Press Release
Connecticut Director to Retire After Strengthening Voting Rights
National government watchdog, Common Cause, announced the retirement of Cheri Quickmire, who led the Connecticut office for 18 years.
Press
Media Contacts
Katie Scally
Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
408-205-1257
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
Secretary of the State Candidates Filling Field
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced in June she would not seek a fourth term, making her the only constitutional officer not expected to run for reelection. The first stirrings of a primary race have begun to take shape in the weeks since.
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CT Insider: Will your neighborhood switch political districts? Population changes create a puzzle
“'The important thing is making sure the process is transparent so people understand why the lines are moving,' said Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, the election watchdog group..."
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CT News Junkie: New Law Will Shift Population, Investment
Waterbury will receive the largest boost in representation under a newly-adopted law counting prison inmates as members of voting districts where they lived prior to incarceration. The town of Enfield will see the largest decline under the change.
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NBC CT: Connecticut Readies Redistricting Process, Will Count Inmates In Home Districts
“Representation is very important. We know that gerrymandering had taken place for years in this country,” Sen. Doug McCrory, D-Hartford, said.
“When we do look at data, when we do look at drawing lines that has to be taken into consideration,“ McCrory says.
“When we do look at data, when we do look at drawing lines that has to be taken into consideration,“ McCrory says.
News Clip
New Haven Independent: Absentee Ballot Boxes To Stay Downtown
Newhallville voters deserve to have at least one of New Haven's four safe, secure absentee ballot drop boxes immediately moved to their neighborhood. Newhallville is the only New Haven ward with a Sept. 14, 2021 local primary election and especially with the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus on the rise, residents should be able to participate in the election safely.
News Clip
Census: State becoming more diverse
"'We need processes that prioritize, I guess, hearing from diverse populations in a way that we haven’t done before, and so we need to really think about how we can make that happen,' she said. 'This needs to be a priority because if people’s voices aren’t heard, then it’s not going to make the mapmaking process as inclusive as it needs to be.'"
News Clip
CT Public Radio: Census End Kicks Off Redistricting Process
"The organization 'Common Cause' puts much of its focus on advocating for fairly drawn district lines. Common Cause Executive Director Cheri Quickmire joined 'All Things Considered' to share her thoughts on how the census results will affect redistricting statewide."
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Census Data Shows Shifts In Connecticut’s Demographics
"The redistricting committee will also be the first to implement a new law adopted this year which requires incarcerated people to be counted as members of the voting districts where they lived before they were imprisoned..."
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New Census data shows Connecticut becoming more diverse
"Connecticut's white population dropped from 77.6% in 2010 to 66.4% in 2020, while the Hispanic or Latino population grew from 13.4% to 17.3%. The Black population grew from 10.1% to 10.8% and the Asian population grew from 3.8% to 4.8%. Those figures do not include people of mixed race."
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Census shows Stamford is booming and Connecticut’s population up slightly over last 10 years
"While this process has historically been conducted behind closed doors with minimal public input in the way of local public hearings, 2021 is our year to flip the script and ensure that the voices of our communities, particularly those of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander and other communities of color are at the center of the conversation,' Quickmire said...."
Press Release
U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2020 Census Demographic Data to Kick Off Connecticut Redistricting 2021
News Clip
The CT Mirror: Connecticut drawn into fight over conservative ALEC’s tax-exempt status
Connecticut is one of 15 states where campaign finance complaints were filed against the American Legislative Exchange Council this week, alleging that the conservative non-profit group was illegally distributing software to Republican lawmakers. (...) In Connecticut, the complaint filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, says state Rep. Mike France, R-Ledyard, as a member of ALEC, would have been given the software. France is listed by ALEC as its Connecticut chair...