm-messaging

Collins to Back Jackson for Supreme Court, Giving Her a G.O.P. Vote - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/us/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-susan-collins.html

Fortenberry convicted on 3 felony counts in campaign finance case - https://rollcall.com/2022/03/24/fortenberry-convicted-on-3-felony-counts-in-campaign-finance-case/

Republicans rail against liberal ‘dark money,’ oppose laws to disclose donors - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-torch-liberal-dark-money-oppose-new-laws-disclose-donors-rcna21121

CORPORATE PACS SAVE FACE BY CLAIMING WORKER POWER - https://theintercept.com/2022/03/23/employee-sponsored-pacs-corporate-campaign-contributions/

Top corporate lobbying group shows its true colors on climate change - https://popular.info/p/top-corporate-lobbying-group-shows?s=r

How Joe Manchin Aided Coal, and Earned Millions - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/climate/manchin-coal-climate-conflicts.html

Home Depot now the biggest corporate donor to 2020 election objectors, analysis finds - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/home-depot-biggest-corporate-contributor-to-2020-election-objectors-analysis-finds-185705617.html

Watchdog: FEC ignored claim that Trump campaign laundered millions - https://www.courthousenews.com/watchdog-fec-ignored-claim-that-trump-campaign-laundered-millions/

Revealed: The Biggest Voter Suppressor You’ve Never Heard Of - https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/03/28/revealed-the-biggest-voter-suppressor-youve-never-heard-of/

Democrats seek SEC action on foreign influence in elections - https://rollcall.com/2022/03/24/democrats-seek-sec-action-on-foreign-influence-in-elections/

Congressman Schiff Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United - https://myburbank.com/congressman-schiff-introduces-constitutional-amendment-to-overturn-citizens-united/ - Bill Text - https://schiff.house.gov/imo/media/doc/amendment_to_overturn_citizens_united.pdf

19 organizations call on Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy to support ban on lawmakers trading stocks - https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-nancy-pelosi-kevin-mccarthy-leadership-support-stock-ban-legislation-2022-3 - Congressional Stock Ban Letter - https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Congressional-Stock-Ban-Sign-on-Letter-2022-5.pdf

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

GOP lawmakers push historic wave of bills targeting rights of LGBTQ teens, children and their families - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/25/lgbtq-rights-gop-bills-dont-say-gay

Disillusioned With Dems and GOP, Independents Now Largest Voter Group in the US - https://truthout.org/articles/disillusioned-with-dems-and-gop-independents-now-largest-voter-group-in-the-us/

Shiny new ballots: Record number of states eyeing ranked-choice voting - https://www.courthousenews.com/shiny-new-ballots-record-number-of-states-eyeing-ranked-choice-voting/

Believe It or Not, Some CA Dems and FL Republicans Agree on Something: Banning Ranked Choice Voting - https://ivn.us/posts/believe-it-or-not-some-ca-dems-and-fl-republicans-agree-on-something-banning-ranked-choice-voting

Effort to bring ranked choice voting to Clark County kicks off - https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/mar/23/effort-to-bring-ranked-choice-voting-to-clark-county-kicks-off/