November 2023

Today's newsletter is a 890-word, 3.5-minute read.

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🗳During this fall semester leading up to the election, the Student Action Alliance was proud to host 36 fellows across the states of Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Each of the campuses hosted several events before and on election day, educating, registering (close to 1,000!), and mobilizing their peers. Here are some of our highlights:

• Georgia fellows led the way with their engagement with their campus’s administration, hosting voter registration events in first-year student’s dorms in collaboration with their school’s residence life department. 

• Maryland fellows ran a campaign to build awareness of Common Cause and voting in Maryland through Q&A videos.

• Fellows and friends came together to phonebank Mississippi voters the day before election day; we made 5,000 calls, talked to 123 voters and provided polling site information to 22 people.

• North Carolina fellows hosted critical conversations on their campuses to empower students and create space for students to talk through ways to engage in politics in order to restore their faith in the political system. 

We couldn’t be more proud of the work our fellows accomplished in these states, and look forward to working closely with many of them in the coming semesters leading up to next year’s general election.

Donate here to support our fellows and their campus organizing.

 📸: Taken by the Jackson State University NPHC of members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. 

A new report by Common Cause takes aim at Cop City, and the hand-greasing, corrupt bureaucracy that runs behind-the-scenes in Atlanta. Common Cause looked into the connection between donations to former Council member Joyce Sheperd’s 2021 campaign and her introduction of legislation to lease city land to build "Cop City", a controversial $90 million police training facility.

Unsurprisingly, the donations show us that the influence of business interests spoke louder than the voters in the passage of the legislation. Read the full report ⬇️

👋 Meet our Common Cause HBCU Democracy Fellows from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), Camryn and Caszhmere. This year they worked with our North Carolina northeastern organizer, Destiny, to educate and mobilize voters. From community events like the Down East Classic to campus traditions like Fried Chicken Wednesday, our fellows were everywhere registering students and community members. During their voter registration events, they provided people with information about Common Cause and a nonpartisan voter guide so voters could be informed on where candidates stood on important local issues.

During early voting, Camryn and Caszhmere worked with student leaders, faculty, and staff from across campus to lead a march from campus to the Pasquotank Board of Elections. Students, faculty, and staff were all able to vote early and take advantage of same-day registration if they weren’t registered yet.

To wrap up the semester, Camryn, Caszhmere, and Destiny all attended the national student voting summit at the University of Maryland. They were able to network with students and civic engagement professionals across the country to strategize about tactics to use in 2024 and ways to advocate for better student voting rights.

We're working so hard across the country, we could write you a novel instead of a newsletter. So instead, here are a few more quick headlines we don't want you to miss: 

• Colorado ⛷️: Colorado Common Cause filed an amicus brief in support of Citizens for Ethics' 14th Amendment lawsuit that would ban former President Trump from appearing  on the Colorado 2024 ballot because he incited a violent insurrection.

• Massachusetts ☘️: This month, Massachusetts became the fifth state in the nation to make calls from prisons and jails free.

• National 🦅:The SCOTUS released their code of ethics for Justices but it lacks enforcement and accountability. Congress must continue to move forward with legislation to create a binding code of ethics for the nation’s highest court. Read more here.

• New York🗽: The ​​House Ethics Committee is moving to expel Rep. George Santos after releasing a scathing report alleging that he stole from his campaign. Common Cause NY supports efforts to give him the boot. 🥾

• National 🦅: Check out our spring 2024 internship opportunities here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

We think pre-registration should be available to everyone, regardless of what state you live in. Luckily, Rep. Nikema Williams and Sen. Elizabeth Warren agree, and pre-registration is a key part of the Youth Voting Rights Act. Sign this petition today to show your support for the YVRA.

Congrats! You made it to the end, so we know you can make it from Thanksgiving to winter break. Almost there! 🤓

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