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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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Associated Press: Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat

News Clip

Associated Press: Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates often speak out on hot topics. Only one faces impeachment threat

“It’s self-serving, selective outrage,” Jay Heck, director of Common Cause of Wisconsin, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said of impeachment. “Where was their outrage and their demands for recusal when conservatives in the past have weighed in about their values?”

The Guardian: Republicans threaten to impeach newly elected Wisconsin supreme court judge

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The Guardian: Republicans threaten to impeach newly elected Wisconsin supreme court judge

“I think what you’re seeing all around the country are governors and Republican-controlled legislatures looking at what other states have done and saying, ‘Wow, look at that. We should try that here,’” said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin.

Heck called the threat of impeachment an overreach and described concerns about Protasiewicz’s campaign statements as “selective outrage”, given previous conservative justices’ public comments on issues before the court. Heck pointed to a 2015 case in...

Fresno Bee (Op-Ed): Fresno officials gerrymandered their districts. Time to take our voting rights back

News Clip

Fresno Bee (Op-Ed): Fresno officials gerrymandered their districts. Time to take our voting rights back

Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right that makes possible all other civil liberties and policy decisions. But a threat to that right now comes before the ballot box: Redistricting, which can make or break a community’s ability to participate in our democracy. It determines who does — and does not — have fair representation.

Senate Finally Confirms 5th FCC Commissioner After Vacancy of More Than 2.5 Years

Press Release

Senate Finally Confirms 5th FCC Commissioner After Vacancy of More Than 2.5 Years

Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Anna Gomez to the Federal Communications Commission in a bipartisan 55-43 vote. Commissioner Gomez fills a slot at the agency which has been vacant since President Biden took office in January of 2021. The vacancy had often left the commission deadlocked 2-2 on critical matters, and her confirmation will allow the agency to move forward.

Associated Press: Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash

News Clip

Associated Press: Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach justice over donations, but conservatives also took party cash

“It’s what I call selective outrage,” said Jay Heck, a longtime observer of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and director of Common Cause of Wisconsin, a nonpartisan government watchdog group. “It’s incredibly hypocritical.”

There was no outrage from Republicans when conservative justices heard numerous cases over the years involving their conservative donors, Heck said.

“The rules and parameters of recusal were put in place by the conservatives and by the Republicans,” said Heck, with Common Cause....

NPR: A 25-year-old from a small town leads North Carolina’s Democratic Party toward 2024

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NPR: A 25-year-old from a small town leads North Carolina’s Democratic Party toward 2024

But to local organizers, like North Carolina-based Vashti Hinton-Smith from the left-leaning group Common Cause, this is an ongoing, long and hard fight.

"I do wonder sometimes if it's too late," said Hinton-Smith, who runs Common Cause's civic engagement program at HBCUs within the state.

Though she agrees with Clayton's youth outreach plan and remains cautiously optimistic, she said politicians need to play the long game in order to make change, which may require less focus on wins right now.

U.S. News & World Report: Judges Reject Gerrymandered Districts Ahead of Hotly Contested Elections

News Clip

U.S. News & World Report: Judges Reject Gerrymandered Districts Ahead of Hotly Contested Elections

"The Alabama legislature's defiance of a clear mandate from the Supreme Court to discriminate against Black voters is so brazen, a delaying tactic seems to be the only explanation that makes any sense," says Dan Vicuna, director of redistricting and representation at the advocacy group Common Cause.

"I think it's not going to sit well with the Supreme Court," he says.

Public News Service: Tech Companies Scale Back Efforts to Control Election Disinformation

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Public News Service: Tech Companies Scale Back Efforts to Control Election Disinformation

Emma Steiner, information accountability project manager with the non-partisan group Common Cause, said disinformation can often be hard to spot.

"A lot of times people fall for disinformation," said Steiner, "because it seems to confirm something they already believe and that's where people get tripped up."

Steiner recommended that people always refer to official sources for voting information - including Secretary of States' offices or local election boards.

"Disinformation spreaders and...

New York Times: How a New City Council Map of L.A. Turned Into a Political Brawl

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New York Times: How a New City Council Map of L.A. Turned Into a Political Brawl

Jonathan Mehta Stein, the executive director of California Common Cause, which closely monitored the redistricting process, said he believed there was also a larger political goal: “They pulled her base out from under her to have her turn down the volume on behalf of renters,” he said.

San Diego Union-Tribune: Should the city attorney be stripped of civil duties? Experts and candidates for the office oppose the effort

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San Diego Union-Tribune: Should the city attorney be stripped of civil duties? Experts and candidates for the office oppose the effort

Sean McMorris, a California Common Cause program manager, said the notion of dividing the city attorney’s civil and criminal responsibilities appears to him like a “power grab.”

“This seems like it could be a recipe for confusion and contention, especially if the appointed city attorney and elected city attorney clash on matters,” he said. The proposal “also seems to give the council president too much power in the appointing process, which could lead to the appearance of corruption.”

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