Democracy Happy Hour – October 20, 2021

October 20, 2021
PAST EVENT
Event Details

Democracy Happy Hour, October 20, 2021 - Meeting Recordings & Chat:

Actions, Events & Misc. Links:

SPECIAL EVENT:

DONATE:

Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:

  • Oct 27th  - Empowering Government to Work for the People
  • Nov 3rd - 2021 Elections Report
  • Nov 10th - DEFENDING DEMOCRACY 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony - More info @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/event-pages/2021-virtual-awards-ceremony
  • Nov 17th - Impact of Polarization in Local Government
  • Nov 24th - WA Redistricting Update: Review of the Maps w/ Alison McCaffree   

WA Redistricting: FINAL WEEK OF ACTION!

TAKE ACTION:

Proposed Maps supported by the Redistricting Justice For Washington  HERE: redistrictingjusticewa.org/district-proposals

  • Important dates to note:
  • 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.  

TAKE ACTION for VOTING RIGHTS BILLS – Freedom to Vote Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act – Please do one or more of these actions:

  • Call the U.S. Senate @ 1.888.453.3211 - Tell them to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as well as address the filibuster so these bills can pass.
  • Call the White House @ 1.888.724.8746 - Tell the President to use his power to push the Senate to pass these bills and support reforming the filibuster. (The comment line is open Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 8am-noon PT.)
  • Volunteer Phonebanks: Common Cause & RepresentUs  
  • Write a Letter to the Editor: Use the Letter To the Editor Tool to submit a letter to your local newspaper

Sign These Petitions:  

Democracy in the News Links:

As GOP rejects Freedom to Vote Act, Dems have a decision to make - https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-rejects-freedom-vote-act-dems-have-decision-make-n1281997

Jan. 6 panel votes to hold Steve Bannon in contempt - https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-joe-biden-donald-trump-congress-capitol-siege-159b0ae9d4833641285e1114a441721c

Trump Sues to Block Release of White House Papers to Jan. 6 Inquiry - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/us/politics/trump-lawsuit-capitol-riot.html

Calls intensify to end Wisconsin’s election review amid blunders by ex-judge in charge - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/14/wisconsin-election-review-gableman-errors/

Clerk who touted conspiracy theories barred from overseeing November election - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/clerk-who-touted-conspiracy-theories-barred-from-overseeing-november-election/

Judge dismisses Georgia lawsuit alleging fraud in 2020 election - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judge-dismisses-georgia-lawsuit-alleging-fraud-2020-election-2021-10-13/

Montana GOP can’t appoint joint committee to investigate elections - https://www.ktvh.com/news/montana-politics/memo-gop-cant-appoint-joint-committee-to-investigate-elections

Trump-backed bills on election audits, illegal voting penalties expected to die in Texas legislature - https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/577387-trump-backed-bills-on-election-audits-illegal-voting-penalties-expected?rl=1

Texas Attorney General sets up unit for voter fraud claims in November election - https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2021/10/18/411164/texas-attorney-general-sets-up-unit-for-voter-fraud-claims-in-november-election/

Trump won big in Utah in 2020. Activists want an Arizona-style audit anyway. - https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/10/19/activists-plan-pressure/

Trump asserts his dominance inside GOP, pushing Republicans to embrace his false claims of fraud - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gop-fraud-claims/2021/10/14/f37887fe-2cfc-11ec-985d-3150f7e106b2_story.html

‘Trump lost’: Republican-led group launches billboard campaign calling for end to election audits - https://fox59.com/news/politics/trump-lost-republican-led-group-launches-billboard-campaign-calling-for-end-to-election-audits/

As Trump Thunders About Last Election, Republicans Worry About the Next One - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/17/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud-republicans.html

Another big lie – ‘they want to steal your retirement’ – gains traction in lead-up to 2022 - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/10/14/another-big-lie-they-want-to-steal-your-retirement-gains-traction-in-lead-up-to-2022/

Republicans Move to Limit a Grass-Roots Tradition of Direct Democracy - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/22/us/politics/republican-ballot-initiatives-democrats.html

Trump allies eye election law push should he be reelected - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/15/trump-allies-election-law-reelection-516077

New Georgia voting rules bring changes to 2021 elections - https://www.ajc.com/politics/new-georgia-voting-rules-bring-changes-to-2021-elections/2IFA5EZ5VBAARIP22PHQKQNMFA/

Florida's new election law brings increased costs, reduced service in several counties - https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/10/18/floridas-new-election-law-brings-increased-costs-reduced-service-in-several-counties

