Farbod Faraji Nagra
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farbodnagra.bsky.social
Farbod Faraji Nagra
@farbodnagra.bsky.social
Head of Democracy of Tomorrow Team & Counsel @protectdemocracy.org. Views are my own.
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
The times, they are a-changin'.

Remarkable wave of op-eds on proportional representation this week *alone*:
-WaPo / @ishaantharoor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
-Kansas Reflector / @rpund.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2025/08/02/i...

Cont./
Column | Texas redistricting crisis has foreign echoes — and foreign solutions
Many countries with nominally healthy democracies have something the United States does not: A strong, independent election authority at the national level.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 8, 2025 at 9:54 PM
How can we END the gerrymandering wars? My @protectdemocracy.org colleagues explain how the answer lies in one design choice: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-to-end...
How to end the forever redistricting wars
Gerrymandering is made possible by this one choice
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
Nonprofits are increasingly under threat from gov officials seeking to score political points and silence checks on their power. This toolkit offers best practices for responding to politicized gov investigations so that orgs can keep doing lawful, mission-based work. protdem.org/NonprofitInv...
August 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
🚨Civil society is under threat. Our new Nonprofit Investigations Toolkit gives organizations tools to navigate the current environment. Equip your organization to stand strong against political intimidation.

Explore the resources → protdem.org/NonprofitInv...
Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations
On this page, you’ll find short topic-specific primers that build on our full-length guide, Protecting Civic Space.
protdem.org
July 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
The babies who were conceived during the famine and whose mothers were undernourished while their brains were being built—those brains were smaller. When those people were adults, their brains were wired in a different way.
How famine and starvation can affect Gazans for generations to come
Research on WWII's Dutch “Hunger Winter” has terrifying implications for the region's children—and for their children.
www.motherjones.com
July 24, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
Jesus. Paramount's FCC petition to transfer broadcast licenses to Skydance has been pending for months. Tuesday, Paramount and Trump filed papers to dismiss his suit after Paramount paid up. Today, FCC approved the transfer. 48 hours. If that's not a bribe.. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/something-...
Something is rotten in the FCC
Paramount gave in to Trump. What they get in exchange might not be what they expect
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
July 24, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
The Protect Democracy is growing! We're hiring for multiple positions. Visit our website for more details about these and other open positions. protectdemocracy.org/jobs
⭐ Legislative & Policy Specialist
⭐ State Campaign Strategist
⭐ Major Gifts Officer
⭐ NC State Policy Advocate
Protect Democracy - Jobs
Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to prevent authoritarianism. We are hiring for several open positions - join us!
protectdemocracy.org
July 16, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
This is great! You should also check out the great work that @protectdemocracy.org is doing on proportional representation.

protectdemocracy.org/work/can-pro...
Can Proportional Representation Create Better Governance?
Policy outcomes, accountability, and stability under different electoral systems
protectdemocracy.org
July 6, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
“Nobody knows what I’m going to do,” said the president on whether the United States will go to war with Iran. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Read more here: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/congress-s...
June 18, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
Trump wants you to believe that this is about Iran signing a nuclear deal - one he tore up in 2018! - but Israel just killed Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator who was telling US television just two weeks ago that Iran was open to a deal.
A few weeks ago, Trump posted this NBC News interview with top Iranian official Ali Shamkhani on Truth Social.

Shamkhani, who was overseeing the Iranian nuclear file, said this:

"If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations."

