Common Cause

Campaigns

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  Sign the Petition: NO gerrymandering in 2021

  Now that the 2021 redistricting process has officially begun, we must speak out right now to stop partisan politicians from drawing rigged, unfair maps. Because if we don’t, some power-hungry politicians will abuse their control of the process and draw gerrymandered maps -- resorting to despicable tactics like “packing and cracking” to limit the political influence of Black and Brown voters and protect incumbents from competition. That’s not how our democracy is supposed to work. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around. And any efforts by politicians to interfere with the process -- by using data that was not intended for redistricting or drawing rigged maps that ignore communities’ voices -- can’t be swept under the rug. That’s why we are flipping the script this cycle -- putting communities, not politicians at the center of the process. Whether your state’s districts are drawn by the legislature or by an independent commission -- mapmakers need to hear loud and clear that We the People will not be excluded from the redistricting process or silenced by gerrymandering. That also means making sure that only the best, most precise population data available is used, which comes from the 2020 Census. Using another source, especially one that was not designed for drawing maps -- or conducting the entire process behind closed doors -- only creates further opportunities to gerrymander and abuse power. These maps will shape our state legislatures and Congress for the next ten years. We cannot afford to let politicians draw deeply partisan and racially divisive districts that deprive voters of the chance to elect someone who shares their lived experiences. If you agree, add your name today.

  17,503 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  We need the full truth about Donald Trump's potentially illegal conduct.

  Earlier this year, the FBI searched Trump’s Florida resort and recovered over a hundred stashed White House documents, some of which were classified and contained national security information. Soon after, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into Trump’s multiple potential violations of federal law. But every step of the way, the ex-president has tried to interfere with, slow down, and discredit this crucial investigation. First, he demanded that a “special master” – or a third-party individual who’d be tasked with reviewing the seized documents – be brought on to stall the proceedings until after this fall’s midterms. Now, he wants the Supreme Court – and the three justices that he himself appointed – to help gum up the process even further. Trump should not get any special treatment. The DOJ’s investigation into his potentially illegal conduct must be thorough and unobstructed.

  51 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  Condemn Trump's reckless schemes and enforce consequences for election deniers

  Donald Trump’s disinformation machine is already preparing to call to overturn midterm election results in swing states… before most voters have even cast their ballots! You read that right – over the past few months, Trump has mobilized extremist attorneys and dark money groups – all towards a desperate attempt to reverse any results he doesn’t like. Make no mistake – this effort will likely fail, just like it did in 2020. But that doesn’t mean it can’t cause lasting damage to our democracy. And the most worrying part? Trump reportedly views this as a “dress rehearsal for Trump 2024.” Sign the Petition: Condemn Trump’s reckless plans to undermine our democracy – and urge the DOJ to keep enforcing consequences for elections deniers to make sure these plans don’t succeed.

  26 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  Pass the For the People Act & protect our planet

  Recently, a haunting image made its way around the Internet and shocked the world: thanks to an underwater pipeline that had burst, the Gulf of Mexico was actually on fire. This devastating event was a reminder to all of us that if our democracy can’t respond to the climate crisis -- we are sure to face horrific consequences. Nearly two-thirds of Americans agree with scientists that protecting the environment should be a top priority for the president and Congress. [1] And yet year after year, our elected officials fail to pass dozens of popular, common-sense reforms to combat the climate crisis. Why? Because those who prefer the status quo -- those who are willing to endanger our planet to protect their profits -- have an outsize say in our political process. That’s right: voter suppression tactics, campaign finance loopholes, and weak ethics laws ensure that politicians and their polluting corporate backers get to make the rules, not the American people. We all pay the price for that -- but especially communities of color, which not only are the primary target for anti-voter laws, but also face a disproportionate burden from the climate crisis. That’s not how our democracy should work. We’re calling on the Senate to pass the For the People Act -- a bill that’d strengthen disclosure laws so we know which candidates rely on fossil fuel money, make it possible to run for office without selling out to polluters, and give those communities targeted by environmental racism a meaningful voice in politics. But Mitch McConnell and his GOP allies have mounted a partisan blockade against the For the People Act, filibustering the bill in June. In this high-stakes moment, we must urge the Senate to abolish the filibuster -- and protect our planet by passing the For the People Act. 1) https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/21/how-americans-see-climate-change-and-the-environment-in-7-charts/

