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USA Today/Gannett: Voting advocates say coronavirus led to chaos, maybe not lower turnout
Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, said the challenges in the primaries will give election officials an opportunity to find remedies such as allowing more mail-in voting by the November election. “Today we’re faced with a challenge unlike anything we’ve seen in our 50 years of advocacy, a global pandemic where all 50 states have now declared a state of emergency,” she said.
Found in: Common Cause
U.S. New & World Report: The Vote or the Virus?
Common Cause, a citizens advocacy group, said states should do what is necessary to protect individuals, as long as the primaries are held in a timely manner and actions are taken to make sure the November elections are held without a hitch. "The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our elections, but those elections can and must be held this year," said Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. "Americans expect and deserve to have their say at the polls to choose their representatives and to hold their elected officials accountable."
Found in: Common Cause
Associated Press: How the coronavirus is upending American politics
“These are unusual restrictions,” Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, said of recommended federal limits to try and control the spread of the virus. Her group is urging the delay of that state’s 2020 presidential primary from April 28 to June 23, when congressional and legislative primaries are already scheduled. “Normally, we do not support postponing elections, but these are extraordinary circumstances,” Lerner said.
Found in: Common Cause
Washington Post: Intensifying coronavirus fears rattle voters and elections officials in advance of Tuesday primaries
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said the public’s fears could overtake their desire to vote — though she encouraged people who feel comfortable to turn out. “We’re asking people to go into pretty confined conditions, and even with all sorts of wipes and the things that can be done to make things safe, it is anxiety-provoking,” she said.
Found in: Common Cause
Sinclair Broadcasting: 'Things have changed': Experts say coronavirus may complicate election planning
Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for advocacy group Common Cause, said her organization supports moving forward with next week’s elections, but it is too soon to say what other states should do if the virus continues to spread. “It’s an ever-changing situation,” Albert said. “I wouldn’t want to opine on what somebody should do in four weeks because we don’t know what four weeks will look like.”
Found in: Common Cause
Reuters: Exclusive: Fewer poll workers, coronavirus, spark fears of election day woes in Ohio Democratic primary
But unforeseen disruptors such as the coronavirus underscore why it is important to staff polling locations robustly, said Catherine Turcer, executive director of the Ohio branch of Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group. “If we have a reduction in poll workers plus people calling off sick, it could be really problematic,” Turcer said. “That’s why it makes sense to have more poll workers than you really need.”
Found in: Common Cause
Census 2020: Every U.S. Resident Must Make Their Voice Heard
It is time for every resident of the United States to make their voice heard in the 2020 Census. It is time to stand up and be counted, for your own benefit and for the benefit of your community. Today, every person residing in the United States is encouraged to take 10 minutes to fill out their census form and shape the future of communities for the next 10 years.
Found in: Common Cause
Center for Public Integrity: Online Misinformation During the Primaries: A Preview of What’s to Come?
Jesse Littlewood, vice president for campaigns at Common Cause, a nonpartisan nonprofit, said this is the first time the group has monitored misinformation on social media during the primary season, and he had expected to find less of what he terms “cyber suppression.” “We’re talking dozens to hundreds of pieces of content — not thousands or millions — but even that I’m quite surprised at,” he said. Littlewood said it’s difficult to tell how much of the bad content comes from bad actors, as opposed to “users who just think it’s funny to say [Joe] Biden voters vote on Wednesday.”
Found in: Common Cause
U.S. News & World Report: State Lawmakers Fight Citizen Initiatives
"The fact that Amendment 4 was overwhelmingly supported by Floridians let them know that Floridians have an interest in the way they're being governed," said Anjenys Gonzalez-Eilert, Florida executive director of Common Cause, the nonpartisan democracy watchdog.. "Citizens don't want to have their voices silenced, they want to participate. If you want to be the sole source of power, that would rub you the wrong way."
Found in: Common Cause
Miami Herald: Florida lawmakers ready to cut some corners to get faster election recounts
“Technology is a tool not a process. This recount concept is not ready for prime time,” said Liza McClenaghan, Common Cause Florida state board chair. Both Common Cause and the League of Women Voters say the technology offers promise as a way to give supervisors of elections another tool to store and track paper ballots, but they say the state’s rush to encourage counties to start using digital images of ballots for recounts is a mistake. “The proposal that the digital image generated by the software is trustworthy while the paper ‘may’ be consulted is ludicrous,’’ McClenaghan of Common Cause said.