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Government Watchdog Supports New Bill to Ban Members of Congress from Trading Stock
Majority of Americans support a stock trading ban
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Media Contacts
Katie Scally
Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
202-736-5713
Ariana Marmolejo
Communications Strategist
amarmolejo@commoncause.org
Kenny Colston
Regional Communications Strategist (Midwest)
kcolston@commoncause.org
Maya Majikas
Communications Strategist
mmajikas@commoncause.org
Common Cause’s network of national and state democracy reform experts are frequent media commentators. To talk with one of our experts, please reach out to any member of the press team above.
News Clip
Houston Chronicle/Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mail
“Greg Abbott either didn’t read this bill closely enough to understand what it really does or is deliberately working to make it harder for Texans with disabilities to vote,” Katya Ehresman, the voting rights manager for Common Cause Texas, said in a statement.
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Axios: It’s a Wild West for AI-generated political ads
"This is an issue that's going to continue to snowball," said Stephen Spaulding, VP of policy and external affairs at Common Cause. "There are tools the FEC could employ, but no question, there also has to be a comprehensive legislative response."
Emma Steiner, disinformation analyst at Common Cause, told Axios that the group's biggest concern about generative AI is that platforms "are not willing to act on evolving disinformation narratives. So while [companies] can attempt to drop new policies ... I'm not sure they will make...
Emma Steiner, disinformation analyst at Common Cause, told Axios that the group's biggest concern about generative AI is that platforms "are not willing to act on evolving disinformation narratives. So while [companies] can attempt to drop new policies ... I'm not sure they will make...
News Clip
Raw Story: ‘Aren’t we a little more grown up than that?’: Ex-lawmaker rips Congress for ‘dog ate my homework’ excuses
To date, those consequences are “essentially a slap on the wrist,” Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at nonprofit government watchdog Common Cause, told Raw Story earlier this month.
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Charlotte Observer (Op-Ed): GOP elections bill: This isn’t how we should run elections in NC
To distract voters from extremists pulling the strings on the North Carolina Senate's latest round of voting restrictions, proponents of Senate Bill 747 will tell you there is "there is nothing in this bill that is out of line with how elections are conducted in other states."
Regardless, SB 747 is far from how we should run elections in this state.
This sprawling, 16-page omnibus bill contains dozens of dramatic election law changes, showing just how determined Republicans are to obstruct all aspects of North...
Regardless, SB 747 is far from how we should run elections in this state.
This sprawling, 16-page omnibus bill contains dozens of dramatic election law changes, showing just how determined Republicans are to obstruct all aspects of North...
News Clip
ProPublica: Wisconsin Republicans Sowed Distrust Over Elections. Now They May Push Out the State’s Top Election Official.
“What’s happened over the last six years, in particular since the Trump years, is there’s been a systematic attempt to undermine the work of the Wisconsin Elections Commission,” said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin. “Because it’s apparently not as responsive in a partisan way to the Republicans as they would like.”
News Clip
Indiana Public Media: Lawsuit challenges local government for failure to redistrict before deadline
Julia Vaughn is the executive director of Common Cause Indiana — a lobbying organization focused on voting rights and election issues. She said the current map does not properly or equitably represent residents within its districts.
“People in the overpopulated district have less voting strength in city elections than the people in the underpopulated districts,” Vaughn said. “So what our lawsuit seeks to do is simply ensure that all voters in Anderson have the same say in their local elections.”
Vaughn...
“People in the overpopulated district have less voting strength in city elections than the people in the underpopulated districts,” Vaughn said. “So what our lawsuit seeks to do is simply ensure that all voters in Anderson have the same say in their local elections.”
Vaughn...
News Clip
Houston Chronicle: Dan Patrick’s $125,000 loan to Ken Paxton adds to conflicts in Senate impeachment trial
"The fact that the trial is taking place in the state Senate means there is going to be politics involved," said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a nonpartisan organization focused on government accountability. "Texans still should expect fairness and impartiality and you’re not going to get that if you have senators with conflicts serving as jurors."
The financial connection to Patrick could be an especially significant red flag, given Patrick’s position in the process, said Gutierrez.
The financial connection to Patrick could be an especially significant red flag, given Patrick’s position in the process, said Gutierrez.
News Clip
Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Chamber won’t discuss its allies in effort to lock down state Constitution
The refusal of the state’s most prominent business organization to discuss the ramifications of a constitutional change it’s supporting adds another undemocratic layer to an initiative that already has many, said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, which opposes State Issue 1. She said the Chamber and its members will sink lots of corporate money into the fight to cut voters’ power, but it doesn’t want to be open with them.
“One of the challenges with corporate donations and business...
“One of the challenges with corporate donations and business...
News Clip
CNN: Voting rights advocates in the South emboldened by Supreme Court win
“I don’t think it’s going to stop Republicans from drawing racist maps,” Aunna Dennis, executive director of the voting rights group Common Cause, told CNN. “But I think that this empowers those of us pushing back and fighting that.”
News Clip
Washington Times: California governor calls for U.S. constitutional amendment on gun control
Viki Harrison, director of constitutional convention programs at Common Cause, said her organization supports efforts to curb gun violence, but she said calling a convention “could put all of our civil rights up for grabs.”
“A constitutional convention is not the way to go and could actually make reducing gun violence worse at the end of the day because gun interests could re-write the constitution,” she told The Washington Times. “With no rules in place, and many convention proponents advocating for the same number of...
“A constitutional convention is not the way to go and could actually make reducing gun violence worse at the end of the day because gun interests could re-write the constitution,” she told The Washington Times. “With no rules in place, and many convention proponents advocating for the same number of...
News Clip
Charlotte Observer (Editorial): Supreme Court’s Alabama voting map ruling offers hope to North Carolina
Common Cause North Carolina, a group that has mounted legal challenges to the legislature’s attempt to expand gerrymandering and limit Black voting power, applauded the court’s rebuke of Alabama. “Today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is a victory for American democracy and voters everywhere. This decision should serve as a clear warning to North Carolina politicians that racist gerrymandering and attacks on voting rights will not stand,” said Bob Phillips, the group’s executive director.
News Clip
Tallahassee Democrat/Gannett: Alabama redistricting ruling ‘opens the window to hope’ for Florida challengers
“We’re very hopeful that what came out in Alabama will bode well for Florida,” said Kathay Feng, vice president of programs for Common Cause, which is among the plaintiffs suing Florida in federal court over the congressional map.
Feng said justices clearly signaled that the “Voting Rights Act is not dead.”
“Protections against racial gerrymandering are not dead and if the historical record and the facts show themselves to be worthy, the Supreme Court will find there is racial gerrymandering and will...
Feng said justices clearly signaled that the “Voting Rights Act is not dead.”
“Protections against racial gerrymandering are not dead and if the historical record and the facts show themselves to be worthy, the Supreme Court will find there is racial gerrymandering and will...
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