DEEP DIVE: HISTORY MATTERS

How did we get here?

What's the issue: Political analysts, historians, journalists, and political leaders are defining our present moment as a turning point in our democracy. Are we, in fact, abandoning our founding principles and moving towards authoritarianism? Are we so divided that we cannot bridge the gap of values and ideas? Read More Here.

Why This Matters: Reflecting and learning from the challenges and successes of our country may be the only definitive guide to move the country forward and away from the current political climate.

How Can We Take Action: Attend our Spotlight Speaker event on 5/31 at 7pm ET. Support 501(c)(3) organizations who are working on preserving our democracy. Here are a few we recommend: Protect Democracy, States United Democracy Center and CREW

👀 - Register for 5/31 Spotlight Speaker

💻 - Share this Blog Post with Friends

ELECTIONS UPDATE: LET'S TALK ABOUT LABELS

America's first dark money ballot line

Remember that sinking feeling when you realized Woody Allen wasn't the lovable loser you thought he was? Well, get ready for another rude awakening.

What's the issue: No Labels, the so-called "unity ticket" third-party group, is funded by dark money with deep ties to corporate interests.

Fill me in: No Labels claims to be trying to prevent another Trump presidency, but their actions suggest otherwise.

Why it matters: As a tax-exempt nonprofit, they don't have to disclose their funding sources. It appears that No Labels is influenced by its pro-corporate donors,which include Clarence Thomas’s benefactor Harlan Crow.

How We Can Take Action: Spread the word and sign the petition to support the fight against dark money in politics. It's time to expose No Labels for what it really is: a wolf in sheep's clothing.

📑 Sign Petition

PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: TURBOCHARGING STUDENT VOTERS

Another type of gerrymandering

What's The Issue: Rather than try to win over young voters and encourage them to participate, the far right’s desperate gambit is to attack democracy itself. They are furiously erecting voting barriers to block young voters as they already have in Ohio and Texas. Read More Here.

Why This Matters: Looking ahead to 2024, experts are predicting even more “tossup” races for the House and Senate. The right’s narrative is officially out in the open: Young people are a threat—and they must be stopped.

How Can We Take Action: Attend our Tent Talk event with Civic Influencers' CEO Maxim Thorne on June 6th at 12pm ET. Learn how they are empowering students to influence and activate other students to vote. Also check out his WAPO Op-ed about the game plan to silence young voters ahead of the 2024 elections.

Recap: Tent Talk

🗓 LAST WEEK'S TENT TALK

Ballotpedia

On Tuesday, May 16th we welcomed Geoff Pallay and Ryan Byrne from Ballotpedia. They detailed Ballotpedia's crucial "non-partisan" efforts to educate citizens, delved deeply into the significance of ballot measures, and analyzed prevailing ballot trends observed nationwide. In case you missed the Zoom, below is a link to the recording as well as other links and information provided during the event.

Tracker: Ballot Measure Campaign Financing in 2022

GOP Majority States Now Restricting Ballot Measures

Look at Ballotpedia Presentation Deck

5/16 Recording: Ballotpedia