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On Sept. 8, Ms. recorded a fireside chat-style discussion with Secretaries of State Shenna Bellows (Maine), Leigh Chapman (Pa.) and Tahesha Way (N.J.). The full recording is available here; here are our favorite highlights of that conversation.

New Jersey Secretary Tahesha Way:I am so privileged to serve alongside these two phenomenal, dynamic leaders who are on the front lines ensuring that eligible voters can cast their ballots safely, and of course, with integrity.

We should understand theres no cookie-cutter approach to this. I was not that little girl saying, When I grow up, I want to be secretary of state or president or even mayor of my town. I became a state judge overseeing election contested cases, and I ran for public office years ago, so that inspired me to pursue the office of secretary of state.

Pennsylvania Acting Secretary Leigh Chapman:I am an attorney by background and have dedicated my career to civil rights, racial justice, and just making sure that every eligible American in this country can register to vote, cast their ballot, and have it counted. Its an honor to be on the front lines fighting for democracy at a time when theres so much at stake.

Maine Secretary Shenna Bellows:My path was a little bit different. Im not an attorney. I grew up poor without electricity or running water until I was in the fifth grade. I thought politics was fascinating and I loved the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I literally had a poster of the Bill of Rights on my bedroom wall! One of the highlights of my childhood was when my dad took me to a state convention, and I got to meet then-Senator George Mitchell and run an errand for him.

I decided to run for elected officefirst for U.S. Senate in 2014 against Susan Collins, and then I ran successfully for my state Senate seat in 2016. In 2020 I was elected Maines first female secretary of state.

Its an honor to be on the front lines fighting for democracy at a time when theres so much at stake. Ive met people who have been impacted by voter disenfranchisement. I carry that with me, and I make decisions that will make our democracy better for everyone.

Bellows:As a woman, sexism, unfortunately, is still alive and well. I think that sometimes when we aspire to higher office, for example, when I was considering running for secretary of state, one of the charges against me was, Youre just doing this because youre so ambitiousas if ambition is a bad thing, or aspiration to make positive policy change is a bad thing. But that is something that is used to denigrate and undermine female candidates.

Chapman:One thing that grounds me every day, is just knowing what my background is, knowing where my morals and values are, and really just showing up and being my authentic self. Thats reflected in the decisions I make every day.

I bring my life experience with methe fact that I was a voting rights attorney and saw firsthand people who were shut out of the ballot box because of their race or their gender or their age or their income status. Ive put people on the witness standlike a woman in Wisconsin who was 90 years old and her daughter had to spend $2,000 in legal fees for her to get a birth certificate in order for her to get an ID to vote. So Ive met people who have been impacted by voter disenfranchisement. I carry that with me, and I make decisions that will make our democracy better for everyone.

Way:I have seen being underestimated. Ive looked back at even when I was an attorney, walking into legal proceedings, and everyone looked and said, Who are you? And I would even say, Tahesha Way for plaintiff such and such, and they still would ask me, So are you the attorney on this case?

Even when I was a state judge and I donned my robe, walking into the legal proceedings I would get those looks. And we know how to juggle, we know how to organizeIm a mom of four girls!

I thank the two of you for voting for me in as National Association of Secretaries of State president. That organization was founded 118 years ago and I was the first African American president, secretary of state, to land this role. I know there will be many more, but to be female and have done that is significant and important. I know that a female secretary of state put me in the pipeline of leadership and that, too, is meaningful.

When I was considering running for secretary of state, one of the charges against me was, Youre just doing this because youre so ambitiousas if ambition is a bad thing.

Chapman:I am the person who oversees the election for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We provide support to the counties, we issue guidance and directives and make sure that they are operating elections in accordance with the law in Pennsylvania.

I also have a whole other portfolio of work, as wellincluding professional licensure in Pennsylvania, everyone from real estate agents to nurses to doctors to barbers, 900,000 people in total. I oversee charities and corporate registration, lobbying disclosure, and campaign finance; I advertise constitutional amendments, which we have frequently now in Pennsylvania; and I oversee mixed martial arts, professional wrestling and kickboxing, as well.

