News Clips

The state of the republic is precarious. But I am hopeful that democracy will prevail because it is resilient. We the people have faced serious threats in the past, including even the Civil War, and we have overcome them. We must continue to pass laws to strengthen our democracy in many states. In other states, we will not back down from defeating a new generation of Jim Crow laws crafted to keep targeted communities from the polls.

The report, released by Common Cause Nebraska, showed that the businesses and organizations that hire lobbyists spent more than $21.4 million on their lobbying efforts during 2022. That’s up 5.5% from the year before and 10.6% from 2019, before the pandemic hit. “It’s pretty dramatic, I think,” said Jack Gould, the Common Cause issues chair. “This report shows the ever-growing influence of lobbying and why Nebraskans must demand better.” Gould said the figures are a concern because the groups that can afford to hire lobbyists gain more clout in the legislative process than the average Nebraskan. Among other things, lobbyists are able to build relationships with senators and become key sources of information for them.

Julia Vaughn, executive director of the nonpartisan political watchdog group Common Cause Indiana, pointed to one indicator of a healthy democracy. "Voter turnout is one of the ways that we judge whether or not you have a vibrant democracy," said Vaughn. "You know, are people participating? Do they want to come out and make their voices heard through the electoral process?" Vaughn said it's more proof that concern is growing as the next presidential contest draws near. "People have had a sense of dread and apprehension, certainly about federal elections, and in particular presidential elections since 2016," said Vaughn. "So, it seems every four years, people are just really holding their breath and, 'Oh no, what is the outcome going to be?'"

Claire Snyder-Hall, executive director of Common Cause Delaware, criticized the House vote, saying corporations have no place in elections. “In a state with more registered businesses than residents, this bill gives wealthy outsiders the power to override the actual people of Seaford,” she said in a news release.

“We beat back the most serious legal threat our democracy has ever faced today,” said Kathay Feng of Common Cause, whose lawsuit challenging congressional districts drawn by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature triggered the case.

“As we argued to the Supreme Court, the independent state legislature theory was contrary to precedent and would have called into question hundreds of state constitutional provisions and decisions,” said former Acting US Solicitor General Neal Katyal, who represented Common Cause, one of the voting rights groups that challenged the Republican-drawn map. “Today’s ruling affirms the crucial role state courts play in overseeing federal elections.”