News Clips

In a separate statement, Common Cause PA executive director Khalif Ali said a fiscal statement revealed a one-time implementation cost for the bill’s requirements at $99 million with annual costs approaching $19 million. “That’s an awful lot of taxpayer money for the Legislature to spend, to implement a bill that will make it harder for us to cast ballots and have our voices heard,” Ali said.

However Common Cause, an election integrity group which prides itself as a network of democracy experts says it’s a matter of human error. “Don’t get me wrong, the timing is great but we don’t consider it to be a systemic issue so we’re not ready to raise any red flags just yet," said Khalif Ali, Executive Director of Common Cause. Ali says it’s still important to vote.

“Citizens should have the right to have input on anyone who has the potential to represent them, regardless of what they’re registered as,” Khalif Ali, the executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, told City & State.

"Our understanding is there is a significant amount of animosity toward the appellate courts by the Republicans, and it came about in legislation," said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause in Pennsylvania. "It's a direct response to the results of the November election," Ali said. "There's an idea going out that if democracy doesn't give you what you want, it must be broken."

Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said it is up to good government groups — and citizens — to remind elected officials of their promises. “You get accustomed to doing things in a certain way with a low or middle level of accountability,” he said of elected officials. “The higher the accountability, the closer the scrutiny, and that makes people uncomfortable.”

“It is time to move past the 2020 election and work together to deal with challenges that lie ahead,” said Common Cause Pennsylvania executive director Khalif Ali. “We’re facing a continuing COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, an increasing budget deficit and people are struggling to make ends meet. Pennsylvanians are suffering. Let’s move forward -- with a government that is ‘of the people, by the people’ and ‘for the people.’ Common Cause calls on our elected officials to demonstrate the type of leadership that will re-instill confidence in our democracy. Pennsylvanians deserve nothing less.”