“The winner is chosen in the primary and the primary draws, for lack of a better way of saying it, the most extreme and emotional voters,” said Bob Phillips, who leads the redistricting reform group Common Cause NC.

He said he’s heard state legislators on both sides of the aisle complain that their party’s leaders instruct them not to even mingle with the other side when they’re in Raleigh, let alone vote with them.

“We’ve seen it in Raleigh and seen it in Washington,” he said. “Folks that come...

“The governor of Florida does not have control over all Florida police departments or the FBI,” Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for Common Cause, told VICE News when DeSantis first announced his plans. “And by proposing this integrity unit, it seems like that’s what he wants: a personal, political goon squad.”

The Paid Jailer report suggests that industry donations to sheriffs are not only likely damaging to justice and democracy but also incredibly common. Construction companies contribute tens of thousands of dollars and then go on to build bigger jails. Legal firms fund races and end up representing the sheriff’s office in misconduct cases. Our research uncovered more than $6 million in contributions from donors with potential ethical conflicts. More than 40 percent of contributions to sheriffs we studied came from conflicted donors whose...

Constitutional amendments – which must be passed in identical form in two legislative sessions before being presented to voters on a ballot – should be used sparingly. And they certainly should not be used to let one branch of government sidestep the checks and balances of the other branches.

But Pennsylvania legislators are now using the amendment process to take power from other branches of government and increase their own influence.

The fight for voting rights goes on, even though every Senate Republican, joined by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), tried to shut it down on January 19. They refused to adjust a Senate rule best known for obstructing civil rights legislation. The filibuster rule – requiring 60 votes to advance most legislation if any senator objects – has been modified or waived more than 160 times in recent decades. Just in December, an exception was granted for legislation dealing with the debt ceiling, with the support of...

Viki Harrison, director of state operations for Common Cause, said fringe groups from both sides of the aisle have called for a convention of states over the years, but her organization is opposed, noting the gathering could easily be influenced by powerful special interests.

"Who's going to choose who goes to the convention?" Harrison wondered. "We already see how outside special-interest groups, big-money donors, have so much influence in elections, so why would we think this would be any different?"

Supporters...

“The governor of Florida does not have control over all Florida police departments or the FBI. And by proposing this integrity unit, it seems like that’s what he wants: personal, political goon squad,” said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for Common Cause.

“A police force under the authority of a political individual becomes a political army. That’s similar to, I don’t know, Russia?” Albert said. “In America, we have separation of powers. We have politicians, we have police, we have the judiciary....

"Ang Texas ay may pinakamahina, pinaka-prone na sistema ng pananalapi ng kampanya sa bansa," sabi ni Anthony Gutierrez, executive director ng Common Cause Texas. "Nakakapansin na ang aming nangungunang opisyal ng pagpapatupad ng batas ay hindi kayang matugunan ang aming napakababang mga kinakailangan sa pagsisiwalat."

Mahalagang malaman ng mga botante kung sino ang nag-donate sa isang kandidato, sabi ni Gutierrez, lalo na sa isang estado kung saan walang limitasyon sa mga kontribusyon.

"Talagang hindi kami makakagawa ng mga desisyon kung ang isang pampublikong opisyal ay kumikilos sa aming makakaya...

Ang isyu ay umani ng galit sa mga grupo ng mga karapatang bumoto tulad ng Common Cause at ng League of Women Voters na ilang taon nang nagtulak sa estado na lumipat upang payagan ang online na pagpaparehistro ng botante. Ang Texas ay isa sa walong estado na hindi nag-aalok nito. Ang Liga ay nakasalalay sa mga kopya ng papel ng estado upang mabigyan ang mga bagong mamamayan ng mga form sa kanilang mga welcome packet sa naturalization ... mga seremonya.

"Ito ay isang problema na madaling malutas," sabi ni Common Cause executive director Anthony Gutierrez. "Hinihiling namin na ang estado ay agad na gumawa ng mga hakbang upang ayusin...

Such contributions can help companies buy access to government officials, said Paul S. Ryan, a vice president at the government watchdog group Common Cause.

"Anytime a special interest doing business with the government can make big contributions to public officials handing out contracts or making other government decisions, it's a cause for concern," he said. "Average, everyday Americans can't buy the same influence."