Media Center

Tonight, there were no surprises in the opening act of the push to pass the For the People Act in the United States Senate. But grassroots momentum continues to build in a fight that will go on all summer as we continue to make the case to the American people and their representatives in Washington that this legislation must be passed to expand the freedom to vote, break the grip of big money in politics, end gerrymandering, and crack down on corruption.  

The fight for voting rights does not end with an op-ed. The For the People Act (S. 1) has overwhelming bipartisan support nationwide and in West Virginia 79% of Senator Manchin’s constituents support the bill – including 76% of registered Republicans. Leader Schumer should advance the bill to a full Floor debate. If Senate Republicans try to filibuster such a motion to proceed to a full Floor debate, Senator Manchin should not join such a filibuster. He should vote to allow the debate to take place on the Floor and not just in the op-ed pages. The bill has already passed the House, had a Senate markup that adopted 5 Republican amendments, and is poised for Floor action.

Common Cause, Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and League of Women Voters of California (LWV) submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Becerra.   The brief urges the Court to uphold California’s law that requires charitable groups active in the state to file nonpublic tax reports – Schedule Bs – with the state Attorney General (AG) listing their largest donors.

All Americans deserve to have their voices heard and votes counted, regardless of the size of their wallets or the color of their skin. However, for far too long, special interests, the ultra-wealthy, and corporate lobbyists have had a megaphone, and vote suppressors' continued efforts to silence largely Black and Brown communities have left many Americans feeling voiceless. The For the People Act would knock down barriers that prevent equal participation in our democracy. We commend Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Merkley, Senator Klobuchar, and their colleagues for championing the For the People Act and designating it as S. 1. We look forward to overcoming Senator McConnell’s continued blockade and getting the For the People Act across the finish line to President Biden’s desk.

Heading into the final stretch of voting season, Common Cause, in partnership with the Election Protection coalition and the Digital Defense League, is launching a Voting Anti-Disinformation Week of Content as part of its Stopping Cyber-Suppression program. Partner organizations across the voting rights, civil rights, and public interest sector will be pushing out content on social media focused on election integrity, what people can do to stop disinformation, and why we must count every vote in this election. Additionally, Common Cause is launching a six-figure paid media campaign focused on urging people to be prepared to wait for election results and the need to let local election officials count every vote.

Facebook has demanded that New York University (NYU) shut down a research project that has been collecting data about the company’s ad-targeting practices. The NYU Ad Observatory, a project of the university’s engineering school, has recruited more than 6,500 volunteers - including many Common Cause members - to use a specially designed browser extension to collect data about the ads Facebook shows them. Facebook has informed NYU that the project violates provisions in its terms of service that prohibit bulk data collection from its site. The social media behemoth has threatened further enforcement action if NYU does not comply. In response, Common Cause has launched a petition drive urging the social media giant to let the program continue and instead shut down the rampant disinformation on the platform.