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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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Public News Service: ‘Inclusive Democracy Act’ would expand ballot access for people in prison

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Public News Service: ‘Inclusive Democracy Act’ would expand ballot access for people in prison

The nonprofit Common Cause helped to create the National Voting in Prison Coalition.

Keshia Morris Desir, justice and mass incarceration project manager for the group, explained the bill, known as the Inclusive Democracy Act, would restore the right to vote in federal elections for individuals who are incarcerated or on probation and parole.

"What that does is help to disenfranchise the 4.6 million individuals that currently do not have access to the ballot box in federal elections," Morris Desir explained.

Raw Story/The Hartmann Report: The Secret GOP Plot to Change our Constitution Slithers Forward

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Raw Story/The Hartmann Report: The Secret GOP Plot to Change our Constitution Slithers Forward

Common Cause and the Center for Media and Democracy have been at the forefront of sounding the alarm and I’ve hot-linked their names to their most recent articles about the work they’re doing to try to stop the billionaire machine devoted to rewriting our Constitution.

Please check them out, get on their mailing lists, and spread the word. This is one of those things that Republicans on the Court could use to seemingly spring out of nowhere and bring down our democracy once and for all.

ProPublica: The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t Work.

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ProPublica: The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t Work.

Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group, revealed that Thomas didn’t report that source of income on his financial disclosures, despite a legal requirement to do so. The New York Times also raised the possibility that Thomas may have flown on Crow’s jet at least three times. If Thomas had, in fact, taken those flights and Crow footed the bill, the justice failed to disclose that, too.

The conference told the lawmakers and Common Cause that the Financial Disclosure Committee would look into both issues.

Baltimore Sun: ‘Sustained, egregious, and damaging to your reputation’: Baltimore County officials, residents criticize council chair for inspector general amendments

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Baltimore Sun: ‘Sustained, egregious, and damaging to your reputation’: Baltimore County officials, residents criticize council chair for inspector general amendments

The League of Women Voters of Baltimore County, Common Cause Maryland, and the Association of Inspectors General, an industry group, all issued statements in support of the inspector general and opposing any legislation that would undermine the office’s ability to “perform its work in an effective and independent manner.”

Joanne Antoine, the executive director of Common Cause Maryland and a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission, said Jones’ amendments were a “slap in the face” to everyone who had worked on the...

WGCU (NPR): Gulf Coast Live: Meet the new Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to uphold the core values of American democracy

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WGCU (NPR): Gulf Coast Live: Meet the new Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to uphold the core values of American democracy

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...

Colorado Newsline (Op-Ed): To protect our democracy, Donald Trump must be barred from the Colorado ballot

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Colorado Newsline (Op-Ed): To protect our democracy, Donald Trump must be barred from the Colorado ballot

Following this ruling, Colorado Common Cause and former Colorado Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanan filed an amicus brief in the Colorado Supreme Court asserting that former President Donald Trump should be excluded from the ballot under the 14th Amendment for his role in the January 6th insurrection.

Specifically, Common Cause’s amicus brief urges that the Court affirm the findings of the District Court that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the Constitution of the United States, and that the Court reverse...

Daily Beast: ‘Absurd’: As 2024 Looms, Counties Won’t Update Voting Tech

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Daily Beast: ‘Absurd’: As 2024 Looms, Counties Won’t Update Voting Tech

Emma Steiner, Information Accountability Project manager at the watchdog group Common Cause, said the Albert plays a role in a broader far-right conspiracy theory about “the role of connection to the internet at polling places.”

“It’s all part of this broader narrative that election workers are conspiring against voters, and that voting machines cannot be trusted,” Steiner noted.

In actuality, the sensors are passive devices that listen for known intrusions on a county’s internet network, said Susannah...

Santa Fe New Mexican (Editorial): Increase the alcohol tax and save lives: It’s that simple

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Santa Fe New Mexican (Editorial): Increase the alcohol tax and save lives: It’s that simple

It’s no wonder New Mexico hasn’t raised the excise tax on alcohol over the past 40 years. A report from citizens’ interest group Common Cause New Mexico lays out just why legislators are so reluctant to tax alcohol, both as a means of raising revenue and to reduce drinking. Called “Still Under the Influence,” the report successfully — as it intends — “connects the dots” from contributions to policy outcome.

In 2023 alone, liquor lobbyists spent $74,968 on entertaining and wining and dining legislators,...

KUNM (NPR): Advocates for drawing fairer voting maps will try again to take the job away from NM lawmakers

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KUNM (NPR): Advocates for drawing fairer voting maps will try again to take the job away from NM lawmakers

Dede Feldman, former Democratic state Senator and advocate with Common Cause New Mexico, said on New Mexico in Focus that the current process is inherently partisan.

“The Legislature is always going to fall into the trap of having the majority party draw the map that they like to maximize their influence,” she said.

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer signs bills implementing Proposal 1

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Detroit Free Press: Whitmer signs bills implementing Proposal 1

"We're pleased to see Governor Whitmer sign this long overdue ethics reform into law—but ultimately, the law falls short of voters' expectations," said Quentin Turner, director of Common Cause Michigan, an organization seeking to promote greater government accountability. "Despite overwhelming, bi-partisan support for greater transparency from our elected officials, lawmakers weakened the law to shield themselves from public scrutiny."

PolitiFact – Half True: Wisconsin Republicans are backing “a nonpartisan redistricting plan based off the Iowa Model. … Republicans, Democrats, and the Governor pushed this plan last time redistricting happened in 2020.”

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PolitiFact – Half True: Wisconsin Republicans are backing “a nonpartisan redistricting plan based off the Iowa Model. … Republicans, Democrats, and the Governor pushed this plan last time redistricting happened in 2020.”

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, pointed to the change in support of the Iowa model by Republican lawmakers.

"The short answer is that very few Republicans and certainly not Tusler ever supported any version of the Iowa model legislation before Sept. 11, 2023 -- the date Robin Vos announced his plan," Heck told PolitiFact Wisconsin.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan national group with state chapters devoted to fighting for reforms to gerrymandering, political spending and other issues.

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