News Clips

Advocacy organizations led by Prometheus Radio Project are fighting the FCC changes. They called the 3rd Circuit ruling an “unremarkable” decision that merely required the commission to explain how the changes would affect its longstanding goal of increasing ownership diversity. The FCC may not “expressly embrace ownership diversity as an important policy goal yet fail to reasonably consider how its repeal of major broadcast-ownership restrictions would affect that goal,” argued the group, which includes Common Cause and the National Organization for Women.

There’s concern about the potential for clashes and problems at the polls, but it’s illegal to intimidate or harass voters, said Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. The group is helping lead a coalition with about 1,000 nonpartisan “poll monitors” who will be outside polling locations across the commonwealth to ensure voting goes smoothly. “We are doing a lot scenario planning,” Almeida said. “The best thing we can do is prepare in advance.”

"A lot of people don't have faith in the system for obvious reasons, but there is a constitutional process that will take place," regardless of what bad actors may insinuate, Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at Common Cause, told Salon.   "The most important thing voters can do right now is make a plan and make sure that their vote counts," Albert said, explaining that voters need to check their registration now and not wait until it's too late. 

"It's illegal in every state to harass or intimidate a voter away from voting," said Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. "There are specific rules in the election code about not standing in the way of a voter and their franchise, and so poll watchers can't do that either."

“This is blatant voter suppression,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a voting rights group.

“But it’s the implementation and access to those drop boxes that become the question,” McClenaghan said. “The lines for our primary in August were cars in line to drop off their ballots on election night.” Among the challenges, she said: Figuring out where drop boxes are and which ones are available round the clock, as opposed to only when staff are present. She recommends voters check with their local Supervisor of Elections office. “It’s a new thing,” she said, “so everybody’s learning.”