Press Release

As President Biden convenes his international Summit for Democracy this week, he faces a crisis of democracy here at home. Bolstering international democracy is critically important, but we must also get our own house in order. Our crisis did not begin with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, nor did it end there.  Parroting Donald Trump’s Big Lie and aided and abetted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act under Chief Justice John Roberts, GOP-controlled legislatures across the country have ushered in a new Jim Crow era.

Common Cause is urging every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote “yes” in support of the Protecting Our Democracy Act (H.R. 5314), in order to provide greater checks and balances to the vast powers of the presidency in the wake of the unprecedented abuses of those powers by the administration of Donald Trump. The letter, sent yesterday to every Member of the House, emphasizes that the proposed legislation will create new mechanisms for transparency and accountability that will apply to all future presidents, regardless of their political party. The letter also notes that Common Cause plans to key-vote this legislation in our Democracy Scorecard, which we send to our 1.5 million members.  

“It was a long and winding road for Jessica Rosenworcel, but she stayed the course and good sense has now finally prevailed with today’s Senate vote. Jessica faces a daunting agenda as chair but she has the experience and dedication to make historic progress leading the FCC. Past commission mistakes must be corrected and new trails blazed to provide our country with the communications ecosystem our democracy so clearly must have. Needed now is a fifth commissioner, so that a full FCC can get on with its important mandate of protecting the public interest.” - Michael Copps, Former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser

The competition, designed by the Common Cause Student Action Alliance, invited youth ages 14-28 to raise their voices on any set of nine democracy issues, including access to voting, campaign finance reform, fighting against gerrymandering, and more.

Today, Common Cause and over 200 organizations called on Senators to commit to reconsideration of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act immediately and to delay the coming Congressional recess until the legislation is passed. The letter, from members of the Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD) coalition and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights emphasizes that already this year, 19 states have enacted 33 restrictive voting laws that make it harder for Americans – particularly in Black and Brown communities - to have a say in choosing their elected leaders. It further points to the brazenly gerrymandered district maps being enacted around the country by politicians choosing their voters instead of the other way around for partisan advantage. Those maps are leaving Americans with legislatures and congressional delegations that do not even vaguely reflect the ballots cast by voters.  

The competition, designed by the Common Cause Student Action Alliance, invited youth ages 14-28 to raise their voices on any set of nine democracy issues, including access to voting, campaign finance reform, fighting against gerrymandering, and more.