Press Release
Common Cause Pennsylvania: Election Night is Not Results Night
As voters head to the polls, Common Cause Pennsylvania is reminding voters that it may take days for election officials to finalize results.
Press
Media Contacts
Katie Scally
Director of communications
kscally@commoncause.org
(408) 205-1257
News Clip
Census in PA.: What the latest figures mean for legislative and congressional seats
Common Cause Pennsylvania executive director Khalif Ali said in a statement that it is time to “flip the script” and heed the voices Black, Latinx, Asian and other minority communities.
“When redistricting is fair, transparent, and includes everyone, our maps are more likely to be representative and secure, free, fair and responsive elections for the next decade,” Ali said.
“When redistricting is fair, transparent, and includes everyone, our maps are more likely to be representative and secure, free, fair and responsive elections for the next decade,” Ali said.
Press Release
U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2020 Census Demographic Data to Kick Off Pennsylvania Redistricting 2021
When redistricting is fair, transparent, and includes everyone, our maps are more likely to be representative and secure free, fair, and responsive elections for the next decade.
News Clip
Pennsylvania’s lawmaker reimbursement rules are ‘ripe for abuse’
Those expense rules, highlighted in a series of stories by The Caucus and Spotlight PA over the past two years, have created “a culture of zero accountability,” Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said during a recent Spotlight PA live event.
News Clip
Theft charges brought down a state lawmaker. But Pa.’s taxpayer-funded system for perks was already ripe for abuse.
Those expense rules, highlighted in a series of stories by The Caucus and Spotlight PA over the last two years, have created “a culture of zero accountability,” Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said during a recent Spotlight PA live event.
News Clip
Redistricting reformers want changes to how political maps are drawn
After years of attempting to get lawmakers to change how state legislative and congressional districts are drawn, redistricting reform advocates had to drop attempts to have political maps drawn by an independent commission.
Press Release
Common Cause Pennsylvania Urges Fair, Transparent Redistricting Process Centered on ‘We the People’
Recommendations include ‘A final legislative district map shall not, when considered on a Statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party, candidate, or incumbent.’
News Clip
Hearings begin this week on Pennsylvania legislative, congressional redistricting
The first of the hearings in Harrisburg will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, and feature presentations from advocacy leaders and experts including Common Cause of Pennsylvania Executive Director Khalif Ali, Fair District PA Chair Carol Kuniholm and Temple University’s Lee Hachadoorian.
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.'