Reflective Democracy

Not all of those honored on this list are registered lobbyists. But they are all key players who the nation’s biggest companies, advocacy groups, labor unions and trade associations turn to when they want their voices heard in the nation’s capital. The ranks of policy experts, influencers and advocates run deep in Washington, but these are the people who stand out for delivering results for their clients in the halls of Congress and the administration. ... GRASSROOTS: Karen Hobert Flynn and Aaron Scherb, Common Cause 

Anthony Gutierrez, the executive director of Common Cause Texas, told reporters last week that absent congressional action, his state may continue to pass maps that dilute the power of minority communities even as the state continues to grow more diverse. “This pattern, where groups like ours have to keep going to court every 10 years over maps that violate minority voting rights is just going to keep happening unless we get that action from Congress,” Gutierrez said.

Title II protects the digital rights everyone expects when going online. The largest ISPs in this country hold tremendous control over who can access the internet and what that access looks like. This unfettered control gives ISPs the ability and incentive to engage in discriminatory practices that undermine our digital rights.

In a letter to U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, the state legislators urge their federal counterparts to “do everything in your power to pass” the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

When the capitol is closed, "the public loses touch with our government, we lose confidence in our government," said Sandy Ma, executive director of Common Cause Hawaii. "We really lose a sense that the government is acting for us."

“I think it’s really easy to think, ‘We’ve had this experience. This means this doesn’t work,’” said Catherine Turcer, who works for the good government group Common Cause. But “it could be that the courts step in”. Or “it could be the reform works well in stopping bad actors who act badly”.