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From Corruption to Accountability: Reforming Pay-to-Play Politics in Atlanta

Press Release

From Corruption to Accountability: Reforming Pay-to-Play Politics in Atlanta

For decades, the city of Atlanta has faced institutionalized corruption, hindering its potential as a cultural, business, and international hub. Common Cause Georgia exposed this corruption through a new report titled “The Atlanta Way: Examining Pay-to-Play."

Media Contacts

David Vance

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

Katie Scally

Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
408-205-1257

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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SCOTUS Scandal Subpoenas Still Necessary After High Court Creates Weak Ethics Code    

Press Release

SCOTUS Scandal Subpoenas Still Necessary After High Court Creates Weak Ethics Code    

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to subpoena a wealthy donor and a high-profile legal power player at the center of recent United States Supreme Court ethics scandals. The vote came after the High Court proposed its own weak and unenforceable code of conduct earlier this month amid growing criticism.

Los Angeles Times: L.A. will switch to independent redistricting if voters approve in 2024 election

News Clip

Los Angeles Times: L.A. will switch to independent redistricting if voters approve in 2024 election

“The city of Los Angeles is building on the best practices from around the state and the country and really, I think, setting a gold standard for everybody to be looking for,” said Kathay Feng, national redistricting director for the nonpartisan government accountability watchdog group Common Cause. Feng previously helped lead the effort to institute independent redistricting on the state level.

Newsday: Suit aims to block touch screen voting machine

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Newsday: Suit aims to block touch screen voting machine

Led by Common Cause New York, the group contends the state Board of Elections erred in August when it certified for use the ExpressVote XL, a touch screen machine.

The machine allows voters to mark a ballot electronically instead of on paper and ... displays selections on a summary card. Advocates said that's not enough to verify ballots independently, as required by state law.

In their lawsuit, the advocates said: "As a voter cannot read a bar code, the voter's ballot is not certifiable. No voter can verify...

Colorado Newsline: Former Republican secretary of state of Colorado argues Trump should be barred from ballot

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Colorado Newsline: Former Republican secretary of state of Colorado argues Trump should be barred from ballot

Buchanan joined the advocacy group Colorado Common Cause in making that argument in a brief they submitted as part of a case over whether Trump should be disqualified under a Civil War-era provision of the 14th Amendment.

“This country and its institutions are at a crossroads,” the brief says. “Either the plain mandates of our Constitution will be honored and enforced in the face of partisan outcry (thus preserving the rule of law in America) or they will be subverted to avoid that same partisan outcry (eroding the rule of...

Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico Supreme Court hands Democrats a victory in redistricting case

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Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico Supreme Court hands Democrats a victory in redistricting case

Mason Graham, policy director of Common Cause New Mexico, said in a news release Monday he applauds the state Supreme Court’s decision.

“The redistricting process was more accessible and transparent this time, due to the involvement of the Citizen Redistricting Committee, but we can make it better,” Graham said.

New York Public Radio/WXXI: Hochul urged to sign bill that would shift some local elections to even-numbered years

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New York Public Radio/WXXI: Hochul urged to sign bill that would shift some local elections to even-numbered years

Skoufis on Monday held a news conference attended by government reform advocates, including Susan Lerner of Common Cause.

Lerner said the state holds so many elections on various dates throughout the year — including village elections in March, school budgets in May, and primaries in June — that voters can become confused and weary.

“New York state, there's a concept called voter fatigue,” Lerner said. “And unfortunately, we are fatiguing our voters.”

Yahoo! News/NorthJersey.com: Dark money disclosures in NJ elections are a ‘work in progress.’ Will they work?

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Yahoo! News/NorthJersey.com: Dark money disclosures in NJ elections are a ‘work in progress.’ Will they work?

It's unclear why these groups — the very ones that have come to dominate campaigns in recent years — were exempted from pre-Election Day disclosures. But to some campaign finance watchdogs, like Philip Hensley-Robin, a former analyst for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, the loophole — when coupled with other key shortcomings of the bill — belied its much-ballyhooed “transparency” title.

“Overall, I think you could pick out, you know, a clause here or there that was good, but overall, it's a net negative...

Washington Post: A renewed push to change how vacancies are filled in Md. legislature

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Washington Post: A renewed push to change how vacancies are filled in Md. legislature

Nearly half of the state lawmakers from Maryland’s largest county and about 1 in 4 statewide were not originally elected to their seats. Instead, they were appointed, sent to Annapolis by a handful of local party officials, according to a recent analysis from Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for fair elections.

“The General Assembly can’t continue to allow a handful of individuals to speak on behalf of thousands of voters,” Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said...

Daily Beast: The Secret Megadonor Behind the MAGA Movement’s ‘Nerve Center’

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Daily Beast: The Secret Megadonor Behind the MAGA Movement’s ‘Nerve Center’

Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, a watchdog group with decades of experience and a longstanding national operation, told The Daily Beast that Rydin was not on his organization’s radar. Scherb even inquired with Common Cause’s state-level team in Rydin’s home of Texas.

“They said that oddly they had never heard this guy’s name before,” Scherb said.

“After the awful Citizens United decision, more than 13 years ago now, the ultra-wealthy and elites have had a golden...

Yahoo! News/Erie Times-News: Erie federal judge’s ruling on mail-in ballots could shape outcome of 2024 election

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Yahoo! News/Erie Times-News: Erie federal judge’s ruling on mail-in ballots could shape outcome of 2024 election

"This is a tremendous victory for mail-in voters in Pennsylvania," Philip Hensley-Robin, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement. "We are relieved that minor clerical errors will no longer prevent Pennsylvanians from having their votes counted. We look forward to seeing the impact that this ruling will have on future elections, particularly for communities of color and elderly Pennsylvanians."

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