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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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Washington Post: Justice Thomas details jet travel, property deal with billionaire

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Washington Post: Justice Thomas details jet travel, property deal with billionaire

He described Crow as a “personal friend,” according to the disclosure form, one of several from the 1990s that is no longer publicly available but was provided to The Washington Post by watchdog organizations Common Cause and Documented.

Inside Sources/Tribune News Service (Op-Ed): How the Supreme Court Stopped a Dangerous Legislative Power Grab

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Inside Sources/Tribune News Service (Op-Ed): How the Supreme Court Stopped a Dangerous Legislative Power Grab

When I was in the Supreme Court last December listening to oral arguments in Moore v. Harper, I was struck by Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s questions in this case that put the future of American democracy’s checks and balances at risk.

Barrett doubted that the “independent state legislature theory” should give state legislatures absolute power to write laws for federal elections without facing state judicial review. And Barrett probed repeatedly about when, if at all, the Supreme Court should intervene in state court...

New York Times: Republicans Target Wisconsin’s Election Chief for Removal, Fueled by Falsehoods

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New York Times: Republicans Target Wisconsin’s Election Chief for Removal, Fueled by Falsehoods

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a government watchdog group, said Ms. Wolfe’s removal would be a major blow to the state, which is likely to once again be a crucial battleground for the presidential race.

“The vast majority of Wisconsin’s voters and citizens can and will lose confidence and trust in our elections,” he said.

San Jose Mercury News: Thought San Jose’s 2022 mayor’s race was expensive? Experts say brace yourself.

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San Jose Mercury News: Thought San Jose’s 2022 mayor’s race was expensive? Experts say brace yourself.

Sean McMorris, a member of government transparency nonprofit California Common Cause, said he’s unsure whether the city needs to eliminate the cap at all.

“I know that San Jose is being proactive, but it is not clear to me that the SCOTUS ruling, which pertained to federal campaign finance law and post-election fundraising, would necessarily apply to all local campaign finance laws pertaining to candidate loans or that a city cannot narrowly tailor such a law to avoid running afoul of the SCOTUS ruling,” he wrote in an...

Houston Public Media: Texas prepares to leave multistate compact to clean its voter rolls, without an alternative

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Houston Public Media: Texas prepares to leave multistate compact to clean its voter rolls, without an alternative

All of this is a concern for voting rights groups. Katya Ehresman, voting rights program manager for Common Cause Texas, said its been just four years since the state attempted to purge tens of thousands of people incorrectly identified as noncitizens from the state's voter rolls. The furor over that effort helped to sink Acting Secretary of State David Whitley's bid for confirmation in the post. Ehresman noted that Keith Ingram, who served as elections director under Whitley, was appointed by current Secretary of State Jane Nelson to head the...

Boston Globe: Carlson’s early exit renews calls for limiting early voting or using ranked-choice voting

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Boston Globe: Carlson’s early exit renews calls for limiting early voting or using ranked-choice voting

But John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, called the GOP statement “a knee-jerk reaction to what is a fairly common occurrence in elections all across the country.”

“This is not the first time a candidate has withdrawn from a race but remained on the ballot, and it won’t be the last time,” he said. “Restricting a popular and secure way for voters to vote is not the right reaction.”

In offering 20 days of early voting, Rhode Island is matching the national average in the 47...

Wisconsin Law Journal: Protasiewicz prohibited from hearing abortion, gerrymandering cases if impeachment commences

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Wisconsin Law Journal: Protasiewicz prohibited from hearing abortion, gerrymandering cases if impeachment commences

Jay Heck, director of Common Cause, told the Wisconsin Law Journal he believes Vos’ threat of impeachment is hypocritical.

“It’s such self-serving hypocrisy with Vos. Where was Vos in 2012 when conservatives all voted to dismiss illegal coordination with Walker and Club For Growth? It has been well documented that Walker engaged in coordination to raise money for his recall election, which was illegal. Candidates cannot coordinate with outside special interests, and the Legislature changed that in 2015, but I didn’t...

Public News Service: Feds Consider Whether to Allow Betting on Election Outcomes

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Public News Service: Feds Consider Whether to Allow Betting on Election Outcomes

Stephen Spaulding, vice president of policy for the nonprofit Common Cause, said gambling on elections is bad for democracy.

"You can imagine wealthy gamblers could make significant money by exploiting disinformation to influence an electoral outcome that would protect the bettors' bottom line," Spaulding pointed out. "This again opens up a significant risk to the perception that the winners and losers of an election are not determined by voters, but by those who stand to gain financially."

Spaulding noted the...

New Report on 2022 Election Disinformation Looks Ahead to 2024

Press Release

New Report on 2022 Election Disinformation Looks Ahead to 2024

As social media platforms drastically scale back efforts to control the expanding threat of election disinformation, a new report from Common Cause takes a look at efforts to combat the rampant problem in 2022 and previews what to expect in 2024. “Under the Microscope: Election Disinformation in 2022 And What We Learned for 2024” examines the preparations and what we saw during the midterms and looks at how to apply lessons to the already unfolding race for the White House. And finally the reports points to existing and proposed...

KCRA-TV: Key committee set to vote on Gov. Newsom’s call for a constitutional convention

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KCRA-TV: Key committee set to vote on Gov. Newsom’s call for a constitutional convention

Critics note there are no guarantees that the convention would be limited to gun control if triggered. The nonpartisan democracy advocacy group Common Cause earlier this week blasted the push, noting a convention lacks legal guardrails and historical norms.

"By calling a constitutional convention, Governor Newsom would invite wealthy special interests to open the hood of the U.S. Constitution and tinker with our rights and liberties—without a single rule," the group said in a news release. "There are few risks to the freedoms...

NPR: How Florida’s congressional map could change before the 2024 elections

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NPR: How Florida’s congressional map could change before the 2024 elections

Regardless of how the state court rules, plaintiffs in an ongoing federal lawsuit plan to proceed with their case, explained Kathay Feng, an attorney and vice president of programs for Common Cause Florida, one of the groups challenging the map.

"If they come to a final remedy that is very narrowly focused, there is still an opportunity for the federal case to examine the entire state map as a whole," Feng said.

Although plaintiffs suing in state court have agreed to skip a trial, that's not expected to happen in...

New Report: Trump’s Big Lie made judiciary a target

Press Release

New Report: Trump’s Big Lie made judiciary a target

“Courts and judges play an important role in American democracy and should not have to fear violence for doing their job,” said Marilyn Carpinteyro, Common Cause interim co-president. “This report highlights why it’s so crucial that the courts and judges can enforce the law fairly and safely. Those in places of power—especially the president of the United States—have a responsibility to ensure judges can do their jobs free of intimidation.”

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