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Common Cause Recruiting Thousands for Election Protection Work to Prevent Voter Suppression & Possible Intimidation Tactics

A federal Judge today extend Florida’s voter registration by one week after the state suffered severe damage from Hurricane Matthew. The Florida Democratic Party filed suit over the weekend after Florida Governor Rick Scott refused to extend the deadline in the wake of the storm. The ruling today by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Walker extends the deadline for voters to register to October 18.

Common Cause Florida is urging Governor Rick Scott to reconsider his refusal to extend the voter registration application process beyond next Tuesday’s deadline in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Traditionally large numbers of Floridians register to vote in the final days before the deadline but for hundreds of thousands who evacuated their homes at the Governor’s urging, this was not an option. While the Governor could not redirect the hurricane, he can extend the date for voter registration as Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina has done.

Today, the Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause provided new evidence to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) showing that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is falsely claiming tax-exempt status as a charity and that the ExxonMobil Corporation has intentionally misused the organization for nearly two decades to advance its legislative agenda.

While it is disappointing that the U.S. Supreme Court chose to ignore such clear conflicts for the Wisconsin justices, the issues behind the case are far from dead. Recent revelations about the 2011-2012 recall elections have raised troubling new questions about Governor Walker and those who engaged in possible illegal activity. The new information which has come to light merits a full investigation by the Dane County District Attorney.

Today, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to give citizens a greater voice in California’s democracy. With the U.S. Congress gridlocked, California is leading a wave of pro-democratic reforms passed at the state and local level across the country. Senate Bill 1107, by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, gives local governments and the state the choice to enact citizen-funded election programs. California Common Cause sponsored the bill with the California Clean Money Campaign.