Bellows:So, Im sitting actually at Bureau of Motor Vehicles office because I oversee that agency for the state of Maine. As Secretary of State of Maine, I am responsible for all of the state records of Maine, both archival records and then also records that may be, at some point, destroyed because they dont have archival value, so theres that history piece there that I really love.

And then, of course, elections, which is so fundamental to everything else that we care about. Maine, like many of the New England states, in contrast to much of the rest of the country, administers elections at the municipal level, so our little tiny towns are running the federal elections this year, and so we need to train those 500+ clerks and deputy clerks and warden and registrars to make sure that they understand their responsibilities.

We do ballot design. We approve polling locations. We secure a statewide lease for all of the voting equipment. There is a lot that goes into being the chief elections official and protecting democracy.

Way:The secretary of state position is very essential because it touches upon the overall quality of life of our residents in terms of culture, arts, history, economy, and of course, our elections.

Democracy is indeed a team sport, and we all have to work together.

Chapman:Misinformation and disinformation. Thats something that weve seen frequently since the 2020 election in all different forms, especially on social media platforms from TikTok to Twitter to Facebook to YouTube.

The other thing I would say is our threats to election workers, and also just staffing. In Pennsylvania, weve had over 35 election workers leave their posts since the 2020 election, and some of it has been because of planned retirements or just changes in roles, but some of it has actually been because of threats.

Bellows:I could not agree more, and the disinformation, misinformation and malinformationis so dangerous because when people believe lies about the elections, when they believe that election officials do not have integrity, which they do.

The other trend that were seeing on account of disinformation and lies is Freedom of Information Act requests being weaponized. Someone recently called it a denial-of-service attack. Essentially, every hour that election officials are spending responding to cut-and-paste, ridiculous queries is an hour they cant spend on election administration.

We do ballot design. We approve polling locations. We secure a statewide lease for all of the voting equipment. There is a lot that goes into being the chief elections official and protecting democracy.

Way:Another concern is our bench of poll workers is decreasing, too. I feel for all of these election workers because theyre the front lines of our democracy. I dont think that anyone realizes the hours they come in, and how exposed they are to these threats. Its not a good feel for our society and indeed for our nation.

Bellows:We just passed legislation in Maine to protect election workers to make it a state level election crime to threaten election workers. Were also doing de-escalation training for clerks. And we are doing some of the things that we do every election, so really trying to stay focused on our values, our morals and our goalsto make sure that every Maine citizen, 18 years or older, can register to vote, cast their ballot, and have it be counted.

We just implemented automatic voter registration at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, so when people come to get their license or update their license, they can register to vote automatically in that moment. We have an online absentee ballot tracking system, so that if people want to request an absentee ballot, they can then track its progress. Weve long had same-day voter registration and a 30-day period of no excuse absentee voting.

In short, we want to make voting convenient, accessible and secure for everyone.

Chapman:Secretary Bellows has a wish list of everything that we would like to implement in Pennsylvania! We are continuing to push for more election reform, but in Pennsylvania, we didnt even get universal mail-in voting until 2020.

What we are doing nowthe first thing I would say is countering misinformation and disinformation. We have a campaign that we are about to deploy, and its really about meeting voters where they are, so we are using every method to get information out about how to register to vote, how to cast a ballot and have it counted. That includes text messages, radio ads. We have ads at each of the rest stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We are doing digital ads on Facebook and Twitter, and different social media platforms. We are really trying to do everything we can to get the accurate information out there so voters are armed with whats true.

And because there are many court decisions in Pennsylvaniatheres a lot of litigation, so rules are constantly changingwe make ourselves available to ensure counties have guidance.

Way:In New Jersey we gathered a coalition of trusted voicesfaith-based, education and business communitieswho meet on a daily basis with eligible voters. All of this is to say that democracy is indeed a team sport, and we all have to work together.

Bellows:One of the very first things that I did in my office was redecorate: Instead of hanging portraits of the white male leaders who came before me, I chose inspirational leaders throughout history who inspired meFrederick Douglass and Congressman John Lewis and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Chapman:Outside of my office, theres a portrait of C. Delores Tucker, the first African American woman secretary of state, and she came from Pennsylvania, so its such an honor to follow in her footsteps.

