Press Release
Common Cause Rhode Island Warns Elections Officials of Voting Rights Act Violations in Primary Election
“Despite being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice, the City of Pawtucket failed its voters during the recent primary election."
Press
Media Contacts
John Marion
Executive Director, Rhode Island
jmarion@commoncause.org
401-861-2322
Common Cause Rhode Island frequently provides commentary on democracy reform issues. To talk with John Marion please reach out using the contact information above.
Press Release
Common Cause Rhode Island Warns Elections Officials of Voting Rights Act Violations in Primary Election
“Despite being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice, the City of Pawtucket failed its voters during the recent primary election."
Press Release
Perfect Scores for Rhode Island on Common Cause’s 2024 Democracy Scorecard
“Our 2024 Democracy Scorecard shows a surge of support in Congress for reforms that strengthen the right to vote, take back the Supreme Court, and break big money’s grip on our politics."
News Clip
Commission Appointed to Prep for Potential Constitutional Convention
The commission for the proposed RI Constitution Convention included 4 spots for the public - all filled by former elected officials or State House staffers. The rest of the commission is made up of Democrats and Republicans from both the House and the Senate.
News Clip
Ethics panel rules Patrice Milos must leave RI Life Science Hub board to be its interim president
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission rules that Patrice Milos must give up her board seat to assume the position of interim Rhode Island Life Science Hub president. The state ethics code does not allow members to take paid positions from a group they already belong to.
News Clip
Op-Ed: Session offers a glimpse in leadership styles
Various issues are discussed, including APRA reform, LEOBOR, the state of the economy, differing leadership styles in the General Assembly, and the upcoming election cycle for Rhode Island elected officials.
News Clip
Constitutional Conventions: a relic of old or a chance for reform? It’s time for voters to decide
Rep. Robert Craven and Senator Dawn Euer are sponsoring legislation that allows Rhode Island voters to determine if they want to hold a constitutional convention to change or amend the Rhode Island state constitution. There is concern that a state constitutional convention could get out of hand with political polarization, while others argue it would be a welcome change for how government is run in Rhode Island.
News Clip
House OKs bill to give Warwick a voice on RIAC board
The RI House passed legislation allowing the mayor of Warwick to appoint one member to the Rhode Island Airport Corporation’s (RIAC) Board of Directors.
News Clip
May 16th Newsmakers Round Table
John Marion, executive director of Common Cause RI, participates in WPRI 12 News' round table to discuss a variety of issues.
News Clip
Once the epitome of New England democracy, the Financial Town Meeting is fading in RI
The appearance of Financial Town Meetings, generally used to approve a town’s budget with public commentary from voters, has declined in recent years. Many towns see this as an old, exclusionary way of running government that can easily be taken over by a small group or special interest.
News Clip
More than a quarter of RI lawmakers skipped voting in presidential primary
A quarter of the Rhode Island General Assembly lawmakers skipped voting in the April Presidential Primaries, mainly attributing this to personal conflicts or health issues. This aligns with the fact that only 5% of registered and eligible RI voters participated in the Primary election for the President.
News Clip
House passes bill to let magistrates oversee contested divorces. Why it matters.
The House voted to give magistrates chosen by the Family Court’s chief judge the power to hear contested divorce cases, a move that was objected to by many state legislators and Common Cause Rhode Island.
News Clip
Why Operation Plunder Dome lives on after 25 years.
Operation Plunder Dome, conducted by the FBI against former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, still impacts the city of Providence. People remember Buddy Cianci for his legacy of corruption.
