Common Cause MD's new executive director shares her plans for this year, and beyond

“This is money that was contributed to a campaign for a purpose of getting them elected or re-elected to a specific office,” said Jay Heck, the executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin. “And once a member of Congress has decided they’re no longer going to run for that office, it seems to me that any leftover money ought to be liquidated, that the money should either be donated to a charity, maybe given back to the U.S. taxpayers in the form of a contribution to the debt.”

Thursday's meeting will be open to the public, but Executive Director of Common Cause New York Susan Lerner says the state’s redistricting process has largely been conducted behind closed doors.

“The commission, which has held no meeting, after being charged with drawing a new congressional map, has announced that it’s going to meet on Thursday afternoon, and they’re going to vote on a map," Lerner said. "Nobody’s seen it, nobody’s made any comments about it, nobody has been able to provide feedback.”

Ishan Mehta, media and democracy program director for Common Cause, said the calls in New Hampshire last month represented "only the tip of the iceberg" and warned that "it is critically important that the FCC now use this authority to fine violators and block the telephone companies that carry the calls."

Mehta called on Congress to pass the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, which would prohibit the distribution ofdeceptive AI-generated audio, images, or video relating to federal candidates in political ads.

On Dec. 19, the North Carolina NAACP along with Common Cause, a nonpartisan nonprofit advocating for fair and transparent elections, and a group of eight residents filed a lawsuit against Republican mapmakers, including Philip Berger, Tim Moore and the State Board of Elections, for passing allegedly racially adjusted and rushed gerrymandered maps.

Bob Phillips, the executive director at Common Cause North Carolina, said in an interview that minority communities, like the Black community, will not get to choose...

With just over 3% participation, Newark’s school board elections could use an infusion of fresh, young energy. Give these students the chance to be heard, and you might be surprised by how much they can do.

We encourage the Newark City Council to favorably pass their ordinance to lower the voting age for school board elections, and we can’t wait to see what these students accomplish when they’re given the chance.

Common Cause Michigan welcomed the judges' decision, but urged that the commissioners be allowed to redraw the maps.

"We're glad to see all voices protected in our democratic process, especially Black Michiganders who have often been intentionally left out," Common Cause Michigan Executive Director Quentin Turner said in a Friday statement. "Despite the redraw, we believe independent commissions, and not legislators, are the best way to achieve fair maps. The voters should always be able to choose their elected leaders — not...

Common Cause Florida is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has been working for nearly 50 years to uphold the core values of American democracy, including an open, accountable government that is of, by, and for the people. They focus on issues around voting, and ensuring that every vote counts, that every eligible voter gets their chance to have a say, and that our elections represent the will of the people.

Our guest today, Amy Keith, started working for Common Cause Florida about a year and a half ago as Florida...

But John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said Da Cruz’s conduct as a member of the South Kingstown Town Council “makes him unfit to serve on such an important body as the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.”

Ethics Commission appointments are arguably the most important that a governor makes, aside from choosing state judges, Marion said. Rhode Island’s constitution gives the Ethics Commission “extraordinary powers,” including removing elected officials from office, and Common Cause fought for...