We join Delaware Common Cause and the Delaware Coalition for Open Government in calling on Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long to release an audit of her campaign finances — even though she is not required to do so by Delaware Law.

Claire Snyder-Hall, Common Cause Delaware’s executive Director, joined Flaherty in asking Hall-Long’s campaign to disclose the audit.

“The audit confirms the campaign’s claim there is no wrongdoing, so sharing that would go a long way to rebuilding public trust,” Snyder-Hall said.

“We know it does create another impediment for people trying to get to the polls,” said Ann Webb, policy director at Common Cause North Carolina, a group that has sued to stop gerrymandering and new restrictions on voting.

Webb said the voter ID requirement is part an effort by Republican lawmakers to narrow access to voting. “We like to say, ‘In 2023 there will be voter ID. In 2024, there will be more,’” Webb said.

Katya Ehresman, the voting rights program manager for Common Cause Texas, stressed that more voting isn’t a problem. Having more polling places in counties that are growing should always be a goal, she said. The real issue that should be addressed is the chronic underfunding of election system, she said.

“The biggest issue is election administration and making sure that we can do that well funded and equitably, and that’s not something that Senate Bill 924 created an issue with,” Ehresman said. “That’s something that...

Though many North Carolinians may have already experienced their first brush with the state's new voter ID laws during this year's municipal election cycle, there are still some questions residents may have about the new requirements.

Host Jeff Tiberii sat down with Tyler Daye, policy and civic engagement manager for Common Cause North Carolina to discuss a host of issues, including which IDs are valid, whether or not an expired driver's license can be used at the polls and how to obtain a valid ID for free.

Jenny Guzman, program director for Common Cause Arizona, says the AIRC can be a lot stronger and more independent.

"The way the current Arizona redistricting commission works is in order to appoint commissioners, the first few have to be appointed by the Arizona state party leaders. That can make things a little tricky," she explained.

Guzman said that meant fewer "guardrails" to ensure all races were properly represented in the redistricting process. She says this negatively impacted Arizona.

New Mexico doesn’t require any reason for someone to request an absentee ballot.

There are only really benefits to that, said Mason Graham, policy director for Common Cause, a nonprofit that works to uphold voter rights. He said it started up with the COVID-19 pandemic. He said absentee ballots allow for more convenience in voting and can help people do more research on candidates.

Despite baseless misinformation around mail-in voting, it’s just as secure as in-person voting. Graham said there are extensive...

Dan Vicuna, director of redistricting and representation with Common Cause, said the solution to extreme gerrymandering is establishment of a nonpartisan system or commission with broad representation to draw up districts - which only exists in a handful of states.

"The public understands that whether you're kept in one district with a community that shares concerns of all sorts can really make the difference between having a champion in the halls of power - or not having a champion," he explained.

Ann Webb, the policy director of government watchdog group Common Cause North Carolina, said “an agency that is designed to protect the interests of the public spending, state funds should be operated in such a way that it reflects the public interest in its structure — not simply the interest of a couple of very powerful individuals.”

“Democracy requires transparency,” Webb said.

Webb, with Common Cause, said it’s “really important to look at the holistic picture. All the ways that the legislature...

Emma Steiner, the information accountability project manager at Common Cause, told HuffPost that Musk’s monetization program, combined with his new system for receiving “verified” badges, had encouraged misleading information.

“The new verification system means that it’s almost impossible to discern real news from fake news on the platform now, especially since people are posting specifically to gain revenue for engagement,” Steiner said. “That creates some really perverse incentives for breaking news events.”

Common Cause Florida, the Florida branch of the NAACP and Fair Districts Now are suing to have the map which saw a North Florida district held by Rep. Al Lawson, a Black congressman, eliminated.

On the first day of trial, attorney Greg Baker, who is representing the plaintiff, accused DeSantis of having "pushed and pushed" to endorse the disputed congressional map which helped the Florida GOP pick up four House seats at last year's midterms elections.

"He pressed his argument by sound bite bullying," Baker...