Schumer, McConnell headed for another collision over voting rights - https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/576862-schumer-mcconnell-headed-for-another-collision-over-voting-rights?rl=1

Activists try to keep up pressure to pass elections and voting bills - https://www.rollcall.com/2021/10/13/activists-try-to-keep-up-pressure-to-pass-elections-and-voting-bills/

Advocates worry Biden is letting U.S. democracy erode on his watch - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-democracy-eroding/2021/10/15/2ca8181c-2c55-11ec-92bd-d2ffe8570c7d_story.html

Voting rights veterans share lessons with new generation of activists: ‘Build on the foundation’ - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/18/voting-rights-veterans-share-lessons-new-generation-activists

The Freedom to Vote Act Is a Big Deal for Redistricting - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/freedom-vote-act-big-deal-redistricting

GROUPS LINKED TO BETSY DEVOS SEEK TO UNDERMINE MICHIGAN REDISTRICTING COMMISSION - https://theintercept.com/2021/10/14/michigan-redistricting-betsy-devos/

Texas House passes proposed new map for chamber’s 150 districts, aiming to protect Republicans’ majority for the next decade - https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2021/10/13/410861/texas-house-passes-proposed-new-map-for-chambers-150-districts-aiming-to-protect-republicans-majority-for-the-next-decade/

Texas Republicans send Gov. Greg Abbott a new congressional map that protects GOP power, reduces influence of voters of color - https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/18/texas-congressional-maps-redistricting/

Latino groups sue over Texas redistricting - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latino-groups-sue-texas-redistricting-rcna3240

National Democratic group steps in to defend Oregon’s new congressional map - https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/18/oregon-redistricting-map-legal-gerrymandering-national-democratic-redistricting-committee/

Gridlock and dysfunction — and a few tears — hit redistricting - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/14/redistricting-gridlock-dysfunction-commissions-515964

Redistricting commissions descend into political warfare - https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/576815-redistricting-commissions-descend-into-political-warfare?rl=1

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine’s refusal to recuse from lawsuit involving father may be unprecedented - https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2021/10/ohio-supreme-court-justice-pat-dewines-refusal-to-recuse-from-lawsuit-involving-father-may-be-unprecedented.html

U.S. appeals court rules to keep Texas abortion ban in effect - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-appeals-court-rules-keep-texas-abortion-ban-effect-2021-10-15/

Justice Department Asks Supreme Court to Block Texas Abortion Law - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/us/politics/texas-abortion-law-supreme-court.html

How Mississippi court case could pave way for new abortion bans across the U.S. - https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/10/15/how-mississippi-court-case-could-pave-way-for-new-abortion-bans-across-the-us

The Supreme Court Deals a Harsh, Unanimous Blow to Police Reform - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/10/supreme-court-qualified-immunity-reform.html

The States Can Save Us From the Supreme Court’s Brutal Rulings Protecting Bad Police - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/10/supreme-court-qualified-immunity-police-reform.html

Federal Judges or Their Brokers Traded Stocks of Litigants During Cases - https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-judges-brokers-traded-stocks-of-litigants-during-cases-walmart-pfizer-11634306192

Justice Alito complains, but the evidence is clear: This Supreme Court was built by dark money - https://www.salon.com/2021/10/14/justice-alito-complains-but-the-evidence-is-clear-this-was-built-by-dark-money/

Warren, Jayapal Ask Supreme Court to Get Tougher on Judges’ Conflicts of Interest - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-jayapal-ask-supreme-court-165039729.html

White House's Supreme Court commission releases draft materials punting on court packing, but appears to favor term limits for justices - https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/politics/white-house-supreme-court-commission-materials/index.html

Biden’s Supreme Court Commission Was Designed to Fail - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/supreme-court-commission-2/

Solid majority believes Supreme Court rulings based more on politics than law - https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/577444-solid-majority-believes-supreme-court-rulings-based-more-on-politics?rl=1

What the Pandora Papers Tell Us About Ourselves - https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2021/10/14/tax-evasion-pandora-papers-united-states

Big corporations that claim to support voting rights are still funding right-wing state AGs - https://www.salon.com/2021/10/19/big-corporations-that-claim-to-support-voting-rights-are-still-funding-right-wing-state-ags/

Sanders blaming spending bill delay on corporate lobbying - https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/576595-sanders-blaming-spending-bill-delay-on-corporate-lobbying?rl=1

CONSERVATIVE DARK-MONEY GROUPS PUSH DECEPTIVE ADS AGAINST BIDEN’S AGENDA - https://theintercept.com/2021/10/15/conservative-dark-money-ads-biden-build-back-better/

