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Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer: $15k on tickets. $2k/month on meals. Inside a Cleveland-area House rep’s campaign spending
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, which advocates for better government ethics laws and transparency in campaign finance, reviewed Patton’s audits. She said the most obvious aggrieved party to questionable campaign spending would be the donors. But in a less-direct way, she said problems arise in a representative democracy when public officials can enrich themselves in the process via interested donors. “Campaign cash is not a slush fund,” she said. “It is intended to be spent to get yourself elected.” Moreover, she questioned why five audits spanning two secretaries of state (some occurred under now-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted). She said they seem to have caught on to something wrong 10 years ago but declined to take any action on a troubling pattern. “It doesn’t look like they truly took the next step to do a little more digging,” she said. “You shouldn’t leave an audit with more questions than you started. And how would they not have more questions.”
Found in: Common Cause
Texas Tribune/San Antonio Express-News: Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi backed a group with white supremacist ties — while working for its billionaire funder
Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of the watchdog group Common Cause Texas, said Rinaldi’s legal representation of Wilks was “shocking,” especially in light of the ongoing scandals involving Defend Texas Liberty that Rinaldi has been involved in. “We all know money equals power in Texas politics and billionaires like the Wilks use their wealth liberally to bend public policy to their liking all the time,” he said. “But it's still pretty shocking.”
Found in: Common Cause
Washington Post: Maryland Elections Board member arrested on Jan. 6 riot charges, resigns
“After the 2024 election, the General Assembly should seriously consider whether the process for selecting board members needs to be changed. This should be a wake-up call,” Morgan Drayton, policy and engagement manager at the nonpartisan government watchdog group Common Cause Maryland, said in a statement. “It is sickening to think that Ayala was making decisions about our elections after allegedly participating in the attempted insurrection. His disrespect for the voices of Maryland voters and his disregard for the peaceful transfer of power stands in direct contrast to the duties of the Board of Elections.”
Found in: Common Cause
Axios: Lawmaker says free bus rides on Election Day are "not fair"
Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana executive director, doesn't think the legislation would have a significant impact on elections or voter turnout, but said it sends a bad message in a state that already struggles with low voter turnout. "We need to make voting more accessible and convenient to people," she said.
Found in: Common Cause
Star-Ledger/NY.Com (Op-Ed): It’s time for Newark to include young people in school board elections
With just over 3% participation, Newark’s school board elections could use an infusion of fresh, young energy. Give these students the chance to be heard, and you might be surprised by how much they can do. We encourage the Newark City Council to favorably pass their ordinance to lower the voting age for school board elections, and we can’t wait to see what these students accomplish when they’re given the chance.
Found in: Common Cause
KQED/NPR - Political Breakdown (Audio): Can Election Law Keep Up With AI and Deep Fakes?
The 2024 election will be the first where artificial intelligence, or AI, could play a big role — and not necessarily a good one. Today in Sacramento, the head of California Common Cause announced proposals to address the potential problems from things like deepfakes intended to confuse voters. Scott Shafer is joined by Jonathan Mehta Stein, head of Common Cause, to discuss threats posed by technology for this election.
Found in: Common Cause
Raw Story: Revealed: Donors foot the bill for Marjorie Taylor Greene's election law violation
“If I was one of her donors, I wouldn’t want my donations to be paying fines for when she did something wrong,” said Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs for Common Cause, a nonprofit watchdog organization that filed an initial FEC complaint against Greene. “There’s a little bit of an optics issue.”
Found in: Common Cause
The Oregonian: Former OLCC board chair lands pot job
Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon, a grassroots, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen and advance democracy, said Révoal's leap into the industry that he up until recently regulated raises questions. "Democracies die when we erode ethics norms," she said. "It's not just a matter of following the letter of the law. It's about keeping clear, bright lines between working for the public interest and working for one's own private interest."
Found in: Common Cause
Omaha World Herald: Nebraska Legislature examines new rules to limit filibusters
Gavin Geis, executive director for Common Cause Nebraska, said the current rules serve as a safeguard that ensures a balanced approach to redistricting, a process that has received heavy scrutiny across the country for over-politicization. "The removal of party registration as a factor in selecting committee members may lead to a lack of diversity in thought and perspective, resulting in skewed representation that doesn't accurately (represent) the political landscape of our state," Geis said.
Found in: Common Cause
Los Angeles Times: DWP board members held private contract talks with vendor, prompting ethics questions
Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics and accountability program manager at California Common Cause, questioned why staff, rather than the commissioners, didn’t talk to Ardent. “If the meeting was to hash out the contract and tell the company that they’re going to vote for them, and what the contract would look like — that sort of thing shouldn’t be happening in a private forum,” he said. “Even if it’s legal, it doesn’t seem appropriate,” McMorris added.