Way:One of my sheroes was Laura Wooten in New Jersey, who was the longest serving poll worker, and she was African American. She did so for 79 years straight, through the Civil Rights era, so if she can do it, then all of us canand continue to be the guardians of our democracy.

Care about U.S. democracy, womens leadership and fair representation? We do too. Let Ms. keep you up to date with our daily + weekly newsletters. (Or go back to the Women Saving Democracy essay collection.)

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'Guardians of Democracy': Women Secretaries of State Defend Voting Rights and Election Security at the State Level - Ms. Magazine

As the next European elections approach, the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament strongly believes it is the right time to substantially strengthen European democracy and the role of European political parties and foundations. Renew Europe therefore welcomes the broad support for the work of co-rapporteur Charles Goerens MEP (Demokratesch Partei, LU) on the recast of the regulation on their statute and funding.

European political parties and foundations must be the cornerstone of European democracy, and Renew Europe aims to pave the way for stronger and more visible parties and foundations in a genuine European political sphere. This reform will empower these organisations to assume their democratic role and fully engage in European politics, as well as national campaigns related to the EU.

The recast also promotes strengthened rules on more transparent funding and a better protection of European values, such as the respect for rule of law, democracy and human rights. Lowering the co-financing rate for European political parties to 5% (even to 0% in the year of EU elections) will not only help increasing the number and intensity of their campaign activities, but also their visibility at national level. Extending membership to countries that have voting rights in the Council of Europe gives pro-European parties of our neighbours the possibility to engage in European discussions. Co-rapporteur Goerens will now engage in negotiations with the European Commission and Council to finalise the recast in time for the next European elections.

Commenting further on the negotiations, Goerens said:

"With this report, the European Parliament provides a strong basis for the creation of a truly European demos, while strengthening financial transparency in relation to European political parties and foundations. In order to guarantee increased political participation at EU-level, citizens need to have a stronger connection to European Parties. This report is one important step towards this goal."

Photo credit:Alain Rolland, European Parliament 2022

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European political parties and foundations to become cornerstone of European democracy - ALDE Party

In the jury pool room, we were shown the obligatory orientation video. It featured fluttering flags, a swelling soundtrack (subtitled dramatic music), and a pep talk from Kimberly S. Budd, chief justice of the states Supreme Judicial Court. Those who have an opportunity to serve as jurors by and large feel very good about the important work they have done, she said. Then we waited. In most instances, thats what jury service is: a seemingly interminable wait to be dismissed. Trials are relatively rare, because most cases end in plea deals or other settlements.

Eventually, we were paraded down the hall to Superior Court, filing into our seats like reluctant churchgoers. Judge Diane C. Freniere estimated it would take up to seven days to work through the witness list. Muted groans followed. She posed a series of questions aimed at red-flagging prospective jurors with issues that might hinder their ability to render a fair verdict. Among them: Do you agree that under the Constitution, a person is innocent until proven guilty? About a half dozen people indicated no. Even more had a problem with the right of a defendant to not take the stand. Were these objections calculated attempts to get booted or a symptom of a democracy so poisoned by lies and divisions that even its basic tenets have become optional? Either way, it seemed that winnowing this crowd to 12 impartial people would be a challenge. My initial reluctance to participate turned to alarm. Now, I wanted to be one of the chosen dozen. Better me than some of them, I thought.

Next, another wait while we were led off one-by-one to be interviewed by the judge and attorneys. Minutes piled into hours. Grumbling and speculation broke out.

If theres a positive alcohol test, I dont need to hear anything else.

Why wouldnt he testify?

I dont have time for this.

Dear God, some people are wearing sandals.

I stared at the back of the middle-aged man in front me. What made him decide to wear a Laid back and living salty T-shirt to court? Another man lapsed into gale-force snoring. These are not the peers I would want deciding my fate, I thought. Almost everybody appeared to be white. So was the defendant, but what if he wasnt? Jury pools are assembled at random, which sounds fair in theory, but can play out like a bad hand of cards for someone facing punishment.

There are, of course, legitimate hardships that might prevent someone from being able to serve. For starters, employers are only required to pay an employee for the first three days of jury duty. After that, the state doles out a measly $50 per day. But most of the people mouthing off simply sounded inconvenienced.