Big GOP Donors Poured Money Into Kyrsten Sinema’s Campaign in September - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/10/sinema-gop-donors-money-budget-republican-megadonors/

Manchin accepted over $400,000 from energy companies and GOP donors in the third quarter - https://www.yahoo.com/news/manchin-accepted-over-400-000-211905637.html

DRUG INDUSTRY HIRES ITS FORMER CRITICS AS LOBBYISTS AGAINST MEDICARE PRICE NEGOTIATIONS - https://theintercept.com/2021/10/13/medicare-drug-lobbying-former-democratic-senators/

Money Floods the Race for Control of Congress, More Than a Year Early - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/16/us/politics/midterm-elections-campaign-financing.html

A Little-Noticed Supreme Court Ruling Could Help Build A Dam Against Foreign Money In American Elections - https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/a-little-noticed-supreme-court-ruling-could-help-build-a-dam-against-foreign-money-in-american-elections?s=09

Agency for Int’l Development v. Alliance for Open Society - https://casetext.com/case/agency-for-intl-development-v-alliance-for-open-society

González fundraising ‘reform’ tips scale in her campaign’s favor - https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/gonzalez-fundraising-reform-tips-scale-in-her-campaigns-favor/

Plan to let troops cast ballots over the internet draws opposition from security experts - https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/10/14/plan-to-let-troops-cast-ballots-over-the-internet-draws-opposition-from-security-experts/

A healthy democracy cannot discriminate against independent candidates and voters - https://thefulcrum.us/Elections/third-party-candidate

RCV MAPS (MULTI-STATE ASSESSMENT PROJECT) - https://www.rcvresources.org/state-assessments

New research connects the dots between youth activism and voter engagement - https://thefulcrum.us/Elections/Voting/youth-activism

What federal funding for civics reveals about American political discourse - https://www.marketplace.org/2019/11/06/what-federal-funding-for-civics-reveals-about-american-political-discourse/

The federal government must fund civics education - https://dbknews.com/2021/03/04/federal-education-textbook-civics-social-studies/

Updating the U.S. Constitution: Is it time? Links

Article Five of the United States Constitution - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Five_of_the_United_States_Constitution

Amending the U.S. Constitution - https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx

All Amendments to the United States Constitution - http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/education/all_amendments_usconst.htm

Amendment Summary: 27 Updates to the U.S. Constitution - https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h926.html

Amending the U.S. Constitution Is Easier Said Than Done - https://wdet.org/posts/2021/09/16/91429-amending-the-us-constitution-is-easier-said-than-done/

To Put Voters First Again, Amend the Constitution - https://www.governing.com/now/to-put-voters-first-again-amend-the-constitution.html

Citizens United: People Power Moves States - https://reclaimtheamericandream.org/progress-amend/

Move to Amend's Proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution - https://www.movetoamend.org/amendment

H.J.Res.48 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-joint-resolution/48

American Promise – The 28th Amendment – https://americanpromise.net/who-we-are/the-28th-amendment/

H.J.Res.1 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections. - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-joint-resolution/1

Wolf-Pac’s Solution - https://wolf-pac.com/the_solution/

American Promise - Two Methods to Pass an Amendment: Pros, Cons and Our Point of View - https://americanpromise.net/2019/04/two-methods-to-pass-an-amendment-pros-cons-and-our-point-of-view/

Inside the Conservative Push for States to Amend the Constitution - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/us/inside-the-conservative-push-for-states-to-amend-the-constitution.html

H.J.Res.14 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States. - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-joint-resolution/14/text

H.J.Res.12 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve. - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-joint-resolution/12/text?r=4&s=1

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT - https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/

POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Is it time for an Article V Convention of the States? - https://gazette.com/opinion/columnists/point-counterpoint-is-it-time-for-an-article-v-convention-of-the-states-copy/article_42575646-51db-11eb-bf66-8b9d4cc32267.html

States Likely Could Not Control Constitutional Convention on Balanced Budget Amendment or Other Issues - https://www.cbpp.org/research/states-likely-could-not-control-constitutional-convention-on-balanced-budget-amendment-or

A Response to the Runaway Scenario - https://articlevinfocenter.com/a-response-to-the-runaway-scenario-2/

We Are Overdue For A New Constitutional Convention - https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/07/06/op-ed-we-are-overdue-for-a-new-constitutional-convention/

The Democracy Constitution - https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/61/the-democracy-constitution/

A New Constitution for The United States - https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/61/a-new-constitution-for-the-united-states/

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October 20, 2021
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