Topic: Universal Voting with 100% Democracy. Join us from 5-6:30pm PT for a weekly discussion about our democracy.
Democracy Happy Hour, September 8, 2021 - Meeting Recordings & Chat:
Actions, Events & Misc. Links:
Upcoming Democracy Happy Hour topics:
TAKE ACTION for VOTING RIGHTS – Please commit to doing one or more of these actions:
“Democracy Vouchers: How bringing money into politics can drive money out of politics” with author Tom Latkowski - September 9th @ 6 pm
WA Redistricting Links:
DrawYourWA mapping tool now 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.
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Democracy in the News Links:
What The Texas Abortion Ban Does — And What It Means For Other States - https://www.npr.org/2021/09/01/1033202132/texas-abortion-ban-what-happens-next
What to know about the Texas abortion law - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/01/texas-abortion-law-faq/
Texas anti-abortion law turns everyday citizens into bounty hunters - https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/texas-anti-abortion-law-turns-everyday-citizens-into-bounty-hunters/
Texas created a blueprint for abortion restrictions. Republican-controlled states may follow suit. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/03/texas-abortion-ban-states/
Why Texas’s Abortion Law May Go Too Far For Most Americans - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-texass-abortion-law-may-go-too-far-for-most-americans/
Texas county judge temporarily blocks anti-abortion group from enforcing ban against Planned Parenthood - https://www.axios.com/texas-abortion-planned-parenthood-judge-3e5c1b88-077a-4578-b30b-68d53694cae7.html
Justice Department to protect women seeking an abortion in Texas - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/abortion-justice-department-biden-administration-texas/2021/09/06/f9cdc7ba-0f36-11ec-882f-2dd15a067dc4_story.html
Corporate America, critical of restrictive voting bills, remains largely silent on Texas abortion ban - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/04/companies-response-texas-abortion-ban/
Mexico’s Supreme Court Votes to Decriminalize Abortion - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/07/world/americas/mexico-supreme-court-decriminalize-abortion.html
Women’s March – October 2nd - https://womensmarch.com/
State GOP leaders push new 2020 election reviews as Arizona report looms - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/07/state-gop-2020-election-review-510023
Heeding Steve Bannon’s Call, Election Deniers Organize to Seize Control of the GOP — and Reshape America’s Elections - https://www.propublica.org/article/heeding-steve-bannons-call-election-deniers-organize-to-seize-control-of-the-gop-and-reshape-americas-elections
Special Report: Terrorized U.S. election workers get little help from law enforcement - https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/terrorized-us-election-workers-get-little-help-law-enforcement-2021-09-08/
Bipartisan group offers free legal aid to election workers facing intimidation - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/election-workers-legal-assistance
After voters embraced mail ballots, GOP states tighten rules - https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-voting-rights-election-2020-2caf9b85bec73c807ecea15775f6da63
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs law creating new voting restrictions as opponents sue in federal court - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/07/abbott-texas-voting-restrictions-signs-bill/
New Texas voting bill deepens growing disparities in how Americans can cast their ballots - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-rights-national-divide/2021/09/05/24165092-0b4e-11ec-9781-07796ffb56fe_story.html
We’re Suing Texas Over Its New Voter Suppression Law - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/were-suing-texas-over-its-new-voter-suppression-law
North Florida Voting Rights Advocates Call For More Federal Oversight - https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2021-09-01/north-florida-voting-rights-advocates-call-for-more-federal-oversight
The election gambit that’s sending Georgia Democrats into a frenzy - https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/02/georgia-democrats-election-gambit-508681
Kansas’ new law halts voter registration efforts, as local elections draw near - https://www.ksnt.com/capitol-bureau/kansas-new-law-halts-voter-registration-efforts-as-local-elections-draw-near/
Georgia shows the promise of automatic voter registration - https://www.facingsouth.org/2021/09/georgia-shows-promise-automatic-voter-registration
New study suggests Native American voting disparity growing - https://missoulacurrent.com/government/2021/09/voting-disparity/
ALEC Lied About Its Work on Election Suppression Bills - https://readsludge.com/2021/09/01/alec-lied-about-its-work-on-election-suppression-bills/
The John Lewis Act would restore key voting protections. Democrats should fight for it. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/06/john-lewis-act-would-restore-key-voting-protections-democrats-should-fight-it/
