News Clips

If we want a democracy that works for everyone, we should be making it harder for money to influence politics, and easier for eligible Floridians to exercise their freedom to vote.  But that’s the opposite of what’s happening in Florida, with state lawmakers erecting a slew of unnecessary and confusing barriers for Floridians looking to participate in our democracy.

“We would have no problem with the state setting up something that followed federal law and somehow getting a bunch of other states to go along with it,” said Julia Vaughn, the executive director of Common Cause Indiana, which brought the lawsuit against the state. “But good luck doing that with one individual state with no real expertise in this, and no reputation as some entity that other states should trust their voter registration lists with.”

The law was backed by the good governance organization California Common Cause, which described it as “a common sense and long overdue pro-democracy reform” that already exists in other states and in certain California cities. Striking down the law would go against the “will of the people,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause. “This law protects Californians from the pay-to-play corruption and the appearance of corruption that plagues our cities and counties, and helps to restore faith in our leaders and our government,” he said.

If we want Oregon elections to fully reflect the will of the people, then every eligible Oregonian who wants to participate should have easy access to register and vote. Registering to vote shouldn’t be a chore – for you, me, or anyone else.

In 2024, voters will again be faced with a slew of statewide ballot proposals on important topics. If we don’t pass the plain language bill before then, we run the risk that voters will be confused and discouraged and opt out of the process. Voters of all languages and literacy levels deserve equal access at the ballot box.