Common Cause MD's new executive director shares her plans for this year, and beyond

“This is money that was contributed to a campaign for a purpose of getting them elected or re-elected to a specific office,” said Jay Heck, the executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin. “And once a member of Congress has decided they’re no longer going to run for that office, it seems to me that any leftover money ought to be liquidated, that the money should either be donated to a charity, maybe given back to the U.S. taxpayers in the form of a contribution to the debt.”

Ang pagpupulong sa Huwebes ay bukas sa publiko, ngunit ang Executive Director ng Common Cause New York Susan Lerner ay nagsabi na ang proseso ng muling pagdidistrito ng estado ay higit na isinasagawa sa likod ng mga saradong pinto.

"Ang komisyon, na hindi nagsagawa ng pagpupulong, pagkatapos na kasuhan sa pagguhit ng isang bagong mapa ng kongreso, ay nag-anunsyo na ito ay magpupulong sa Huwebes ng hapon, at sila ay bumoto sa isang mapa," sabi ni Lerner. "Walang nakakita nito. , walang nagkomento tungkol dito, walang nakapagbigay ng feedback.”

Sinabi ni Ishan Mehta, direktor ng programa ng media at demokrasya para sa Common Cause, na ang mga tawag sa New Hampshire noong nakaraang buwan ay kumakatawan lamang sa "top of the iceberg" at nagbabala na "napakahalaga na gamitin ngayon ng FCC ang awtoridad na ito upang pagmultahin ang mga lumalabag at harangan ang mga kumpanya ng telepono na nagdadala ng mga tawag."

Nanawagan si Mehta sa Kongreso na ipasa ang Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, na magbabawal sa pamamahagi ng mapanlinlang na audio, mga larawan, o video na binuo ng AI na nauugnay sa mga pederal na kandidato sa mga pampulitikang ad.

On Dec. 19, the North Carolina NAACP along with Common Cause, a nonpartisan nonprofit advocating for fair and transparent elections, and a group of eight residents filed a lawsuit against Republican mapmakers, including Philip Berger, Tim Moore and the State Board of Elections, for passing allegedly racially adjusted and rushed gerrymandered maps.

Bob Phillips, the executive director at Common Cause North Carolina, said in an interview that minority communities, like the Black community, will not get to choose...

Sa mahigit 3% na partisipasyon lamang, ang mga halalan sa school board ng Newark ay maaaring gumamit ng isang pagbubuhos ng sariwang, batang enerhiya. Bigyan ang mga mag-aaral na ito ng pagkakataong marinig, at maaari kang mabigla sa kung gaano kalaki ang kanilang magagawa.

Hinihikayat namin ang Konseho ng Lungsod ng Newark na pabor na ipasa ang kanilang ordinansa na babaan ang edad ng pagboto para sa mga halalan sa board ng paaralan, at hindi na kami makapaghintay na makita kung ano ang magagawa ng mga estudyanteng ito kapag nabigyan sila ng pagkakataon.

Common Cause Michigan welcomed the judges' decision, but urged that the commissioners be allowed to redraw the maps.

"We're glad to see all voices protected in our democratic process, especially Black Michiganders who have often been intentionally left out," Common Cause Michigan Executive Director Quentin Turner said in a Friday statement. "Despite the redraw, we believe independent commissions, and not legislators, are the best way to achieve fair maps. The voters should always be able to choose their elected leaders — not...

Common Cause Florida is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has been working for nearly 50 years to uphold the core values of American democracy, including an open, accountable government that is of, by, and for the people. They focus on issues around voting, and ensuring that every vote counts, that every eligible voter gets their chance to have a say, and that our elections represent the will of the people.

Our guest today, Amy Keith, started working for Common Cause Florida about a year and a half ago as Florida...

But John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said Da Cruz’s conduct as a member of the South Kingstown Town Council “makes him unfit to serve on such an important body as the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.”

Ethics Commission appointments are arguably the most important that a governor makes, aside from choosing state judges, Marion said. Rhode Island’s constitution gives the Ethics Commission “extraordinary powers,” including removing elected officials from office, and Common Cause fought for...