When my time came to be quizzed, Freniere asked whether I had read about the accident. (I had, but couldnt recall the details.) She said I would need to resist my journalists urge to research the case. A few minutes later, I was Juror #6. By the next morning, there were 14 of us, with two to later be designated as alternates. We sat around a conference table, an even split of men and women ranging in age from early 20s to late 60s. None of the democracy doubters had made it past Freniere. There was jittery small talk as we lined up to return to the courtroom, this time to sit in the jury box. I felt the heaviness of the moment. A life had been extinguished, others permanently reconfigured. We had to get this right. Testimony came from state troopers, a firefighter, the ER doctor, a blood lab technician, an accident reconstruction specialist, witnesses at the scene, and the daughter whose mother had died beside her.

During recesses, we shared snippets about our lives, capsule reviews of TV series, and, on one morning, a home-baked loaf of chocolate banana bread. We steered clear of the case, which became harder with each day as our heads filled with more details and questions. Following closing arguments, the judge announced that Juror #6 would be the foreperson. Me. Mostly, that meant making sure everyone had a say, and that we adhered to the evidence, not our gut instincts.

After six hours of deliberations, we reached a decision: Guilty on three counts, including manslaughter, and not guilty on three others related to being under the influence of narcotics. As the foreperson, it was my job to announce each verdict as the clerk read the charges aloud. With the first not guilty, I heard gasps from the gallery.

For the 12 of us, it was five minutes of acute tension followed by near instant relief. A group of strangers, collectively unenthusiastic at the start, had put their summer routines on hold to mete out justice as best we could. Despite the awful circumstances that brought us together, it felt gratifying. Chief Justice Budd was on to something.

Since 2016, trust in the nations judicial system has eroded, undermined by political agendas and nutty conspiracy theories. That makes shoring up the foundation more critical than ever. Yes, the system is flawed stained by a history of ingrained disparities but jurors can make a difference, one case at a time. If youre called to serve, go with a better attitude than I did. Bring an open mind and maybe a strong cup of coffee. No flimsy excuses, no whining, and no sandals. Democracy depends on it.

Mark Pothier is a Globe editor. He can be reached at mark.pothier@globe.com.

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Waiting, grumbling, and . . . sandals? Jury duty is a drag. But its also vital to democracy. - The Boston Globe

Office of Rep. Derek Kilmer announcement.

U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) has been recognized with a perfect score on Common Causes 2022Democracy Scorecard a nonpartisan accounting of actions of all Members of Congress on a range of democracy-related legislation, including campaign finance reform, the protection and expansion of voting rights, and putting an end to partisan gerrymandering.

Theres too much money, too many special interests, and too little accountability in our government. Americans deserve to have their voices heard and votes counted. Thats why since day one as our regions representative Ive been working to reduce the role of money in politics, combat voter suppression, fix the broken political system, and get Congress back on track and back to getting things done,said Rep. Kilmer. Our government should work for the American people. Thats why its important for Congress to root out corruption, strengthen our systems of checks and balances, and protect the right to vote. Ill keep pushing to get pro-democracy legislation signed into law and to make government work better for folks.

Nearly two years after the January 6thinsurrection and at a time when some power-hungry state legislatures have made it significantly harder for certain Americans to vote, we need more leaders like Congressman Kilmer to stand up for the rule of law and for the freedom to vote,said Aaron Scherb,Senior Director of Legislative Affairs at Common Cause. Our Democracy Scorecard can serve as a resource to help citizens understand which members of Congress are protecting our voices and who is trying to make it harder to vote; we commend Congressman Kilmer for getting a perfect score on the 2022 Democracy Scorecard.

In Congress, Rep. Kilmer has been recognized as a leader on campaign finance reform and continues to push for legislation that would improve transparency, reduce the role of big money in campaigns, and fix the commission charged with enforcing federal election laws. As the Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, Rep. Kilmer has led the charge to make Congress more effective and efficient passing over 170 bipartisan recommendations that aim to make the federal government work better for the American people.

Rep. Kilmer co-sponsored and voted to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2022, a sweeping package of reform bills aimed at strengthening the voice of the American people in their democracy by making it easier to vote, reducing the role of big money in the political process, and ensuring public officials work for the public interest. This comprehensive reform package includes two bipartisan bills led by Representative Kilmer, the Honest Ads Act and the Resorting Integrity to Americas Election Act, which aim to increase transparency in our campaign finance and election laws.

