Voting & Elections

Our democracy was attacked by the President of the United States on Wednesday, January 6th, and we must ensure that it never happens again. The Senate must immediately come back into session and quickly convene a trial and convict President Trump for inciting an insurrection in an effort to overturn the results of a free and fair election in which the American people elected Joe Biden by a wide margin as our next President. President Trump’s continuous lies over the last year about a ‘stolen election’, his baseless failed lawsuits, and his calls urging state elections officials to throw out the votes of predominantly Black and Brown communities laid the groundwork to incite the mob that stormed the Capitol last week. Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the American people and to our democracy, and that threat will remain until he is removed from office and banned from ever running again. The House is to be commended for again impeaching the President, although it was shocking that only 10 House Republicans stood up for the Constitution and the rule of law. Now the Senate must act, and it must act swiftly, to end Donald Trump’s presidency.   

“Part of democracy is being willing to accept the results of a legitimate election, even when it doesn’t favor you. We’ve just lost sight of that,” said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan advocacy group that supports voting rights. “Now what we’re hearing is this rhetoric that is leading people to believe democracy doesn’t work if it doesn’t get me my outcome. ....That rhetoric is absolutely decimating confidence in our democracy.”

Today, Common Cause urged every Member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection by a mob that stormed the United States Capitol, leaving five dead, in an attempt to stop certification of the legitimate election of Joe Biden as the next President. The letter urges Members to pass a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office within 24 hours, and, if they do not, to immediately vote to impeach the President for inciting the deadly insurrection. 

Experts like Jesse Littlewood, vice president of campaigns at the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause, say the lack of moderation on apps like Parler is normalizing hate speech and other forms of "toxic" online content. "These platforms are where individuals can see their worldview reflected and encouraged, even if in complete opposition to the facts," said Littlewood. "This avoidable tragedy [on Wednesday] was fomented for weeks based on the president and his Republican allies amplifying disinformation about the results of the election."

President Trump must be impeached and removed from office as quickly as possible. After inciting his supporters to violently storm the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the election of Joe Biden as our next President, Donald Trump cannot remain in our nation’s highest office. President Trump has blood on his hands.

“It seems like there’s a coordinated effort to limit access to the ballot, and it’s not something we need after so many gains” in voting options last year, said Aunna Dennis, executive director for Common Cause Georgia, a government accountability organization. “We’re definitely going to be on the defensive.”