David Vance

National Media Strategist

Meet David…

David Vance is the National Media Strategist for Common Cause. He works with staff at the national and state level to generate media to amplify the voice and strategically advance the democracy reform agenda of the national organization and its 35 state offices.

Prior to joining Common Cause in 2016, David spent a decade as the director of communications and research at the Campaign Legal Center, working on campaign finance, voting rights and government ethics issues. During his time there, the media profile of the organization grew exponentially and in 2014 it received a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

David has an extensive background in public relations and journalism. He has served as public affairs director for an international trade association and worked for two public relations firms in Washington, DC where he handled public affairs, public relations and crisis issues both nationally and internationally for a broad range of corporate, association and non-profit clients.

Before entering the public relations field, David worked for several news bureaus in Washington, DC, WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont as well as The Washington Post.

David is a native of Washington, DC and holds an M.S.J. from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University.

The Latest From David Vance

Common Cause Files Supreme Court Brief in Census Citizenship Case & Launches Census Day of Action

Press Release

Common Cause Files Supreme Court Brief in Census Citizenship Case & Launches Census Day of Action

Today, Common Cause, along with former elected and appointed Republican officials, filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in Commerce v. New York challenging the addition of the citizenship question to the 2020 census. The government watchdog also launched the next phase in its “Count Me In 2020 Campaign” for a fair and accurate census. Common Cause called on its 1.12 million members to celebrate April 1, 2019 as a Census Day of Action by fighting for adequate census funding from our federal and state governments and...

Senate Introduces Democracy Reform Package in “For the People Act”

Press Release

Senate Introduces Democracy Reform Package in “For the People Act”

The “For the People Act” offers common sense solutions to problems Americans are demanding that their elected officials solve. These pro-democracy reforms are tested and proven to be effective on the state and local level where citizens, tired of waiting for Washington to act, worked to enact these reforms. Citizen action has moved elected officials in many states and municipalities and citizens have also taken matters into their own hands and passed ballot initiatives. As we outlined in our Democracy on the Ballot report, more than 90% of...

Common Cause asks Supreme Court to End Partisan Gerrymandering

Press Release

Common Cause asks Supreme Court to End Partisan Gerrymandering

Rucho v. Common Cause is the most extreme, overt, and brutal partisan gerrymander this Court or any court has ever seen, says Emmet Bondurant, lead counsel in the case.

Mueller Report on Russian Election Attacks Must be Released to the American People

Press Release

Mueller Report on Russian Election Attacks Must be Released to the American People

Americans deserve to know the full truth about the Russian attacks on the 2016 presidential election. The full report and underlying documentation from Special Counsel Robert Mueller must be released to the American people. Our tax dollars paid for the investigation and we are the victims of Russia’s sweeping efforts to aid the election of Donald Trump to the White House.

Federal Court Strikes Down Ban on Unauthorized Committees Using Candidate Names in Website Addresses

Press Release

Federal Court Strikes Down Ban on Unauthorized Committees Using Candidate Names in Website Addresses

Today’s District Court ruling is disappointing as it will embolden to scam PACs to trade on the names of candidates to raise money for their own ends from unknowing citizens. The core requirements of the ban though are in the statute itself and are still enforceable. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) can and should still be enforcing the ban—and opening a rulemaking to establish new disclaimer requirements for non-candidate websites that use a candidate’s name in the URL. The court itself cited such new disclaimer requirements as an...

Common Cause Files Petition to Deny Proposed Nexstar, Tribune Merger

Press Release

Common Cause Files Petition to Deny Proposed Nexstar, Tribune Merger

Yesterday, Common Cause joined by Public Knowledge, United Church of Christ OC, Inc., and Sports Fans Coalition filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to deny the proposed merger of Nexstar Media Group and Tribune Media Company. If approved, Nexstar would control 216 stations across 118 markets reaching 72 percent of U.S. households, far exceeding the Congressionally established ownership cap of 39 percent.

DOJ & FEC Complaints Filed for Apparent “Straw Donor” Contributions to Trump Campaign

Press Release

DOJ & FEC Complaints Filed for Apparent “Straw Donor” Contributions to Trump Campaign

Today, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging reason to believe that a Florida businesswoman violated campaign finance laws by enlisting and reimbursing “straw donors” tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions related to the reelection efforts of Donald Trump.

Senate Joins House in Rebuking Trump for Abuse of Emergency Powers

Press Release

Senate Joins House in Rebuking Trump for Abuse of Emergency Powers

With today’s Senate vote, Congress has issued a firm rebuke to President Trump’s abuse of the Emergency Powers Act. The votes of both the House and the Senate reaffirm Congress’ role as a coequal branch of government. Americans expect and deserve a Congress that will not tolerate abuse of power by the president.

Manafort’s Light Sentence A Sign of Unequal Justice

Press Release

Manafort’s Light Sentence A Sign of Unequal Justice

Paul Manafort purposefully committed bank and tax crimes, was facing 19-25 years in prison, but was only sentenced to 47 months. Meanwhile, a black woman in Texas named Crystal Mason accidentally violated the law while voting in the 2016 presidential election and was sentenced to 5 years. Manafort’s lenient sentence shows something severely wrong with the justice system in our nation. Apparently, too often we have one for the wealthy, white, and politically connected, and another for ordinary people, especially people of color.

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