News Clips

“I think we’re going to see a pitched battle at the state level,” said Stephen Spaulding, senior counsel for policy at Common Cause, a public-interest advocacy group. “This sends a signal and emboldens those who would like to make it harder to vote.”

Paul Seamus Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation for Common Cause, noted that the Supreme Court has repeatedly pointed to the government's interest in disclosure of political donors in past cases. And Ryan noted that Roberts did not embrace the much higher standard governments would have had to meet to impose disclosure requirements that some of the groups had sought.

It’s fitting to talk about this piece of legislation as we near the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence because the For the People Act is, at its core, about freedom. It’s about our freedom to vote and choose the future we want to see for our families and communities; freedom from wealthy special interests corrupting our politics and setting the agenda; freedom from partisan politicians rigging the rules and gerrymandering maps to benefit themselves; freedom to hold those we put in elected office accountable with ironclad ethics laws. To protect these freedoms, the Senate should follow the House’s lead in passing the For the People Act, as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

“Updating the Electoral Count Act would be a great addition to that bill,” said Aaron Scherb, the director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, a good-government group instrumental in pushing the For the People Act. “Because presidential elections only occur every four years, there's kind of a natural ebb and flow of what people pay attention to or what problems rise up.” 

Without ranked choice, the city would likely be awaiting a runoff election that could cost millions, said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/New York. Exit polling from Lerner's group also found that voters took advantage of the new system. More than 80% of voters ranked at least two candidates in the mayoral primary, and more than 40% ranked five candidates. Lerner also stressed the delay in results is not because of ranked voting but rather state laws protecting voters' rights around when absentee ballots can be counted and "curing" ballot defects. "Democracy takes time, and it's important that every vote counts. Accurate results are worth waiting for," she said.

“Trump masterminded this whole thing, and so far he’s walked. Everyone who carried out his dirty work here, Cohen and AMI, paid penalties and did prison time. It’s good news that the Federal Election Commission is holding the tabloid company AMI accountable for its illegal actions in the 2016 election,” Paul S. Ryan, Common Cause vice president for policy and litigation said in a statement following the FEC’s decision. “But it’s head-scratching that the mastermind of this criminal enterprise, Donald Trump, has still not been held accountable,” he added.