  1,215 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  EXPOSED: These corporations fund voter suppression

  GOP lawmakers nationwide -- who are upset that their party lost major elections in 2020 -- are using ex-President Trump’s conspiracy theories to pass new laws that make it harder to vote. In April, UPS released a statement that condemned this widespread attack on our rights and pledged to work with lawmakers to “strengthen our democracy by facilitating equitable poll access.” [1] Why, then, does UPS still fund one of the major right-wing groups pushing these horrific anti-voter laws? That’s right: UPS is one of the many companies that funds the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). And both before and after the election, ALEC has worked around the clock to restrict the freedom to vote, spread vicious lies about the integrity of our electoral process, and undermine American democracy entirely. ALEC’s top figures have been widely pushing Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 election in an effort to manipulate the American public. At the same time, ALEC representatives have met with prominent GOP lawmakers -- like Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Rand Paul -- to discuss strategies to restrict voters’ rights. And according to one report -- in 2021 alone, more than 100 ALEC-connected state legislators have been lead sponsors or co-sponsors of anti-voter bills in Georgia, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas. [2] The fact is: by continuing to back ALEC financially, companies like UPS, FedEx, and Anheuser-Busch are endorsing this modern Jim Crow effort. And they’re hoping everyday Americans won’t notice. Over the last few years, we’ve pushed over 100 major companies to cut ties with ALEC due to its extreme agenda -- and now, we need to keep the public outcry going. Add your name to condemn these corporations’ hypocrisy and urge them to stop funding ALEC immediately. 1) https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/statements/ups-supports-equitable-poll-access-and-voting.html 2) https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ALEC-anti-voter-letter.pdf

  24,849 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  INVESTIGATE: Lindsey Graham tried to toss GA ballots

  South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has once again proven that his loyalty to Donald Trump will always come before our democracy and the rule of law. According to a Washington Post story, Graham urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger -- a fellow Republican -- to throw out legally-cast ballots from targeted Georgia counties during the state’s recount. The conversation reportedly left Raffensperger “stunned.” Let’s be clear: every eligible vote cast in this election should and WILL be counted, no matter what Graham says or does. These voters faced a global pandemic, vote-suppressing laws, and rampant disinformation to make themselves heard in this all-important election year -- and Graham has no right to try to shut them out of our democracy. This is just another desperate play by Republicans to overturn the legitimate results of this election. As Trump files meritless lawsuit after lawsuit to stop ballot counting or otherwise interfere with election officials' work -- his lackeys are falling in line, doing everything in their power to support Trump’s futile effort. It’s time for direct action in response to their outrageous attempts to sow doubt about our electoral process and shut out voters. Graham currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee -- and if his party maintains its Senate majority, he'll oversee crucial legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. If Graham has been actively trying to toss out eligible ballots, he should not lead this committee’s work. Add your name to tell the Senate Ethics Committee: this heinous voter suppression attempt must be swiftly investigated -- and in the meantime, Senator Graham should step down as Judiciary Committee Chairman.

  74,111 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  EXPOSED: Secretive group teaching politicians how to rig elections

  ALEC is ramping up its plans to hijack our democracy like never before. It’s time to expose and demand action from every corporation that’s funding these cynical efforts. ALEC has formed a new secret working group focused on “redistricting, ballot measures, and election law.” This task force holds lectures by architects of some of the most notorious gerrymanders and voter suppression schemes of the last decade -- with one main goal: teaching corporate-friendly GOP politicians how to abuse our systems to stay in power. How to rig the census and the redistricting process to keep Republican seats safe. How to stonewall fixes for the broken Electoral College. ALEC and its member corporations know just how unpopular and unethical these efforts are -- which is why there is no mention of the working group on its website. This task force comes on the heels of ALEC’s infamous redistricting workshop, held at its annual meeting last year. Conservative lawmakers, thinkers, donors, and activists were invited -- and were told by panelists to treat redistricting as “political adult blood sport,” trash evidence of wrongdoing before it can be discovered through litigation, and buy off individual Black and Latinx legislators to guarantee them reelection in exchange for overall whiter and more conservative maps. Make no mistake: THAT is what companies like UPS, Pfizer, Anheuser-Busch are endorsing with their financial support for ALEC. And they’re hoping that we don’t notice -- they don’t want to be publicly associated with ALEC’s extreme agenda. But if they hear from thousands of outraged Americans, they may cancel their ALEC membership -- just like we convinced companies like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon to do. Add your name now to become a part of the nationwide outcry.

