Brian Rolling, Co-Founder of the MurMur Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss how individuals can engage more effectively through digital communication and social media, gaining a deeper understanding of political issues, campaigns, and elections, and have their own voices heard. Brian has a background in filmmaking and content creation, while his mother and co-founder has a long history in community organizing and running non-profits, making them a unique team to navigate the current political landscape.

Deepak and Brian talk about:

• Overcoming cynicism and the lack of trust in traditional media
• Reasons to encourage more people to share information with friends and family
• Value of trusted sources of authentic information
• Available tools and guidance for people to create and share content on social media
• Calls to action for 2026

#TheDemLabs #AmericansUnitedforSeparationofChurchandState #AU #SeparationofChurchandState #JohnsonAmendment

MurMur Impact Project Substack

TheDemLabs.org

Rebecca Markert, Vice President and Legal Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State , joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the fundamental American principle of the separation of church and state, as included in the Constitution. The Johnson Amendment, passed 70 years ago, is a critical law that prevents churches and charities from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

Deepak and Rebecca talk about:

• Historical perspective of the Johnson Amendment and bipartisan support
• Efforts to inject more religion into public schools
• The threat of religious beliefs being used to undermine democratic principles
• The rise of White Christian nationalism and efforts to dismantle the separation between church and state
• Calls to action

#TheDemLabs #AmericansUnitedforSeparationofChurchandState #AU #SeparationofChurchandState #JohnsonAmendment

au.org

TheDemLabs.org

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, discusses the 2.5 Project, an initiative by BISC that provides early, flexible funding to support ballot initiatives focused on economic justice. Recent efforts in Nebraska and Missouri to support minimum wage and paid sick leave ballot initiatives yielded positive results, demonstrating the ability to frame the issues and collaborate with related efforts, such as reproductive rights measures.

We talk about:

• The differences between political candidate campaigns and ballot initiatives
• Importance of local coalitions
• Need for ongoing communication to drive civic engagement and education about the potential impact of ballot initiatives
• Ballot initiative trends and coordination across states

#BallotInitiativeStrategyCenter #BISC #BallotInitiatives #Organizing #LocalOrganizers

Ballot.org