Press Release
High Scores for New York on Common Cause’s 2024 Democracy Scorecard
“The 2024 Democracy Scorecard empowers voters with information to hold their leaders in Washington accountable for a government that works for all.”
Press
News Clip
News Clips
Election reform advocates received help from actress and activist Piper Perabo to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to include funding for early voting in his state budget proposal.
News Clip
News Clips
“New York State will have early voting in name only without a dedicated funding stream,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY. “Governor Cuomo must fund both early voting and electronic poll books if he actually wants to see this much needed reform succeed.”
News Clip
News Clips
“The Nassau County Open Checkbook will offer taxpayers a precise accounting of their money," said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York. "All New Yorkers deserve this level of transparency, and other counties should follow suit."
News Clip
News Clips
The Let NY Vote Coalition, which advocated for early voting and other election reforms, called on Cuomo to include funding in the state budget for early voting. Cuomo's budget proposal doesn't include funding for early voting or other reforms.
News Clip
News Clips
Ethics watchdog Susan Lerner of Common Cause NY says she’s glad to hear Ferrer’s on leave from Mercury, as her group urged after previous chairman Joe Lhota quit in a cloud of questions about collisions between his outside business and MTA power, but says that’s not enough. “He should recuse himself on any matter that may involve a past or future client,” she says.
News Clip
News Clips
These heady times at the Capitol have some of New York’s liberals pinching themselves. Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a reform group, said she was recovering from shock after watching Democrats in the first hours of the new legislative session pass voting reforms that had been stymied for years. “It’s whiplash,” Ms. Lerner said. “Is there more to do? Yes. But today, we’re celebrating.”
News Clip
News Clips
Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause-New York, called the reforms "a fantastic first step" and "long overdue."
"New York can and will be a shining example of democracy," she said.
"New York can and will be a shining example of democracy," she said.
News Clip
News Clips
“We are finally beginning to see New York’s elections begin — just begin — to catch up with the rest of the country,” said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a good-government group.
News Clip
News Clips
“Once an elected official has betrayed the public’s trust, he should be stripped of his power — campaign cash is no exception,” said Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner. “In Albany, money equals power, and if someone is behind bars on corruption charges, he shouldn’t be allowed to hold onto donations meant for campaigning. Simple as that."
News Clip
News Clips
“Nothing is 100 percent guaranteed in Albany,” said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a government reform group. But she added: “I think it would be very very difficult for people who were elected on the promise that they were going to heed the voice of the voter, to then turn around and just have it be old-fashioned Albany business as usual.”
News Clip
News Clips
Even while some suggest its unconstitutional, government reform groups praised a commission’s decision to raise state lawmakers salaries for the first time in 20 years while also imposing restrictions on outside income and legislative stipends.
"The Commission has done an excellent job of balancing the public interest against the very real need to raise lawmakers' pay,” said Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner.
"The Commission has done an excellent job of balancing the public interest against the very real need to raise lawmakers' pay,” said Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner.
News Clip
News Clips
Sen. Liz Krueger and Common Cause New York executive director Susan Lerner joined Jarrett Murphy of City Limits and Ben Max of Gotham Gazette on Monday for a special video edition of Max & Murphy on Manhattan Neighborhood Network to size up the political reform agenda in Albany in 2019.