Justice Department releases Voting Rights Act mapmaking guidance - https://www.rollcall.com/2021/09/01/justice-department-releases-voting-rights-act-mapmaking-guidance/
Joe Biden Needs to Get Serious About Voting Rights - https://jacobinmag.com/2021/09/joe-biden-voting-rights-texas-republicans
The Divide in American Democracy Deepens - https://votingrightslab.org/a-tale-of-two-democracies-how-the-2021-wave-of-state-voting-laws-created-a-new-american-fault-line/
Congressional Gerrymandering Is Voter Suppression, Too - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/congressional-gerrymandering-is-voter-suppression-too/2021/09/07/f2f0a394-0fff-11ec-baca-86b144fc8a2d_story.html
Barely underway, Texas redistricting draws its first lawsuit challenging Legislature’s authority to redraw legislative maps - https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/01/texas-legislature-redistricting/
Native American leaders in S.D. keeping close eye on legislative redistricting - https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/native-american-leaders-keeping-close-eye-on-legislative-redistricting/
Redistricting and the Coming Collisions Between Partisans and Courts - https://www.governing.com/now/redistricting-and-the-coming-collisions-between-partisans-and-courts
How redistricting may cause a delay to the 2022 primary calendar - https://news.ballotpedia.org/2021/09/07/how-redistricting-may-cause-a-delay-to-the-2022-primary-calendar/
Tea party 2.0? Conservatives get organized in school battles - https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-3157002e9d011e5283f55886b1c7078a
COMPANIES LOBBYING AGAINST INFRASTRUCTURE TAX INCREASES HAVE AVOIDED PAYING BILLIONS IN TAXES - https://theintercept.com/2021/09/06/infrastructure-bill-companies-tax-increase/
Why I Won’t Support Spending Another $3.5 Trillion - https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchin-pelosi-biden-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-government-spending-debt-deficit-inflation-11630605657
‘Sick of bipartisan corruption’: AOC takes aim at Joe Manchin for ‘huddling’ with fossil fuel lobbyists - https://news.yahoo.com/sick-bipartisan-corruption-aoc-takes-221832577.html
Shadow docket Supreme Court decisions could affect millions - https://fortwaynesnbc.com/2021/09/04/shadow-docket-supreme-court-decisions-could-affect-millions-2/
Partisan divides in media trust widen, driven by a decline among Republicans - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/30/partisan-divides-in-media-trust-widen-driven-by-a-decline-among-republicans/
Why Right-Wing Media Wants its Viewers to Live in Another Reality - https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/why-right-wing-media-wants-its-viewers-to-live-in-another-reality
The Internet Trust Tool - https://www.newsguardtech.com/
Patriotism and freedom: The two most misused terms in U.S. politics - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/understanding-of-freedom
How a Small Town Silenced a Neo-Nazi Hate Campaign - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/05/us/politics/nazi-whitefish-charlottesville.html
The Democracy Constitution - https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/61/the-democracy-constitution/
The Influence of Political Think Tanks on Policy Making Links:
Think Tank - Definition - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_tank
A History of Think-Tanks: 12 Things You Should Know - https://medium.com/chatham-house/a-history-of-think-tanks-12-things-you-should-know-4283b76b2da3
The Fifth Estate: Think Tanks, Public Policy, and Governance - https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/chapter-one_-the-fifth-estate.pdf
How Think Tanks Influence Policy – An Overview of Current Debates - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52e1f399e4b06a94c0cdaa41/t/53204216e4b04cff12000948/1394622998318/How+Think+Tanks+Influence+Policy+-+An+Overview+of+Current+Debates+_Transparify+2014_.pdf
What's Behind the 'Think Tanks' That Influence US Policy? - https://www.voanews.com/usa/whats-behind-think-tanks-influence-us-policy
Do Think Tanks Still Matter? Myths and Reality of Think Tank Influence in the Digital Age - https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/PanelDetails/10150
How Think Tanks Amplify Corporate America’s Influence - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/08/us/politics/think-tanks-research-and-corporate-lobbying.html
Think tanks, evidence and policy: democratic players or clandestine lobbyists? - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/02/08/think-tanks-evidence-and-policy/
Positioning think tanks for policy influence - https://www.idrc.ca/en/research-in-action/positioning-think-tanks-policy-influence
Top Influential Think Tanks 2021 - https://academicinfluence.com/inflection/influence/influential-think-tanks
Political Biases of Influential Think Tanks - https://academicinfluence.com/inflection/influence/influential-think-tanks#top-conservative
The 50 Most Influential Think Tanks in the United States - https://thebestschools.org/features/most-influential-think-tanks/