Hello there!
Back by popular demand, Fix Democracy First is excited to relaunch our Democracy Happy Hour programming, beginning next Wednesday, August 26th, at 5PM PT.
Due to Zoom restrictions, all past attendees must re-register using the following link. You only need to register once to access the event.
(Re)register for Fix Democracy First’s Democracy Happy Hours Here
We are evolving our Democracy Happy Hour programming at this next chapter. We’ll share updates from Fix Democracy First upfront or major US headlines (~10 minutes) before jumping into a speaker program, which will include open discussion and Q&A (~50 minutes). We will continue to distribute the recording and shared links from each event.
2026 Guest Speaker Line Up:
Wednesday, August 26th –
Camron Hurt, State Director, Common Cause Hawai’i
Raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and a resident of Hawaii for eight years, Camron holds nine years in higher education and nonprofit management and five years as a corporate and litigation paralegal. A policy expert and lifelong advocate, the core of his work has focused on uplifting the needs of marginalized groups and centering community-based solutions to systemic issues. Hurt has previously headed the Supported Decision-Making division and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advisory Committee with Disability Rights Tennessee. Camron joined Common Cause Hawaii as Program Manager in 2023, and through his leadership in the state has steadily gained new responsibilities.
Topic: overview of Act 11, a law that passed in the 2026 Hawai’i legislature and makes Citizens United irrelevant. Common Cause Hawai’i’s work to defend transparency, fairness, and the right to be heard in our democracy. They are a good government, citizen lobbyist group. They lobby for the public interest on good government issues and also operate as a government watchdog organization.
Wednesday, September 2nd
Rabbi Michael Pollack, Executive Director, March On Harrisburg
During his last year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2017, Rabbi Michael Pollack co-founded MarchOnHarrisburg, a group dedicated to making corruption illegal and taking Pennsylvania’s democracy where it’s never been before. He lives outside of Philadelphia, and his hobbies include convincing politicians not to be corrupt, long marches through the Pennsylvania countryside, and sitting down in inconvenient places in the State Capitol.
Topic: movement building around corruption & democracy reform in Pennsylvania, and inspirations we all can take from MOH.
Wednesday, October 7th
Michael Beckel,Director of Money in Politics Reform, Issue One
Issue One is a bipartisan advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., that works to strengthen American democracy. Michael has been following money in politics for nearly 20 years, even attending oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United, the case that ushered our current era of big money in politics, often from undisclosed donors. Prior to joining Issue One in 2017, Beckel worked as a reporter for more than a decade, with stints at outlets including OpenSecrets.org and the Center for Public Integrity.
Topic: How the Supreme Court’s recent NRSC v. FEC decision will affect the flow of money in politics. Time permitting, Michael will also touch on notable efforts happening across the country to combat the undue influence of big money and dark money in politics.
Wednesday, November 4th – Speaker TBD. Day after Election Day 2026.
Wednesday, December 2nd –
Equal Citizens, (Speaker TBA!)
Topic: SuperPACs – what they are, how they formed, their impact on money in politics. What Equal Citizens, an organization founded by Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig in 2016, is doing right now to reinstate limits on campaign spending through SuperPACs.
On July 29th, 2026, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit heard oral arguments in Dinner Table Action v. Schneider, the landmark campaign finance case that could reinstate state and federal limits on contributions to super PACs and end nearly two decades of spiraling political corruption. This court case follows action by Maine voters in November 2024, who passed a ballot initiative by 75% to cap individual contributions to SuperPACs. Equal Citizens is the defending the law in federal court.
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In community,
Sawyer–
Sawyer McCrabb
Fix Democracy First
Executive Director