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Trump Must Sign Ethics Pledge & Transition Documents

Press Release

Trump Must Sign Ethics Pledge & Transition Documents

President-elect Donald Trump still has not signed legal documents – including an ethics pledge - needed to formally begin his administration’s transition of power. Candidates usually file these documents well in advance of the election. As a result of this delay, the government cannot provide security clearances, briefings and resources to Trump’s incoming team before he is sworn into office on January 20th.

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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Government Accountability Groups: Independent House Ethics Office Must be Strengthened and Made Permanent

Press Release

Government Accountability Groups: Independent House Ethics Office Must be Strengthened and Made Permanent

Today, Common Cause and more than 20 other government accountability groups urged every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to codify the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) into law. The letter follows a recent move by House Republicans to hobble the independent ethics watchdog in the new rules package for the 118th Congress. The letter emphasizes that voters made it very clear in the midterm elections that they are demanding more accountability from their elected representatives in Washington, not less.

Patriot-News/PennLive (OP-ED): Some lawmakers are trying to sneak through legislation to advance their hardline agenda

News Clip

Patriot-News/PennLive (OP-ED): Some lawmakers are trying to sneak through legislation to advance their hardline agenda

Despite Pennsylvania voters’ overwhelming rejection of hardliner policies this past November, as the new legislative session begins, it’s clear very little has changed in Harrisburg.

Lawmakers are still using sleight-of-hand tricks to force their hardliner agenda on Pennsylvanians because they can’t pass it through regular legislation.

As they have for so many years, these lawmakers have ignored the voice of the people and are trying to circumvent the legislative process by forcing through constitutional...

CBS News: George Santos’ backers include a migrant smuggler, a big Trump donor and the cousin of a sanctioned Russian oligarch

News Clip

CBS News: George Santos’ backers include a migrant smuggler, a big Trump donor and the cousin of a sanctioned Russian oligarch

"This member of Congress has flaunted campaign finance laws," Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause/New York said. "There is no respect for the rules or the voters."

According to Lerner, the personal financial disclosures made by candidates are critical for voters to have at their disposal prior to casting their vote. She says  "porous" campaign finance laws and lack of enforcement from the FEC have allowed this particular situation to devolve.

Common Cause Files Amicus Brief Calling for Justice in Case of Wrongful Conviction, Imprisonment

Press Release

Common Cause Files Amicus Brief Calling for Justice in Case of Wrongful Conviction, Imprisonment

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Common Cause filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Missouri in State ex. rel. Eric Schmitt v. the Honorable Robin E. Fulton, calling for justice for Michael Politte, who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for more than 20 years.

NPR: Despite mail voting changes, ballot rejections remain relatively low in 2022 midterms

News Clip

NPR: Despite mail voting changes, ballot rejections remain relatively low in 2022 midterms

Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, says that since the beginning of the pandemic, voting by mail or absentee has become significantly more popular. In response, some states expanded access to mail in voting.

"What we also saw in 2020 was the demonization of vote by mail," Albert says. "This really affected state legislatures during the 2021 sessions. So, even though we saw a lot of states expand access, we saw other states restrict access." 

She says that includes laws that set new...

VoteBeat/Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton wants more power to prosecute election crimes. These bills in the Texas Legislature would give it to him.

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VoteBeat/Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton wants more power to prosecute election crimes. These bills in the Texas Legislature would give it to him.

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, said the bills would also hamper election worker recruitment.

“The potential for prosecution if you mess something up, that Ken Paxton just decides is not a mistake but a violation of the law, is going to dissuade voters and also the people who are qualified to do those [election administration] jobs from wanting to do those jobs,” he said.

Public News Service: MN Part of Push to Expand Access to Voting

News Clip

Public News Service: MN Part of Push to Expand Access to Voting

Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota, said expanding voting access is always a good thing, but added the work needs to be done with precision.

"For us, it's not just about the title of the bill, it's not just about the concept of the bill," Belladonna-Carrera explained. "It's about those nooks and crannies that really speak to meaningful maximization of transparency, accountability, rights."

Belladonna-Carrera acknowledged moving too quickly can lead to unintended...

CT Insider: Proposal would allow term limits for CT governor, add voter initiatives

News Clip

CT Insider: Proposal would allow term limits for CT governor, add voter initiatives

Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, the elections watchdog organization, said Tuesday she doubts the proposed GOP bills will see much life.

"These are not things that ever come out of committees here," Quickmire said. "Consider the time it takes to make anything happen that involves the Constitution. People have the ability to elect their direct representatives and make their point in that way. We at Common Cause are very interested in having as many people as possible participate in our...

Roll Call: Democrats ask ethics panel to probe Santos’ financial disclosures

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Roll Call: Democrats ask ethics panel to probe Santos’ financial disclosures

“House Republicans’ proposal will handcuff the nonpartisan ethics office, making it more difficult to ensure there are consequences for breaking the rules,” said Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, in a news release Monday evening after the House GOP approved its rules package. “As their first legislative act, Congressional Republicans have decided to significantly weaken the independent ethics office. Their actions are a complete failure of leadership.”

Yahoo News: ‘A state by state fight’: Legal battles over redistricting maps continue into the new year

News Clip

Yahoo News: ‘A state by state fight’: Legal battles over redistricting maps continue into the new year

“It’s a state by state fight,” Dan Vicuna, the national redistricting manager of Common Cause, a voting rights organization, told Yahoo News. “In this country, there's a long history of using the redistricting process to discriminate against people of color or to discriminate against voters of one party.”

According to voting rights advocates, a wave of racial gerrymandering is impacting maps across the country. The 2020 U.S Census Bureau reported that the overall racial diversity of the United States increased since...

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