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Opposition Grows on Voter ID Bill, Letter Sent to Legislators

Press Release

Opposition Grows on Voter ID Bill, Letter Sent to Legislators

Twenty-three voting rights and democracy groups have written a letter to Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and members of the General Assembly, urging them to reject House Bill 771, a voter ID proposal that risks disenfranchising eligible voters.
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Voters Tell State Judge That They Should Be Able to Join AG’s Lawsuit Over Release of Personal Data to PA Senators

Press Release

Voters Tell State Judge That They Should Be Able to Join AG’s Lawsuit Over Release of Personal Data to PA Senators

Eight voters and three community organizations took their argument to Commonwealth Court today in their effort to join a lawsuit challenging a subpoena issued by a state Senate committee to the Department of State seeking the personally identifying information of the approximately nine million registered voters in Pennsylvania.

‘I’m in the hot seat’: Perry admits while answering questions regarding scathing Senate report

News Clip

‘I’m in the hot seat’: Perry admits while answering questions regarding scathing Senate report

“When you’re in a position of leadership, you have a responsibility, to tell the truth,” Executive Director of Common Cause Pa., Khalif Ali said. He says Perry should step down for sowing seeds of mistrust in our democracy. “You can’t just arbitrarily object and call into question the integrity of the process that was questioned in previous elections in which Republicans were successful.”

Report by U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee singled out two Pennsylvania Republicans — U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and State Sen. Doug Mastriano

Press Release

Report by U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee singled out two Pennsylvania Republicans — U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and State Sen. Doug Mastriano

It is clear from what we’ve seen in this report that these men do not respect the will of the voters. No elected official should remain in office, if they do not respect the voters who put them there.

Advocates and Voters Ask to Join Election Review Lawsuit Against the PA Senate to Defend Voters’ Privacy Rights

Press Release

Advocates and Voters Ask to Join Election Review Lawsuit Against the PA Senate to Defend Voters’ Privacy Rights

Common Cause Pennsylvania, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Make the Road Pennsylvania, and the voters say that they have an interest in the case because voters’ constitutional right to privacy will be compromised if the Senate Republicans are allowed to enforce their subpoena for voters’ private personal data.

Changes to ‘Prison Gerrymandering’ decision

News Clip

Changes to ‘Prison Gerrymandering’ decision

“We have talked to inmates who have said that, you know, in trying to contact representatives, it's been a non-responsive situation.” Says Khalif Ali, Executive Director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.

Ali says these inmates don't feel adequately represented in prisons outside of their permanent addresses and will disenfranchise 7,000 people.

Pennsylvania LRC Rolls Back Decision; Will Allocate Only Some Incarcerated People in Their Home Districts

Press Release

Pennsylvania LRC Rolls Back Decision; Will Allocate Only Some Incarcerated People in Their Home Districts

Today, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted to approve a resolution that effectively rolls back the much-needed prison gerrymandering reforms passed last month. The resolution seeks to count incarcerated people whose sentences are ten years or longer at the location they are currently housed in, rather than in their communities.  

Senate Committee to Vote Today on Subpoenas of Voters’ Personal Information

Press Release

Senate Committee to Vote Today on Subpoenas of Voters’ Personal Information

"These subpoenas are a frightening violation of voters’ privacy and an egregious abuse of power. State regulations specifically exempt certain information from public release, because of privacy concerns --  but these subpoenas would require the Department of State to provide that information anyway." 

Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers approve wide-ranging subpoenas for personal information of 2020 voters

News Clip

Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers approve wide-ranging subpoenas for personal information of 2020 voters

Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a good-government advocacy group that works on issues related to voter access, called the subpoenas approved Wednesday a “frightening violation of voters’ privacy and an egregious abuse of power.”

“There’s no explanation about what they intend to do with the information, or why they think they need it,” he said in a statement. “They also have not announced any plans for security measures to protect the information from disclosure. … Pennsylvanians...

New report about voting in Pennsylvania jails shows each county runs things differently, creating a patchwork of policies across the state

News Clip

New report about voting in Pennsylvania jails shows each county runs things differently, creating a patchwork of policies across the state

“You have jails with the actual policies in place, and there’s a gap between the policy and actual implementation,” said Khalif Ali, head of Common Cause Pennsylvania. “If you simply say, ‘Oh, yeah, you guys can vote,’ and there’s nothing else, you’re essentially telling them: ‘Figure it out.’”

Want to see in real time how Pa. state universities do business? Your window may be closing

News Clip

Want to see in real time how Pa. state universities do business? Your window may be closing

“The goal of the Sunshine Act is to encourage and guarantee the public’s right to participate in government decision making, and all agencies should take steps to make it easier for the public to attend public meetings,” she said. “ When virtual technology is used in addition to in-person public meetings, it can result in increased public participation.’’

Khalif Ali, executive director of Pennsylvania Common Cause, offered a similar view.

Inquirer: An end to sinister prison gerrymandering is a racial justice victory | Opinion

Blog Post

Inquirer: An end to sinister prison gerrymandering is a racial justice victory | Opinion

Prison gerrymandering — the act of counting people for purposes of redistricting at the location of the prison instead of their home — is especially sinister. Not only are map makers silencing individual voices in government, they are in effect stealing representation from areas that are dramatically underserved while allocating that political power to whiter, more rural places that incarcerated people often have no connection to.

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