This Congress, Common Cause recognized Kilmer for holding a pro-democracy stance on 14 bills that were voted on by the House including H.R. 5314, the Protecting Our Democracy Act legislation he helpedintroducethat aims to strengthen Americas democratic institutions against future presidents, regardless of political party, who seek to abuse the power of their office. He also sponsored H.R. 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act apackageof reform bills aimed at strengthening the voice of the American people in their democracy. In addition, he was recognized for co-sponsoring 4 pieces of pro-democracy legislation including H.R. 5008, the Frank Harrison, Elizabeth Peratrovich and Miguel Trujillo Native American Voting Rights Act which aims to protect the sacred right to vote and ensure equal access to the electoral process for Native Americans.

Kilmer has been recognized previously for his efforts to fight to fix the broken political system and secure American elections. This year, he received an A rating on the 2022legislative scorecardby End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund which tracks Members support for legislation to reduce the role of big money and special interests in politics, restore ethics in Washington, and protect and expand the right to vote. In 2019, Kilmerreceivedthe inaugural Teddy Roosevelt Courage Award by Issue One, a leading cross-partisan political reform organization. The Award was given in the spirit of the 26th President of the United States, who was a staunch defender of good, ethical government and the U.S. political system.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, national grassroots organization of more than 1 million members and supporters dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. The annual Democracy Scorecard aims to offer a factual, nonpartisan record of actions by each member of Congress on a variety of democracy-related legislation.

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Kilmer Receives National Recognition for Efforts to Protect & Strengthen Democracy The Suburban Times - The Suburban Times

As Banned Books Week began Monday in the United States, a leading advocacy group published an updated report warning of a surge in right-wing efforts to censor and ban titlesmany of them related to the struggles of marginalized peoplesin American schools.

"More books banned. More districts. More states. More students losing access to literature. 'More' is the operative word for this report on school book bans," begins the update to PEN America's Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students' First Amendment Rights, which was published in April and covered the first nine months of the 2021-22 scholastic year.

"This is a concerted, organized, well-resourced push at censorship," PEN America chief executive Suzanne Nossel told The New York Times, adding that the effort "is ideologically motivated and politically expedient, and it needs to be understood as such in order to be confronted and addressed properly."

The revised reportwhich shares the Banned in the USA title with the first music album to ever carry a parental advisory stickernotes that PEN America's Index of School Book Bans now lists at least 2,532 instances of 1,648 titles being banned. That's up from 1,586 banning incidents involving 1,145 books reported in the April publication.

The bans occurred in 138 school districts across 32 states. In 96% of cases, bans were enacted without following the best practice guidelines for challenging controversial titles outlined by the American Library Association and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

More than 40% of the banned books in the report deal with LGBTQ+ themes, while 21% "directly address issues of race and racism," 22% "contain sexual content," and 10% are "related to rights and activism," according to PEN America.

PEN America identified at least 50 national, state, and local groups pushing to ban or restrict books in U.S. schools.

The largest of these groups, the right-wing Moms for Liberty, has over 200 local chapters and has gained notoriety for its anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy, for vehemently opposing Covid-19 mask mandates in schools, and for spreading the baseless claim that one local school district was placing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats.

Another right-wing group named in the report, MassResistance, is a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group that claims the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was "clearly a setup" and that there is a "Black Lives Matter and LGBT assault" on American schools.

The group also called parents who opposed its book-banning efforts "groomers," a slur conflating the LGBTQ+ community with pedophilia.

"Book challenges impede free expression rights, which must be the bedrock of public schools in an open, inclusive, and democratic society," PEN America said in the updated report. "These bans pose a dangerous precedent to those in and out of schools, intersecting with other movements to block or curtail the advances in civil rights for historically marginalized people."

"Against the backdrop of other efforts to roll back civil liberties and erode democratic norms," the group added, "the dynamics surrounding school book bans are a canary in the coal mine for the future of American democracy, public education, and free expression. We should heed this warning."

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'Heed This Warning': 2,500+ Book Bans Threaten US Schools and Democracy - Common Dreams