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Government Accountability Groups Urge House to Strengthen the Office of Congressional Ethics and Make It Permanent

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Government Accountability Groups Urge House to Strengthen the Office of Congressional Ethics and Make It Permanent

Today, Common Cause and other government accountability groups urged every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to strengthen the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and make the office permanent. Even if Congress does not codify the OCE into law at this time, the groups stress the importance of maintaining the office’s continued existence and the importance of not weakening it in the 119th Congress. The letter emphasizes overwhelming public support for increased ethics and accountability measures and touts the success of...

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David Vance

National Media Strategist
dvance@commoncause.org
240-605-8600

Katie Scally

Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
202-736-5713

Ariana Marmolejo

Regional Communications Strategist (West)
amarmolejo@commoncause.org

Jennifer Garcia

Regional Communications Strategist (South)
jgarcia@commoncause.org

Kenny Colston

Regional Communications Strategist (Midwest)
kcolston@commoncause.org

Common Cause’s network of national and state democracy reform experts are frequent media commentators. To talk with one of our experts, please reach out to any member of the press team above.

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South Bend Tribune (Op-Ed): Our civic health is on life support. Indiana’s legislature doesn’t care

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South Bend Tribune (Op-Ed): Our civic health is on life support. Indiana’s legislature doesn’t care

The recent Indiana Civic Health Index should be a wakeup call for Indiana elected officials, like the alarm of medical devices alerting doctors and nurses to a patient in need of urgent care.   If you haven’t read the report, let me call out the alarms clearly. Indiana:  

* ranked 50th in voting in the 2022 elections  
* has consistently ranked in the bottom 10 in voting for the last 13 years 
* moved backward in the rankings for both voting participation and voter registration in the last 11 plus...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Yahoo! News: Texas voter fraud activist leads closed-door poll watcher training at Arlington church

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Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Yahoo! News: Texas voter fraud activist leads closed-door poll watcher training at Arlington church

Such training sessions and the election day actions for which they prepare attendees are less about ensuring integrity in Texas elections than they are about voter intimidation, according to Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a nongovernmental organization that works to expand voting rights.

While he was unaware of what Pressley’s session was to cover, he said in a phone interview that such groups “seem to be going out of their way to use poll watchers to intimidate or at least harass voters of...

Indiana Capital Chronicle: Controversial elections security bill could see changes

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Indiana Capital Chronicle: Controversial elections security bill could see changes

Julia Vaughn, who leads government watchdog Common Cause Indiana, similarly asked the committee to instead turn its attention to the BMV.

“It seems backwards to attack this by examining the voter’s status. Why not get the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to quit illegally registering people?” she asked.

Yahoo! News/Politico: Adams’ pledge of government efficiency remains out of reach

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Yahoo! News/Politico: Adams’ pledge of government efficiency remains out of reach

“It’s that baseline of service that really affects how people think about their government,” said Susan Lerner of Common Cause New York, a government reform group. “It’s not about speeches and the big issues; it’s about whether you’ve made a noise complaint and nobody gets back to you for a week.”

For Lerner, head of Common Cause, the city’s recent budget cuts — coupled with a struggle to fill vacant positions and a hiring freeze — could hurt the Adams administration’s ability to maintain the nuts and...

Election Crisis Averted in Arizona with Clean Fix to Ballot Recount Issue

Press Release

Election Crisis Averted in Arizona with Clean Fix to Ballot Recount Issue

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers have just reached a resolution on a clean fix to the ballot recount issue after months of tense negotiations. The fix, HB2785, corrects a massive problem caused by prior legislation by allowing adequate time for election officials to tally votes after elections conclude. 

Common Dreams: FCC Announces New Rule to Confront Deepfake Robocalls

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Common Dreams: FCC Announces New Rule to Confront Deepfake Robocalls

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.

FCC Outlaws AI Robocalls

Press Release

FCC Outlaws AI Robocalls

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously voted to outlaw robocalls that utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice-cloning tools. Long a matter of concern, the issue made national headlines when the technology was utilized to mimic President Biden’s voice in robocalls in the runup to the New Hampshire primary. Those calls are currently under investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office. The FCC ban is effective immediately.

Trump SCOTUS Defense Does not Deny Insurrection, Insists on Presidential Exemption

Press Release

Trump SCOTUS Defense Does not Deny Insurrection, Insists on Presidential Exemption

In our nation no one is above the law. Not even former presidents. It is telling that Donald Trump’s lawyer in the Supreme Court today made no effort to assert that his client had not fomented an insurrection. He did not refute that Donald Trump on January 6 directed heavily-armed militants to go the Capitol to “fight like hell” to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election as part of his attempt to deny the will of the people and steal the election.    

PolitiFact/Austin American-Statesman: Elon Musk wrong to say Joe Biden is recruiting immigrants to create a Democratic majority

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PolitiFact/Austin American-Statesman: Elon Musk wrong to say Joe Biden is recruiting immigrants to create a Democratic majority

It’s easy to discount such "conspiracy theory nonsense" from random trolls on X, but it’s powerful when it comes from Musk, who owns the platform, said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a group that advocates for voting rights.

Democracies require participation, and falsehoods "only increase the likelihood that people will lose faith in our elections and simply opt out," Gutierrez said.

USA Today: Hawaii looks to combat AI-generated deepfakes and disinformation ahead of 2024 elections

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USA Today: Hawaii looks to combat AI-generated deepfakes and disinformation ahead of 2024 elections

The legislation has also received support from non-profit pro-democracy groups such as Public Citizen and Common Cause Hawaii. Camron Hurt, program manager for Common Cause Hawaii, called the threat of AI deepfakes “a big issue for democracy right now.”

“The cat’s out of the bag, technology has outpaced our laws. But now we must catch up and it’s important that we spearhead and that we help lead that charge and make sure that harmful AI deep fakes and alike are removed from any way of being in our elections," Hurt said.

Lincoln Journal Star (Op-Ed): Honoring a compromise

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Lincoln Journal Star (Op-Ed): Honoring a compromise

If the 2024 session is to be a new leaf as Speaker Arch pleaded, then Sen. Halloran needs to honor his agreement. Any attempts to pass an Article V resolution should be shelved until 2027. Keeping promises and compromises for their full term would indeed be a “model” for other state legislatures.

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