News Clips

The right to privately and securely cast a ballot, a pillar of voting rights, has stood the test of time as Arizona’s democracy has faced increasing attacks in recent years. The Arizona Constitution affirms “secrecy in voting shall be preserved,” but Senate Bill 1324 and House Bill 2560 put this at risk. The companion bills, dubbed the “Voter Privacy Violation Act” by civil rights advocates, would make Arizona an extreme outlier by posting detailed voter data and unfiltered ballot images online during the critical post-election leading up to certification of the results.

Anne Gray Herring of Common Cause Georgia said SB 222 creates another deterrent for counties already struggling to recruit and retain election workers. "Our county elections offices are already overburdened and underfunded," Gray Herring said. "This would cut off one of the few remaining means to receive additional funding and prohibit boards of commissioners from choosing to allocate funds to their county elections offices when they identify a need. The county governing authority should have the discretion to provide additional funding as they see fit."

“Now the legislative defendants play a cynical game, hoping that this newly constituted court will reverse course and abdicate its fundamental duty of judicial review,” said Lali Madduri, an attorney speaking Tuesday in court for Common Cause, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters and citizens like Harper.

The verdict has powerful implications for Ohio and the rest of the country because it shows that while Citizens United may have opened the floodgates of corporate cash, “that doesn’t mean that pay-to-play is legal or right,” said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio and a longtime Ohio advocate of campaign finance and government reform. “Ohioans can rest easy tonight knowing, that at long last, someone will be held accountable,” she said.

"Senate treatment of this nomination has been, from beginning to end, sad, shoddy, and shameful. And its treatment of Ms. Sohn a despicable dereliction of duty and honor. A win for big-spending special interests, to be sure, but a tragic loss for the common good," wrote former FCC chair Michael Copps wrote. who now works for the advocacy group Common Cause

“This trial is not just about what the former speaker of the House did, it’s also about the terrible system we have,” said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, which advocates for more transparency in government.