Israel has killed Shamkhani.
June 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
We just sued USDA w/ @studentdefense.bsky.social & @nclej.bsky.social‬ on behalf of @Epic.org & @mazonusa.bsky.social. The USDA’s illegal demands for the personal info of millions of SNAP recipients could set a dangerous precedent impacting all Americans and won't be tolerated. protdem.org/4k2nIZe
May 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
🚨 DREAM JOB ALERT 🚨
NOW HIRING: State Campaign Strategist, experienced in state issue-based campaigns and ballot initiatives to shape and execute our long-term democracy reform strategy across multiple states.
🗓️ Deadline: May 25th
📍Remote: U.S.
💲141,100–$166,000
🔗
Protect Democracy - Protect Democracy is hiring a State Campaign Strategist!
We're hiring a State Campaign Strategist to supercharge our efforts to advance proportional representation through state ballot initiatives. This is a remote, senior role based in the United States.
protectdemocracy.recruitee.com
May 10, 2025 at 3:35 PM
In a rigid two-party system, populist takeovers don’t break the system—they become it. What Britain’s recent elections say about America’s future: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/what-brita...
What Britain’s election shake-up means for American democracy
Party systems are less stable than they seem
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
May 8, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
BREAKING: Overdue justice has been done. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers ruled that the votes of military and overseas voters must be counted and the race for NC Supreme Court certified for its lawful winner, Justice Allison Riggs. Ruling: protdem.org/42WM9jy
May 6, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
“To improve accountability, strengthen the link between representatives and constituents and reduce the influence of large special interests, Congress should reinvest in its own capacity,” NEW from Drew Penrose and @normornstein.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Congress needs an expansion. A ‘high line’ could make it possible.
An elevated pathway linking Capitol Hill’s offices would ease staff movement and attract visitors.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
We sued the Trump admin for illegally attempting to fire FTC Commissioners @bedoyaftc.bsky.social & Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. This power grab defies 90 yrs of SCOTUS precedent. If unchecked, could let any future POTUS politicize the FTC, Fed and other agencies. protectdemocracy.org/work/fightin...
March 27, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
A sad day for Columbia and for our democracy. "Additionally the school believed there was considerable overlap between needed campus changes and Trump’s demands" has got to be one of the most depressing sentences ever written.

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
Exclusive | Columbia Yields to Trump in Battle Over Federal Funding
Columbia’s agreement is a significant moment in the intensifying battle between Trump and elite universities.
www.wsj.com
March 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
"No other major democracy has such complete dominance by only two parties. When polled, voters say they want more choices." @sltaylor.bsky.social protectdemocracy.org/work/trapped...
Trapped in a Two-Party System
Under proportional representation, minority-preferred candidates tend to win even more seats than under single-member districts.
protectdemocracy.org
March 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
History holds lessons for today’s political disruptions. The 19th century anti-slavery movement built power by strategically fusing w/major parties. What if disaffected conservative voters could do the same today? Read @jrdresden.bsky.social & Beau Tremitiere:
Strategic Fusion and the GOP
Whether it's foreign-policy hawks on the right, cultural conservatives on the left, or fiscal conservatives anywhere, the reductive binary of today's electoral options can be deeply frustrating for…
www.nationalaffairs.com
March 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
NEW PAPER: The two party system is not giving Americans what they want or what our democracy needs. @sltaylor.bsky.social argues this can be traced to systems like our winner-take-all and primary elections, and he offers a practical alternative. @newamerica.org protectdemocracy.org/trapped-in-a...
protectdemocracy.org
March 18, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
NEW: Our report dives deep into the history of the president’s role in spending taxpayer dollars. Bottom line: Trump’s OMB Director Russ Vought is wrong on the law, wrong on history.

Read it here: protectdemocracy.org/impoundment-myth
March 17, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
New government hires complete probationary periods to assess their performance before they accrue civil service protections but that doesn’t mean these probationary employees lack protections. Find our guide for probationary employees and more here: buff.ly/EVmoU21
March 17, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
Here's our (@knightcolumbia.org) statement condemning the Trump administration's effort to subjugate universities to official power.

knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...
Knight Institute Condemns Trump Administration’s Effort to “Subjugate Universities to Official Power”
knightcolumbia.org
March 14, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Farbod Faraji Nagra
The Trump Admin's actions against Mahmoud Khalil are textbook, unabashed retaliation & viewpoint discrimination. But, this isn’t just about Khalil. @rachelegoodman.bsky.social and @shalinigoelagarwal.bsky.social breakdown the WH’s attacks on the 1st Amendment. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-white-...
March 12, 2025 at 9:40 PM