Common Cause is a watchdog group based in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by
John W. Gardner
John William Gardner (October 8, 1912 – February 16, 2002) was United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) under President of the United States, President Lyndon Johnson. He was ...
, a Republican, who was the former
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
in the administration of President
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
as well as chair of the National Urban Coalition, an advocacy group for minorities and the working poor in urban areas. As initially founded, Common Cause was prominently known for its efforts to bring about an end to the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
Sometimes identified as liberal-leaning,
[Julie Bykowicz]
Will Washington shout down the 'voice' of Trump voters?
Associated Press (November 28, 2016): "a liberal-leaning government watchdog." Common Cause has also been identified as nonpartisan and advocates government reform. It is identified with the reformist "
good government
Good government is a normative description of how government is supposed to be constituted. It has been frequently employed by various political thinkers, ideologues and politicians.
Thomas Jefferson and good government
Thomas Jefferson often r ...
" movement and is often described as a
watchdog group.
The organization's tagline is "holding power accountable" and its stated mission is "upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process."
Issue areas
The organization's stated issue areas are "money in politics", "voting and elections", "ethics", "a fair economy", and "media and democracy".
Constitutional conventions
Common Cause opposes and actively lobbies against modern-day efforts to call an
Article V convention to propose
amendments to the United States Constitution
Thirty-three amendments to the United States Constitution have been proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789. Twenty-seven of these, having bee ...
by both
progressive and conservative groups, such as that by the progressive
political action committee Wolf PAC to limit large monetary donations to political candidates parties and groups,
and by the conservative advocacy group
Citizens for Self-Governance
Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) is a conservative American nonprofit political organization. In 2015, it launched a nationwide initiative calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution to reduce federal spendi ...
's "Convention of the States" initiative,
[The Dangerous Path: Big Money's Plan to Shred the Constitution](_blank)
Common Cause (May 2016). which is backed by some Republican politicians.
[John C. Moritz]
Abbott renews his call for 'convention of the states'
''USA Today'' Network (December 6, 2016).
In a May 2016 report entitled ''The Dangerous Path: Big Money's Plan to Shred the Constitution'', Common Cause wrote that "There is nothing to prevent the convention, once convened, from proposing additional changes that could limit or eliminate fundamental rights or upend our entire system of government."
While a constitutional convention could conceivably overturn the controversial
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
decision in ''
Citizens United v. FEC
''Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', 558 U.S. 310 (2010), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding campaign finance laws and free speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It wa ...
'' and limit the role of money in politics (as advocated by groups such as
Wolf PAC), Common Cause suggests that the risk of a runaway convention is too great
because "state legislatures, the majority of which are controlled by Republicans, would likely control the agenda at a constitutional convention" and as a result it is extremely unlikely "that a convention controlled by those legislatures would really do anything productive on money in politics, on voting rights, on democracy in general". Any amendments would need to be ratified by three-quarters of the states.
Ethics
Common Cause lobbied Congress to pass the
Ethics in Government Act
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that was passed in the wake of the Nixon Watergate scandal and the Saturday Night Massacre. It was intended to fight corruption in government.
Summary
The Ethics in Governme ...
of 1978, requiring government officials to disclose their finances and restricting the "
revolving door
A revolving door typically consists of three or four doors that hang on a central shaft and rotate around a vertical axis within a cylindrical enclosure. Revolving doors are energy efficient as they, acting as an airlock, prevent drafts, thus de ...
" between government and business. In 1989, they lobbied for passage of a new Ethics in Government Act, which ended special-interest honoraria for members of Congress and closed a loophole that allowed members to convert campaign funds to personal use.
The organization's efforts led to ethics probes and the resignations of
House Speakers Jim Wright in 1988 and
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
in 1995.
During the 2016 presidential elections, Common Cause suggested that the
Clinton Foundation would create ethics and conflict of interest challenges for
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
should she become president. They criticized Hillary Clinton's plan to give
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinto ...
control of the foundation and called for an independent
audit
An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...
and full disclosure of the foundation's donors.
The public interest group also criticized
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
for his refusal to release his tax returns during the
2016 presidential election. The organization has been outspoken about the potential conflicts of interest from Trump's businesses and called for Trump to put his assets into a
blind trust
A blind trust is a trust in which the trust beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings of the trust, and no right to intervene in their handling. In a blind trust, the trustees ( fiduciaries, or those who have been given power of attorney) ...
instead of handing over control of his businesses to his children.
Money in politics
In 1972, Common Cause sued President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
's re-election campaign, the
Committee for the Re-Election of the President
The Committee for the Re-election of the President (also known as the Committee to Re-elect the President), abbreviated CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP, was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nix ...
, under the
Federal Corrupt Practices Act
The Federal Corrupt Practices Act, also known as the Publicity Act, was a federal law of the United States that was enacted in 1910 and amended in 1911 and 1925. It remained the nation's primary law regulating campaign finance in federal elections ...
in an attempt to force Nixon's campaign to report early campaign contributions. The lawsuit forced the disclosure of the names of several Nixon donors.
In 1974, Common Cause supported passage of the
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), encompassing public financing of presidential campaigns and oversight of campaign ethics through the
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...
.
Publicly-financed elections
Common Cause has advocated for
public financing of elections in order to decrease the influence of special-interest contributions. The group's most successful
campaign finance reform efforts have been in New York City in 1999; Connecticut in 2005;
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...
in 2014; Howard County, Maryland in 2017; Prince George's County, Maryland in 2018; and California.
Voting and elections
Redistricting
The organization has sought to end the practice of
gerrymandering
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
in several states. In 2016, it filed a lawsuit in North Carolina challenging the constitutionality of district maps. The organization's North Carolina chapter has led a campaign to create a nonpartisan redistricting process, which has bipartisan support in the state. Common Cause is also challenging redistricting in Democratic-controlled states, such as Maryland.
Voting machines
Common Cause advocates for a
voter-verified paper audit trail
Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) or verified paper record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow ...
for election machines in all states. The organization has documented complaints about
electronic voting machines
An electronic voting machine is a voting machine based on electronics.
Two main technologies exist: '' optical scanning'' and '' direct recording'' (DRE).
Optical scanning
In an optical scan voting system, or marksense, each voter's choices ...
.
National popular vote
Common Cause is in favor of establishing a national
popular vote
Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group.
Popular may also refer to:
In sociology
* Popular culture
* Popular fiction
* Popular music
* Popular science
* Populace, the total ...
for presidential elections to replace the current
electoral college system. Following the November 2016 U.S. presidential election, Common Cause called for the
National Popular Vote Compact to counteract what it called the "anti-democratic" outcome in that election.
Voter ID
Common Cause works with the non-partisan
VoteRiders
VoteRiders is an American non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to ensure that all US citizens over 18 years old are able to exercise their right to vote. Through resources and media exposure, one of its main focuses is ...
organization to spread state-specific information on voter ID requirements.
Organizational overview
Leadership
Karen Hobert Flynn became the organization's president in June 2016.
The following individuals have served as president of Common Cause:
*Jack Conway (1971–1975)
*David Cohen (1975–1981)
*
Fred Wertheimer
Fredric Michael "Fred" