Press Release
House State Gov. Committee Passes Amended AI Disclosure Bill
"Pennsylvanians deserve transparency around AI-generated political communications."
Press
Media Contacts
Katie Scally
Director of communications
kscally@commoncause.org
(408) 205-1257
News Clip
Redistricting advocates tell Pa. House leaders that transparency an absolute necessity in mapping process
Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, recommended that lawmakers start from a blank map, disregarding any existing boundaries and building their own based on public testimony. It might take longer to create, he said, “but we believe that the time spent will result in a map that will be far more representative to the people of the Commonwealth.” Could this practice disadvantage current incumbents? Sure, but protecting incumbents shouldn’t be the goal of redistricting, Mr. Ali said.
Press Release
Recommendations for Drawing Congressional Districts: ‘Start From a Blank Map’
"We believe that redistricting should be fair, accessible, and politically neutral. Most importantly, we believe that to be successful, a redistricting process must intentionally seek to ensure that every Pennsylvanian, regardless of zip code, race, ethnicity, first language, or profession has an equal opportunity to elect a representative that shares their values and lived experience," Common Cause Pennsylvania Executive Director Khalif Ali will tell the Committee.
News Clip
WATCH: A live reader Q&A on how lawmakers spend millions of taxpayer dollars on perks
On Wednesday, July 28 at 5 p.m., Spotlight PA’s Angela Couloumbis; Sam Janesch, Brad Bumsted, and Mike Wereschagin of The Caucus; and Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, participated in a free Q&A on state lawmaker expenses.
News Clip
Pa. GOP lawmakers promise ‘new level of transparency’ in Congressional redistricting plan
“We look forward to working with members of both parties — and, most importantly, Black, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and other communities of color who have historically been left out of the redistricting process — to ensure that everyone in Pennsylvania has an equal opportunity to be represented by someone who shares their values and lived experience,” Executive Director Khalif Ali said. “As part of that work, we will be supporting communities in presenting testimony and drawing maps that allow them to tell their...
Press Release
House Republicans Announce Congressional Redistricting Transparency Measures
'We commend the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and particularly Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, Rep. Wendy Thomas, and Chairman Seth Grove on their commitment today to a transparent, accessible, and participatory congressional redistricting process.'
Press Release
Gov. Wolf’s Vetoes Save Voters’ Access, Save Taxpayers $100+ million
'We – and the taxpayers of Pennsylvania – thank Gov. Wolf for his vetoes today. Today’s vetoes help quantify the financial cost of the anti-voter legislation being passed around the country. In actual dollars-and-cents, making it harder to vote would have cost $99 million in upfront costs and another $19 million in annual recurring costs.'
Press Release
Keystone Votes Coalition Urges Veto of H.B. 1300
Members of the nonpartisan Keystone Votes coalition today urged the governor to veto House Bill 1300, a sweeping but controversial set of GOP-backed legislative election reforms.
Press Release
Pennsylvania Senate Passes Anti-Voter Bill
The state Senate has just passed HB 1300, a package of voting law changes that includes provisions to make voting more difficult, particularly for Black, Brown and low income voters. We thank Governor Wolf for his promise to quickly veto it
Press Release
Pennsylvania Senate Votes to Create ‘Barrier to Casting a Ballot’
Legislators who seek to ‘legislate by constitutional amendment’ devalue our state’s Constitution. If our elected officials want to create barriers to voting, they can attempt to use the ordinary legislative process. In fact, that’s already underway.
Press Release
Anti-Voter Package Moving Quickly Through Pennsylvania Legislature
The bill will cost almost $92 million, which “could be spent improving the lives of Pennsylvanians – rather than funding legislation that will make it harder for us to vote.”
News Clip
Senate Republicans send sweeping elections reform bill to Wolf, who has promised a veto
In a separate statement, Common Cause PA executive director Khalif Ali said a fiscal statement revealed a one-time implementation cost for the bill’s requirements at $99 million with annual costs approaching $19 million.
“That’s an awful lot of taxpayer money for the Legislature to spend, to implement a bill that will make it harder for us to cast ballots and have our voices heard,” Ali said.
“That’s an awful lot of taxpayer money for the Legislature to spend, to implement a bill that will make it harder for us to cast ballots and have our voices heard,” Ali said.
Press Release
Pennsylvania House and Senate Committees Consider Proposals to Make Voting More Difficult
Common Cause Pennsylvania adamantly opposes both proposals. HB 1300 in its current form will place multiple restrictions on the voting process that millions of Pennsylvanians have come to depend on. SB 735 is expected to lower turnout among Black, young and new voters.