  950 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  NEW: Trump-approved postmaster general's policies could delay mail-in ballots

  The United States Postal Service offers crucial services for Americans nationwide -- including enabling millions to vote safely from home this year. But if Trump’s new postmaster general gets his way, the agency will become so overburdened that it can no longer reliably provide these services. That means voters' ability to cast an absentee ballot during this pandemic will be limited -- potentially disenfranchising countless Americans in November, or forcing them to risk their health at the polls. Since the Postal Service’s founding, USPS workers have been committed to ensuring that every piece of mail gets delivered in a timely, reliable fashion -- and that the mail is picked up from every address every day, even despite staffing shortages. But DeJoy -- a Trump mega-donor with no previous USPS experience -- just implemented extreme new regulations that will inhibit postal workers’ ability to do their jobs. He is eliminating all overtime, cutting all extra trips, and directly instructing mail carriers to leave mail behind at distribution centers -- if delivering it might extend their hours. This will lead to serious delivery delays of everything from life-saving medications to vote-by-mail ballots and 2020 Census forms. And it’s particularly dangerous as we get closer to Election Day -- when there will be a substantial increase in vote-by-mail usage across the country, straining the Postal Service’s now artificially limited capacity. DeJoy claims these changes will cut costs -- but more likely, they’ll put the already beleaguered agency in even deeper financial peril, while also crushing customers’ confidence in the USPS. Instead, our senators need to step up for the Postal Service and follow the House’s lead in passing crucial funding to save it. Right now, we need a massive outcry directed at DeJoy from everyday Americans who rely on the Postal Service. Add your name today.

  64,318 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  Stop Trump's attacks on transparency and the COVID-19 response package

  President Trump is once again waging a war against legitimate, independent oversight of his administration. His latest target? Glenn Fine -- the acting inspector general who was set to watchdog the administration's management of the $2 trillion COVID-19 response package that Congress passed last month. Fine, a longtime and dedicated public servant, was chosen by a panel of inspectors general to lead these oversight efforts. But Trump just had Fine removed from his position -- without explanation. This is just the latest attempt by Trump to eliminate any and all supervision over his actions. He also recently fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general who brought the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint to Congress -- and he attacked inspector general Christi Grimm on Twitter after she released a report describing widespread COVID-19 testing delays in the U.S. Trump took one lesson from his party’s lockstep defense of his impeachable conduct: there’s no line you can’t cross that Republicans in Congress won’t back you up on. We’re seeing the consequences of that inaction now -- as Trump continues to openly abuse his power. Unless we speak out, Trump won’t stop until there isn’t a single watchdog left in the White House -- no one overseeing his administration's decisions, and nobody to put a stop to waste, fraud, or abuse of power. The Special IG must aggressively oversee the administration of this money and use their subpoena power to get necessary information. Similarly, both the SIGPR, the Congressional Oversight Commission and the PRAC must be given live access to the computer servers of the Treasury and any agency shoving money out its doors. Add your name to condemn Trump’s firing of Glenn Fine -- and to demand strict oversight of the Trump administration.

  108,034 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause
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  I stand with Lt. Col. Vindman

  With a blank check from the Senate’s sham impeachment trial in hand, Donald Trump is out for revenge. He’s starting to lash out against anyone who put their loyalty to the country ahead of their loyalty to him. His latest target? Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert who was on the fated July 25th phone call where Trump tried to extort an investigation into the Bidens from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vindman later testified before the House about what he heard on the call. Vindman did this country a great service. He felt, in his words, a "sense of duty" to tell Americans the truth -- and now, that honorable act has cost him his job, his career, and his privacy. Vindman needs to know that Americans are thankful for his courage -- and that Trump's attacks can't change the important truth that he told. And the White House must be met with a nationwide outcry -- thousands and thousands of us speaking out and condemning Trump's abhorrent decision to punish Vindman for his patriotism.

  124,487 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Common Cause