Press Release

Today, the Federal Communications Commission approved the proposed merger of Nexstar Media Group and Tribune Media Company. The approval gives Nexstar control of 144 stations in 115 markets, creating the largest broadcast conglomerate in the nation. Common Cause filed a petition to deny formally opposing the merger.

Today, as the House Judiciary Committee prepares to vote on an impeachment inquiry, Common Cause continued its call for Members to support the investigation in response to White House non-cooperation and stonewalling of any attempts to investigate past and current potential criminal conduct or wrongdoing by President Trump or members of his administration. Common Cause mobilized its 1.2 million members over the congressional recess to gain additional Member support for the impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House of Representatives.   

Today, in advance of National Voter Registration Day on September 24th, Common Cause called on state lottery commissioners throughout the country to add voter registration information to the back of lottery tickets. In a letter to commissioners in the 45 states with lotteries, the nonpartisan government watchdog emphasized how this common-sense step could reach thousands of potential voters.

A panel of three judges in the Wake County Superior Court ruled unanimously today in Common Cause v. Lewis that the NC General Assembly violated the North Carolina Constitution when it gerrymandered the state’s legislative districts for partisan gain. The court gave the legislature two weeks to draw new NC House and NC Senate districts, applying strict nonpartisan criteria and in full public view.

Today, Common Cause, Verified Voting, and The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law released a report on Rhode Island’s pilot program to identify the most effective methods to implement the risk-limiting audits (RLA) required by the state for the 2020 election. The three organizations were part of a working group that helped the state design and run the pilots earlier this year.

Today, Common Cause urged President Donald Trump and the Senate to quickly nominate and confirm new commissioners to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to avert a crisis that would leave the agency largely powerless to enforce campaign finance laws without a quorum. The resignation of Vice Chairman Matthew S. Petersen, effective at the end of the month, will leave the FEC with only three commissioners, one short of the minimum required for the FEC to act and well short of the six required by statute. With the 2020 election cycle well underway, the letter urges the president to treat the situation as an emergency and fill the vacancies expediently.