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

Press Release

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...

Media Contacts

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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The Oregonian/Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon’s failure to get tribal input earns it poor grade for redistricting in national report

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The Oregonian/Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon’s failure to get tribal input earns it poor grade for redistricting in national report

“For too long public dialogue about redistricting has focused almost exclusively on the partisan horse race,” said Dan Vicuña, national redistricting director for Common Cause, one of the organizations in the coalition. “It’s undeniable that manipulation of voting districts for political advantage is a direct threat to the health of our democracy. However, that threat doesn’t derive from which party is up or down at a given moment. It derives from the slicing and dicing of communities into districts in ways that make it impossible...

Charlotte Observer: Not just about money: New laws in state budget give more power to the General Assembly

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Charlotte Observer: Not just about money: New laws in state budget give more power to the General Assembly

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...

Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico’s redistricting effort receives high grade

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Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico’s redistricting effort receives high grade

The coalition hub, which included the national Common Cause and the National Congress of American Indians, talked to over 2,000 people involved in the redistricting process in all 50 states.

Dan Vicuña, director of redistricting and representation for Common Cause, a voting-rights nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C., said in an interview those compiling the report put less focus on partisan conflicts and court cases and more on “whether public input was implemented in the maps.”

He said while the...

The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com: Ohio’s redistricting process gets an ‘F’ from national group

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The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com: Ohio’s redistricting process gets an ‘F’ from national group

“This redistricting cycle in Ohio provided a textbook example of the lengths elected officials will go to prioritize partisanship over fair representation for the public,” the report by Common Cause stated, adding that Republican lawmakers and redistricting commission members showed a “complete disregard... for the rule of law in Ohio.”

Omaha World-Herald: Nebraska rated a C+ for redistricting process by national group

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Omaha World-Herald: Nebraska rated a C+ for redistricting process by national group

Gavin Geis, director of Common Cause Nebraska, said a C+ is a fair grade for Nebraska. He said he believes Nebraska’s maps ended up pretty good, yet the redistricting process had issues with public access, transparency and politicization.

Besides three public hearings across the state on the proposed maps, Geis said, it was difficult to get committee members to engage with public input. He said lawmakers largely ignored suggested maps proposed by community organizations.

“Citizens’ work on this is why we had...

New 50 State Report Finds Massive Failures in Redistricting Process

Press Release

New 50 State Report Finds Massive Failures in Redistricting Process

A coalition of national organizations advocating for a stronger democracy published a report today evaluating redistricting efforts across all 50 states, awarding just two states with an “A” grade while 20 states earned a “D” or an “F” for their failures in transparency, opportunities for public input, nonpartisanship, and empowerment of communities of color. 

Briefing Room with Ian Masters (AUDIO): Elon Musk’s X Now Monetizes Disinformation by Fake Journalists With Blue- Check Accounts Who Get Paid to Spread Lies

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Briefing Room with Ian Masters (AUDIO): Elon Musk’s X Now Monetizes Disinformation by Fake Journalists With Blue- Check Accounts Who Get Paid to Spread Lies

We examine the flood of disinformation about the war in Israel on Twitter or X since Elon Musk allows anyone to buy Blue-Check accounts previously restricted to journalists, politicians and business and world leaders which fake journalists can now use to spread outrageous lies that can be monetized depending on the millions they deceive. Joining us is Emma Steiner, the Information Accountability Project Manager at Common Cause where she leads efforts to protect voters from disinformation related to voting rights and democracy, and to help...

HuffPost: Twitter’s Monetization For Blue-Check Accounts May Be Fueling Fake News On Israel-Palestine

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HuffPost: Twitter’s Monetization For Blue-Check Accounts May Be Fueling Fake News On Israel-Palestine

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.”

Wisconsin Public Radio: Redistricting activists speak out against GOP plan to redraw Wisconsin’s political maps

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Wisconsin Public Radio: Redistricting activists speak out against GOP plan to redraw Wisconsin’s political maps

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, argued the redistricting proposal lacked transparency and safeguards against a majority party power grab.

"Broad bipartisan support and consensus must be attained for any nonpartisan redistricting plan to work (so) that it can be assured that it will have the trust and confidence of Wisconsin voters," he said. "Please pardon the voters of Wisconsin if they don't believe that, after 12 years of attacking, resisting and blocking any attempt or discussion of redistricting...

Associated Press: California governor vetoes bill requiring independent panels to draw local voting districts

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Associated Press: California governor vetoes bill requiring independent panels to draw local voting districts

“We’re frustrated, confused and deeply disappointed,” Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of voting rights group California Common Cause, said Monday. He added: “We were hopeful that this was an opportunity for California to show the rest of the nation what it looks like to put gerrymandering behind us.”

Had Newsom signed the measure, California could have become the first state to mandate redistricting commissions for local jurisdictions over certain sizes, said Dan Vicuna, national director of redistricting and...

Associated Press: Drop boxes have become key to election conspiracy theories. Two Democrats just fueled those claims

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Associated Press: Drop boxes have become key to election conspiracy theories. Two Democrats just fueled those claims

“It’s not the ballot boxes that are the problem,” said Cheri Quickmire, executive director of the voter advocacy group Common Cause in Connecticut. “In this particular case, it seems like the problem is the leadership of campaigns that permit that kind of activity, that has staff, that has campaign staff who ... would put ballots in big envelopes and stuff them into the ballot box.”

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