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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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Charleston Gazette-Mail: As Morrisey mounts gubernatorial run, environmental advocates fear he has damaged WV’s climate future

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Charleston Gazette-Mail: As Morrisey mounts gubernatorial run, environmental advocates fear he has damaged WV’s climate future

“Attorney General Morrisey should know better,” Aaron Scherb, senior legislative affairs director at Common Cause, a Washington, D.C.-based government watchdog group, said in a phone interview.

Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission against Trump in 2018 alleging a $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford, a pornographic actress known as Stormy Daniels, was an unreported in-kind contribution to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign committee in violation of federal...

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (Op-Ed): Why is Texas voter turnout so embarrassing? Lack of online registration, for starters

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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (Op-Ed): Why is Texas voter turnout so embarrassing? Lack of online registration, for starters

We got it right in Texas when we inscribed in our Constitution that “all political power is inherent in the people.”

But politicians in power today are not living up to that ideal. Texas is the fourth-most difficult state to vote in by one analysis and 41st in the nation when it comes to voter turnout. We had 9.6 million registered Texas voters sit out the last election — more than the entire population of states such as New Jersey or Virginia.

MarketWatch: Watchdog groups call for Justice Clarence Thomas to address reported failure to disclose gifts from real-estate tycoon

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MarketWatch: Watchdog groups call for Justice Clarence Thomas to address reported failure to disclose gifts from real-estate tycoon

Common Cause’s senior director of legislative affairs, Aaron Scherb, said it would be reasonable for U.S. lawmakers to have Thomas testify as to “why he didn’t put any of these trips on his personal financial-disclosure forms.” Scherb said that move could come from the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin.

Durbin said on Thursday that his committee “will act” to respond to the ProPublica report.

Scherb also described the lack of disclosure by Thomas as “extremely...

Houston Chronicle: Texas Republicans want out of a national program that targets voter fraud

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Houston Chronicle: Texas Republicans want out of a national program that targets voter fraud

“States leaving ERIC and creating their own independent registration system increases the potential for election fraud,” Katya Ehresman, the voting rights program manager at Common Cause Texas, testified last week. “The GOP and conservatives for years demanded the kind of results ERIC has produced, and states withdrawing from the compact undercut efforts to keep voter rolls clean and prevent illegal voting.”

Ehresman also has questioned whether Nelson’s office could run its own system. She pointed to the office’s...

The Motley Fool: Moment of Trump

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The Motley Fool: Moment of Trump

Just days after the story came out, Common Cause, a Washington-based watchdog group, filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission alleging the $130,000 payment to Daniels amounted to an unreported, illegal in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, made in coordination with Cohen.

At the time Common Cause did not know it was Cohen himself who had made the in-kind payment, but later amended the complaints to...

Bloomberg: Swing-State Flip Gives Democrats Path to Sue on Abortion, Voting

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Bloomberg: Swing-State Flip Gives Democrats Path to Sue on Abortion, Voting

Lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional and state legislative maps “will most definitely” be filed, said Wisconsin Common Cause Executive Director Jay Heck.

As they prepare to ask the courts to evaluate political maps, lawyers will line up voter plaintiffs from areas where Democratic-leaning precincts were merged into Republican-dominated districts beginning in 2011, Heck said.

Washington Monthly: Could Ballot Images Loosen the Grip of Disinformation?

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Washington Monthly: Could Ballot Images Loosen the Grip of Disinformation?

“Bad actors could easily abuse this data,” wrote Alex Gulotta, Arizona state director of All Voting is Local Action, and Jenny Guzman, program director of Common Cause Arizona, in a mid-March Arizona Republic commentary. “This is not a far-fetched reality.”

Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Op-Ed): Support public financing for elections

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Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Op-Ed): Support public financing for elections

Senate Bill 1543 is the most significant public financing bill currently being considered throughout the nation. There are only a few days left in the legislative session for it to be scheduled for a hearing in the House Finance Committee. If that does not happen this very important bill dies. And that would be a serious blow to efforts to get big money out of politics.

The Guardian: ‘A truly incredible amount of money’: millions ride on one US judicial election

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The Guardian: ‘A truly incredible amount of money’: millions ride on one US judicial election

“When the Republicans rewrote the laws in 2015 … they did it with the expectation that it would advantage them. They felt that the sources of money they could rely on, both outside groups and big contributors, would mean they would always have financial advantages in races like this. Just the opposite has happened,” said Jay Heck, the executive director of the Wisconsin chapter of Common Cause, a watchdog group. “That is the reason why [Wisconsin Democratic party chair] Ben Wikler and the Democrats have been able to be such a...

Tribune News Service/Inside Sources/MSN (Op-Ed): No American is above the law, not even former presidents

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Tribune News Service/Inside Sources/MSN (Op-Ed): No American is above the law, not even former presidents

At the height of the Watergate crisis, the Department of Justice determined that the indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting president “would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.” That policy has not changed, but that is not the policy for candidates for the nation’s highest office. Running for president cannot and must not serve as a shield to allow criminal conduct to go unpunished.

New York Post: Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed for fundraising pitch amid tense budget talks

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New York Post: Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed for fundraising pitch amid tense budget talks

“Governor Hochul — and all lawmakers — should be focused on passing the state budget as soon as possible, not fundraising,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of NY Common Cause.

Lerner noted that part of the budget would help fund a new public campaign finance program aimed at reducing the role of fat cat donors in elections. Candidates who accept lower dollar donations would get public matching funds.

“If we had a successful and robust public financing program, lawmakers would be concentrated on...

The Record/Gannett: Some NJ officials will no longer have to disclose their addresses. This is why

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The Record/Gannett: Some NJ officials will no longer have to disclose their addresses. This is why

There needs to be an effort to find a balance, said Heather Ferguson, director of New Jersey operations for Common Cause, a Washington, D.C.-based ethics advocacy group.

“There’s a good way to balance the transparency aspect and also help out elected officials as I think we have been entering some unprecedented times where they’re rightfully concerned about their safety and security,” she said.

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