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The Daily Gazette (Op-Ed): State must protect voters from AI fraud
We know that we can address the threat of AI-generated disinformation with common sense reforms. But, at the same time, we cannot rest on our laurels and expect the government to work everything out. We need to come together as informed and concerned citizens of this state to show our legislators that we want them to act now to ensure that this technology doesn’t negatively impact our democracy and elections.
Found in: Common Cause
New York Times: Inside the Late-Night Parties Where Hawaii Politicians Raked In Money
“Pay-to-play is woven into the DNA of the statehood of Hawaii,” said Camron Hurt, director of Common Cause Hawaii, a watchdog group. He pointed to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that led to an “oligarchy” of businessmen, sugar barons and large landowners lasting decades. The industries involved had close ties to the ruling political parties well into the 1960s and 1970s, when Hawaii’s campaign finance regulations were written.
Found in: Common Cause
Ohio Capital Journal: DeWine says Randazzo’s ties to First Energy were well known, but the evidence of this is lacking
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said that it’s past time for DeWine, Husted and their staffs to be much more forthcoming about their involvement in the bailout and about what DeWine and Husted did to investigate whether any member of the administration acted improperly. “It makes sense to be as clear as possible about what actually happened,” she said. “And I don’t just want to hear from the governor. I want to hear from the lieutenant governor.”
Found in: Common Cause
Michigan Public Radio: Special elections Tuesday will determine balance of power in Michigan House
Quentin Turner is executive director of the group Common Cause Michigan. He said having a full House can help get through policies, like a state Voting Rights Act. “I know this is something that’s been in the works for almost a year now. Perhaps even longer. And I know that, those working on it, they have a real strong motivation to try to get this done before recess. So, I expect that there’s going to be a lot of movement on that as well,” Turner said. He said he hopes to see other bills like government accountability and voting access legislation move forward as well.
Found in: Common Cause
WHP-TV (Harrisburg, PA): A nationwide group is looking for PA to join a cause to change the constitution
Common Cause is a group that opposes any constitutional convention. Spokesperson for the group, Viki Harrison said the rights Ward is concerned about could be on the chopping block. “Once the convention is convened there is the very real fear of a runaway convention, where delegates could bring up anything they wanted to,” Harrison said. “Anything that you could be taken away from you, whether it’s the right to vote, whether it’s the right to clean air, education for your children the right to worship the way you want to.” Harrison said there are both democrats and republicans that oppose the idea of a convention.
Found in: Common Cause
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A Democratic committee seeks to win control of the Pa. legislature for redistricting
"For the future of our commonwealth, we must take action to ensure that our districts are drawn transparently, fairly and in a way that is representative of the people of Pennsylvania," said Philip Hensley-Robin, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.
Found in: Common Cause
Raw Story: 'Favor Mr. Trump': Latest filing gives SCOTUS stern warning on presidential immunity case
Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group, issued the warning Thursday in an amicus brief filed to the upcoming Supreme Court hearing that has brought special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case to a standstill. “This Court is at serious risk of being perceived as attempting to influence the 2024 election in favor of Mr. Trump,” the group writes. “It should do everything possible now to avoid that impression, which would be highly detrimental to this Court’s reputation for neutrality and fairness. Time is of the essence.” Common Cause's 37-page brief condemns the nation’s highest court scheduling decisions they argue came to Trump’s legal rescue “against the public interest." Specifically, the group points to the Supreme Court’s speedy ruling on his 14th Amendment insurrectionist ban challenge — a ruling that allowed Trump to remain on Colorado’s ballot — and the scheduling of his presidential immunity hearing until April 25, the last day possible.
Found in: Common Cause
Boston Globe: Public records undergird R.I.’s biggest news stories
“There’s extreme public interest on what happened on that trip,” Common Cause Rhode Island Executive Director John M. Marion said, noting that one of the former state officials, David Patten, was recently fined $5,000 by the state Ethics Commission for accepting a free lunch at an upscale Sicilian restaurant during that trip. ”So great example of sort of how public records get us information that holds government officials accountable.”
Found in: Common Cause
Oregon Capital Insider: Oregon lawmakers pass first campaign finance limits in 50 years
Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon, said she never bought into the assumption that legislators could do nothing about regulating campaign finances. “The question is not whether we can do anything to restrict the influence of big money. It is: Will we? I think what we have finally seen this legislative session is that we will,” Titus said. “What we passed here is not everything we need. There is still work to be done. But it is a big leap forward for Oregon.”
Found in: Common Cause
Austin American Statesman/Texas Tribune: Most Texans age 18 not registered to vote despite state law requiring high schools to help
Katya Ehresman, voting rights program manager at Common Cause Texas, noted that some states reward schools that register students. For example, Tennessee acknowledges schools that reach a certain voter registration threshold, and Pennsylvania has a governor’s civic engagement award to celebrate schools that register 85% of eligible students to vote. Common Cause also recommends that the secretary of state’s office mail each school voter registration applications, instead of requiring schools to request them twice a year. Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, introduced legislation in 2021 that would require the secretary of state to mail the applications directly to all high schools, but the bill never got a hearing before the House Elections Committee.