Replay of Campfire with GA
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger!
Last week, tens
of thousands joined us for our monthly virtual campfire: Guardians of
Democracy ft. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-GA), who
courageously refused President Trump's request to fraudulently declare
him the winner in Georgia. Watch
here!
Upcoming
Events
July 18 at 8pm ET
July 19 at 8pm ET
July 20 at 8pm ET
MEET DAVE RAPIDS
Dave Rapids, hailing from the
great state of Maryland, has been a volunteer with Country First since
2021. Since joining, Dave has served as the National Membership
Experience Chair here at Country First, and continues to be an
integral part of our volunteer team.
"I
wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I have seen
political extremism, the denial of truth, and a lack of hope in our
future tear apart communities and families. Country First was not only
working to take on the division head on – it was doing so in an
inspiring way. From volunteer engagement to member support to voter
education to outreach, I help support and empower members and
volunteers at all levels. Our members and volunteers are so welcoming,
so passionate, so enthusiastic, and so optimistic that it really makes
Country First feel like a home... Interacting with them, hearing their
stories gives me so much hope in the difference we are making. Hearing
the encouraging stories, the positivity, and optimism truly inspires
me and keeps me going. We have so many different ways and
opportunities to get involved, and so many ways to interact and meet
new people. We can only defeat the extremes threatening our democracy
and holding proven solutions hostage if we do it
together."
Thank you, Dave, for all of
your hard work and dedication to promoting and preserving
democracy! If
you have an idea for someone who should be featured in a future Memo,
reach out to [email protected].
ELECTION
REFORM
Los
Angeles Times: Column: Think our politics stink? Look north — to
Alaska
Last
year, Alaska tried something unique. It became the first state to use
an election system that placed all candidates on the same ballot, with
the four top vote-getters, regardless of party, moving to a runoff
where voters ranked their preferences. (Go ahead, impress friends at
your holiday barbecue by using the technical terms, blanket ballot and
ranked-choice voting.) One purpose of the system, approved by voters
in 2020, was to weed out extremists by making it harder for candidates
to be elected simply by appealing to the hard-liners of their party’s
base.
Idaho Capital Sun:
Idaho’s open primary supporters cleared to gather signatures, but will
weigh legal options
The state cleared supporters of a
proposed open primary ballot initiative to begin collecting signatures
to qualify the initiative for the 2024 general election, the Idaho
Secretary of State’s Office announced Friday afternoon. However,
supporters of the initiative said they will spend a few days deciding
whether to challenge the ballot titles that were assigned by the Idaho
Attorney General’s Office, said Luke Mayville, the co-founder of
Reclaim Idaho, which joined the Idahoans For Open Primaries coalition
that is supporting the ballot initiative.
Truthout:
Oregon Legislature Advances Ballot Question on Ranked-Choice
Voting
Next fall, Oregon residents will
vote on whether to implement ranked-choice voting in statewide races.
Democratic lawmakers in the state legislature passed House Bill 2004
on Sunday. The bill will pose the question of ranked-choice voting to
voters themselves, asking on the November 2024 ballot whether the
system should be adopted for use in a number of federal and state
elections — including elections for president, the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives, and gubernatorial and statewide
posts.
ELECTION MISINFORMATION
Politico: The
self-inflicted voting machine misinformation crisis looming over
2024
The
federal government is about to change its certification guidelines for
voting machines — and election officials across the country are
bracing for a wave of misinformation that erodes trust in the 2024
election. Election officials are not-so-quietly freaking out that this
long-awaited technical overhaul of voting machine guidelines later
this year will be weaponized against them. The officials, who are used
to operating in relative obscurity, just endured two election cycles
in which seemingly benign issues blew up in their face. Now they’re
afraid it’s happening all over again.
AP:
Study of 2022 Arizona election misrepresented on social
media
CLAIM: A
new study proves 8,000 more ballots were counted than voters who
actually voted in Arizona during the 2022 midterm election. AP’S
ASSESSMENT: False. The study by a pro-Trump think tank only suggested
there was a “potential discrepancy” of some 8,000 votes in the
election, with some counties reporting more votes than registered
voters who cast ballots and others reporting more registered voters
who cast ballots than votes counted. Election officials and experts in
Arizona also caution that the research is flawed because it doesn’t
account for fluctuations in county voter registration figures between
Election Day and when the data was obtained, which they said is a more
likely reason for any discrepancies.
The Hill: Special
counsel subpoenas Arizona secretary of state office in Jan. 6
probe
The
Arizona Secretary of State’s office has been subpoenaed by special
counsel Jack Smith as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6 attack
on the Capitol, a spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. The secretary of
state’s office received two subpoenas, one for the previous
administration and another for the current one, the spokesperson said.
The subpoenas sought information related to lawsuits brought by the
Trump campaign and the chair of the Arizona Republican Party about
alleged errors in the state’s 2020 election results. President Biden
won Arizona that year, flipping a longtime Republican
stronghold.
GERRYMANDERING
The
Harvard Gazette: Biggest problem with
gerrymandering
Harvard researchers say
gerrymandering is still a problem, but for perhaps less-obvious
reasons. They found the tactic used by parties to gain a numerical
advantage in Congress was widespread during the 2020 redistricting
cycle, yet its effect on the partisan makeup of the U.S. House of
Representatives was small. Their in-depth analysis, published last
month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found
the country’s patchwork of congressional districts netted Republicans
all of two House seats. Still, the researchers hold that
gerrymandering harms our democracy.
AP: Supreme Court
directs Ohio’s top court to take another look at redistricting
lawsuit
The Ohio Supreme Court will take
yet another look at the legality of the state’s congressional
districts after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday set aside a ruling
striking down the districts and ordered further consideration of the
case. The nation’s high court directed Ohio’s top court to reassess
the case in light of its ruling Tuesday in a North Carolina
redistricting case. Justices in that instance rejected an expansive
version of the so-called independent state legislature theory, which
holds that legislatures have absolute power in setting the rules of
federal elections and cannot be overruled by state courts.
Actions you can take right now to
help make a difference!
WATCH our latest Campfire with Georgia Secretary
of State Brad Raffensperger.
SHOP our Make America Reasonable Again
ball cap!
BRING a friend to one of our events! Your
unique recruiter link:
https://www.country1st.com/sandlot?recruiter_id=29853
Check out our Volunteer
Working Groups!
As a grassroots coalition, Country
First is dedicated to providing each member with the opportunity to
contribute to the success of the movement. National Volunteer Working
Groups are separated by interest and are aligned with one of Country
First’s key pillars.
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