Democracy Happy Hour – May 5, 2021

May 5, 2021 Democracy Happy Hour. We covered democracy in the news, and had a presentation on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Meeting Recordings & Chat:

• Speaker View Recording

• Gallery View Recording

• Chat file
  

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour Topics:

• 05/12/21 – Corporate Constitutional Personhood: Rights and Power
• 05/19/21 – Why Not a Constitutional Convention?
• 05/26/21 – Challenges to the Right to Protest

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

• The Constitution: Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise?: Democracy, the Constitution and Representation in Congress. - May 6th @ 6:30-8:00 pm PT - Register @: https://www.harneycountylibrary.org/constitution.html
• ‍John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Action Day – May 8th - https://www.johnlewisdayofaction.org/

• National Broadcast for the Nationwide John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day - https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizen/event/387558/
• Washington State Actions:

• Seattle - https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizen/event/384185/
• Vashon - https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizen/event/384030/
• Tacoma - https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizen/event/385579/
• Bellingham - https://www.mobilize.us/publiccitizen/event/386149/
  

• Freedom to Vote - Expanding and Ensuring Democracy for All - https://www.facebook.com/events/290153299372794/

• Register @ https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZModOGopzMtGtEoE5hWVtqccjq-0y8nKYFZ
  

• Racially Charged: America's Misdemeanor Problem - Screening & Panel Discussion - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_haKy7PIxTfaOPqZC46MDCQ

• Please DONATE to Fix Democracy First Education Fund GiveBIG 2021 - https://www.givebigwa.org/fixdemocracyfirst
  

John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Links:

• H.R.4 - Voting Rights Advancement Act - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4

• How to Restore and Strengthen the Voting Rights Act - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/how-to-restore-and-strengthen-voting-rights-act

Democracy in the News Links:

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - https://asianpacificheritage.gov/

• Biden calls on Congress to pass voting, elections reform bills - https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/550855-biden-calls-on-congress-to-pass-voting-elections-reform-bills?rl=1

• With Florida Bill, Republicans Continue Unrelenting Push to Restrict Voting - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/30/us/politics/florida-voting-rights-bill-republicans.html

• Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/business-warnings-gop-moves-ahead-voting-bills-77491624

• What’s behind Arizona’s bizarre, haphazard, and highly partisan “audit” of the 2020 election - https://www.vox.com/22417310/arizona-audit-ballots-cyber-ninjas-uv-lights-qanon-conspiracy-theory-vote-suppression-fraud

• Voting rights groups ask for federal intervention in Arizona, where a company owned by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist is conducting an 'audit' of the 2020 election - https://www.businessinsider.com/voting-rights-groups-ask-federal-intervention-arizona-over-2020-audit-2021-4

• G.O.P. Seeks to Empower Poll Watchers, Raising Intimidation Worries - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/us/politics/republican-pollwatchers.html

• Who Watches the Poll Watchers? - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/who-watches-poll-watchers

• Despite GOP rhetoric, there have been fewer than two dozen charged cases of voter fraud since the election - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/04/despite-gop-rhetoric-there-have-been-fewer-than-two-dozen-charged-cases-voter-fraud-since-election/

• ‘Two justice systems’: Anger as white Trump supporter who used dead mother’s vote walks free while Black woman faces jail for voting error - https://news.yahoo.com/two-justice-systems-anger-white-195643370.html

• For Republicans, fealty to Trump’s election falsehood becomes defining loyalty test - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-trump-election-falsehood/2021/05/01/7bd380a0-a921-11eb-8c1a-56f0cb4ff3b5_story.html

• Scoop: GOP leaders threaten Cheney ouster - https://www.axios.com/gop-leaders-cheney-ouster-fc28f6c2-507e-4a69-b4c4-6af95cc734fc.html

• Florida Republicans rushed to curb mail voting after Trump’s attacks on the practice. Now some fear it could lower GOP turnout. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/florida-republicans-mail-voting/2021/05/02/4c133920-a9bf-11eb-8c1a-56f0cb4ff3b5_story.html

• Half of Youth Voted in 2020, An 11-Point Increase from 2016 - https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/half-youth-voted-2020-11-point-increase-2016

• Republicans feared Democrats’ voting protections bill polls well. A new poll says they’re right. - https://www.vox.com/2021/5/3/22406391/hr1-poll-for-the-people-act

• Polling on Policy Proposals in the For the People Act -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uuehJF4p8SYMSsJOelPlOHvbCKQtGJqjQjhULXy6UqE/edit#heading=h.sf6i76p33efd

• Senate Dems agonize over voting rights strategy - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/03/senate-democrats-voting-rights-strategy-485127

• Constitutional Challenges Loom Over Proposed Voting Bill - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/us/voting-rights-bill-legal.html

• THE FILIBUSTER STOPS PROGRESS ON SOLUTIONS MOST AMERICANS WANT - https://www.sightline.org/2021/04/26/the-filibuster-stops-progress-on-solutions-most-americans-want/

• Americans for Prosperity launches campaign targeting six Democrats to oppose ending filibuster - https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/551131-americans-for-prosperity-launches-campaign-targeting-six-democrats-to?rl=1

• The next major US voting rights fight is here – and Republicans are ahead - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/29/us-voting-rights-census-house-seats-districts

• The GOP scared Latinos from the census. Now that may cost the party red seats. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/01/hispanics-census-undercount-house-seats/

• Wave Of 'Anti-Protest' Bills Could Threaten First Amendment - https://www.npr.org/2021/04/30/992545210/wave-of-anti-protest-bills-could-threaten-first-amendment

• Amazon’s algorithms promote extremist misinformation, report says - https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazons-algorithms-promote-extremist-misinformation-report-says/

• Big tech’s power: Political influence - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/big-techs-power-political-influence/
• Austin Voters Approved Ranked-Choice Voting. But Whether They’ll Get To Use It Is Another Matter. - https://www.kut.org/austin/2021-05-03/ranked-choice-voting-proposition-e-austin-may-election-2021

• Ranked-choice voting is already changing politics for the better - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/04/ranked-choice-voting-is-already-changing-politics-better/

• Do You Live in a Political Bubble? - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/30/opinion/politics/bubble-politics.html

• Braver Angels Washington State - https://www.braverangelswa.org/

• Investing in Civic Education and Our Democracy - https://www.amacad.org/events/civic-education-ead