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USA Today/Center for Public Integrity: 'We'll protect their right to vote': How election officials are preparing for voter intimidation tactics
Rural voters may be more vulnerable to harassment because “issues can pop up and they’re not going to be as documented,” said Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, who said she is monitoring efforts by groups in north and south Georgia to recruit potentially armed “concerned citizens” to watch the polls. ... Some voting rights advocates add a note of caution, however. Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, wants voters to be aware of the issue and know to notify poll workers if they feel intimidated, but she worries they may feel discouraged to vote if they fear widespread intimidation or violence. “We have to make sure that as we’re drawing attention to a problem that we’re not contributing to the problem,” she said. Almeida’s team recruited 2,000 poll monitors in the Keystone State and has run worst-case scenarios for months, focusing efforts on protecting individual voters at as many polling locations as possible.
Found in: Common Cause
Boston Globe: Joe Kennedy III campaign says it improperly spent $1.5 million in Senate primary
The Globe asked a top campaign finance expert to weigh in on the Kennedy campaign's disclosure. "The rule is clear: You cannot spend general election funds prior to the primary," said Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause, a campaign watchdog group. "Our contribution limits are intended to safeguard against corruption or even the appearance of corruption. They're intended to prevent wealthy individuals from having undue influence over candidates and officeholders," said Ryan. Ryan said in the 20 years he's spent watching money in politics, he can't recall an instance of a high-profile candidate such as Kennedy committing this sort of campaign finance violation. And he said improperly spending $1.5 million is "significant" considering it accounts for close to 10 percent of the $15.6 million the Kennedy campaign spent through September, according to the latest federal filings.
Found in: Common Cause
NPR (AUDIO): Voting Rights Groups Help Americans 'Cure' Rejected Ballots
PAM FESSLER, BYLINE: Dana Abelson spent hours this week calling voters in Florida whose ballots are about to be rejected. DANA ABELSON: Hi. Is Chandramani there? This is Dana. I'm a nonpartisan volunteer with Common Cause. And I was just calling because it seems like your mail-in ballot might have had a problem with the signature.
Found in: Common Cause
Associated Press: NY officials optimistic about fixes to mail-in voting system
“There are always problems with every human system, but the good news is that there’s ample time to fix them and voters have plenty of options,” Common Cause New York Executive Director Susan Lerner said. “The most important thing is to make a plan to vote now, and then have a back-up plan in case you need it.”
Found in: Common Cause
Washington Post: ‘I’ve been crying for days’: How voting became the latest of 2020’s many anxieties
“I would be very happy if it wasn’t not coming down to Pennsylvania, if we were just one of the many states one way or another,” says Suzanne Almeida, a lawyer for the state’s chapter of the watchdog group Common Cause.
Found in: Common Cause
TIME: Have A Problem With Your Mail-In Ballot? Advocates Are Pushing States to Let You Correct It
“Just as we are making changes to our election laws… to account for COVID, we also need to account for first-time voters or people using this avenue for the first time,” argues Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at the advocacy organization Common Cause.
Found in: Common Cause
Newsweek: Texas AG Appeals Court Ruling Rejecting Governor's Limits on Absentee Ballot Drop-Off Sites
"Today's ruling is a relief to many Texans who qualify to vote absentee," Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, said. "Most of these voters have disabilities and are elderly. With only one ballot return site per county, these voters would have faced challenges in travel that might have made it impossible for them to vote."
Found in: Common Cause
CENSUS COUNT ENDS TODAY: Community leaders nationwide decry effect of Supreme Court Ruling and Call on Congress to Save the Census
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a federal District Court decision and allowed the government to stop counting households two weeks earlier than planned. In a media briefing call today, community leaders described how their states would be affected by the sudden end to census counting and shortened data processing timeline.
Found in: Common Cause
Associated Press: Scramble to get people counted as 2020 census winds down
“Everybody is leaning in hard to try to make sure they can reach as many people as possible,” said Kathay Feng, an official with Common Cause, the good-government advocacy group.
Found in: Common Cause
Center for Public Integrity: In Ohio, Voter List Purges and Strict ID Law Could Suppress Turnout
Christine Turcer, the executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said even if the court allows additional drop boxes in coming weeks, it might be too late. “We are already voting. People already have their ballots,” Turcer said. ... “It hits different parts of the population harder than others. And clearly, when it makes it harder for people who are struggling to pay their bills, then it’s just not right,” Turner said. “It’s unfair, and people should not have unequal access to the ballot.”