Voting Rights

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) joined Common Cause experts and members, and journalists in a town hall webinar to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this year’s elections and the preparations that must be made, and precautions taken, to safeguard our democracy.

“Saints are those who agree with your cause and will fight for it until the bitter end,” McBride observed in her mellifluous Louisiana lilt. “Sinners are those who vehemently oppose your cause and will to the day they die. People in the first two categories will never switch their opinions. It’s the savables, those caught in the middle, we all try to sway because there’s hope for them.”

I am very sorry to announce that Ann McBride, who served in many capacities at Common Cause, including President, passed away on May 5. She was 75 and had been in declining health. Ann is an important part of Common Cause’s history and was a cherished mentor and role-model to me. Ann’s message was clear. Our victories were, she would often say, a message of hope for citizens – a reminder that working together, we all could make a difference in our government and our world.

Concerned about the impact of the novel coronavirus on the 2020 election, states are scrambling to dramatically increase mail-in voting. CNN's Marshall Cohen speaks with Common Cause's Sylvia Albert and others who explain what that means for you.

“In the same way that 2000 led to no more hanging chads,” says Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonpartisan good-government organization, “I would hope that this election leads to proper investment and modernization in our election system.”

“We are extremely fortunate that this is the primary election,” said Catherine Turcer, executive director of the Ohio branch of Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group. “If this were happening in November—and you can imagine the tsunami coming at boards of elections in November—they just couldn’t manage.”