Democracy Wire

The first in a series of "Uncommon Reads" from Common Cause staff. These must reads are selected by the staff member indicated in the by-line. The writing excerpted is that of the author of the article being recommended.

Robert Reich offers advice on engaging political conversations with people we disagree with because democracy depends on it.

Bill Whitaker of 60 Minutes takes us to the nondescript strip shopping center in Springfield, Illinois where the first shots were fired by Russia last year in what is now widely understood, by almost everyone but President Trump, as an ongoing cyber attack on our democracy.

As a fringe element of hateful racists gather outside the White House today for "Unite the Right 2," we should recall that many Americans rejected their message and the violence it inspired in Charlottesville last year. America's struggle with race is ongoing and in moments like this it is important to witness the healing that continues to propel us forward to the fixes we need, as well as the pain a few cause so many.

Voting is one of the fundamental ways Americans can make their voices heard in our democracy. But too often, the process of registering to vote can be tricky, confusing, and complicated. That’s one of the reasons why Common Cause has a nationwide campaign to push for a new innovative reform to make the process of voter registration more convenient and secure. It’s called automatic voter registration (AVR).

Redistricting reformers scored big wins in Michigan and Missouri last week.