Voting Rights

Catherine Turcer, the executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said that for vote-by-mail to be successful in Ohio, should that be the default in November, the process needs to be streamlined. That means eliminating the additional back-and-forth of submitting an absentee ballot application.

“It frustrates me that voting rights are a partisan fight,” said Suzanne Almeida, acting executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.

“I really don’t buy the argument that it can’t be done safely, because grocery stores are open now, essential businesses are open right now,” said Sylvia Albert of Common Cause. “The businesses that are open now are considered essential, and voting is essential.”

For nearly 15 years at Common Cause, one of the country's oldest and most venerated democracy reform organizations, Kathay Feng has been focused intently on efforts to end partisan gerrymandering. After taking over the group's operation in California in 2005, she was at the heart of the lobbying and organizing effort behind creation of an independent redistricting commission in the most populous state. Since 2015 she has led all Common Cause's legal, legislative and ballot initiative redistricting efforts. The Cornell and UCLA Law School graduate has also fought for civil rights and against racial discrimination in Los Angeles. Her answers have been edited for clarity and length.

“Threatening to prosecute Texans who simply want to vote without endangering themselves, their families or their neighbors is just cruel,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog group. “Everyone who works on voting rights or elections in Texas, including the secretary of state, has said this is a piece of law that is not clear, hence the litigation, and the judge made what we believe is the right call today.”

"I think this pandemic will force a national conversation about making sure that all eligible voters can have their voices heard," said Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at the nonpartisan government watchdog Common Cause. "Hopefully some of these reforms won't be temporary ones but permanent ones that will last after this pandemic."