Press Release
Common Cause Scorecard Charts Lawmaker Support for Pro-Democracy Bills in 117th Congress in Wake of January 6th
As the January 6th Select Committee is reportedly set to hold more hearings this month, and less than two years since January 6th, Common Cause is releasing its 2022 Democracy Scorecard, which tracks the positions of every Member of Congress on issues vital to the health of our democracy during the 117th Congress. Throughout this Congress, members of the House and Senate were notified that various votes on key democracy issues – including many related to January 6th and its aftermath – would be counted in the Scorecard, which will be distributed to our 1.5 million members, as well as to state and national media.
“Americans expect and deserve legislation to strengthen and protect our democracy so that our nation can live up to its ideals – especially in the wake of January 6th. At Common Cause we keep close track of what members of Congress have done on these issues. Our Democracy Scorecard lets constituents know where their representatives stand,” said Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn. “At the very start of the 117th Congress, Members were besieged in the U.S. Capitol by a violent, armed, insurrectionist mob intent on overturning the 2020 presidential election. Members of Congress were then faced with a series of choices in the months following to take steps that would strengthen democracy. Too many Members chose fealty to former-President Trump over the oath of office they swore to protect the nation.”
“As we face unprecedented attacks on our democracy, protecting and strengthening our freedom to vote are paramount,” said Aaron Scherb, Common Cause’s senior director of legislative affairs. “After we witnessed the former president try to overturn our votes in a free election, it’s imperative for Congress to establish fair national voting standards, despite continued filibusters by Senate Republicans. Congress would be wise to take heed of the voting rights bills, and the wave of other popular pro-democracy reforms, that are being passed at the state and local level while Republicans in Congress blockade them at the federal level. This Scorecard is a resource for all constituents to evaluate which members of Congress are working to strengthen our freedom to vote and which ones are trying to make it harder for Americans to vote.
Some highlights and trends from the 2022 Democracy Scorecard include:
- Most of the included bills would’ve become law if the legislative filibuster didn’t exist, as many of them have majority support in Congress
- 101 members of Congress had a perfect score on this year’s Scorecard, a more than 70% increase over the number of members who had perfect scores (58) in 2020
- California has the highest number of members of Congress (19) with perfect scores
- Vermont is the only state with every member of its delegation (3) earning a perfect score
- 7 states have both U.S. Senators earning a perfect score: Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont
A subset of votes and bills in this year’s Scorecard include:
Votes
- Impeachment and conviction of former President Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection
- For the People Act
- DC Statehood
- Independent commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection and a resolution creating the January 6th Select Committee
- John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Steve Bannon criminal contempt resolution
- Protecting Our Democracy Act
- Mark Meadows criminal contempt resolution
- Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
Bills to cosponsor
- DISCLOSE Act
- Supreme Court Ethics Act
- Frank Harrison, Elizabeth Peratrovich, and Miguel Trujillo Native American Voting Rights Act
- Democracy for All Amendment
The Scorecard does not ‘rate’ candidates. Instead, it spotlights the votes and co-sponsors of legislation that would protect our elections, elevate the voices of all Americans in politics and government, make voting more accessible, end racial and partisan gerrymandering so that every American has a fair chance to elect representatives of their choice, and promote high ethical standards for elected and appointed officials.
Common Cause previously issued Democracy Scorecards in 2016, 2018, and 2020 based on the votes and cosponsorship of between 15-18 key democracy reform bills.
To view the full 2022 Democracy Scorecard, click here.
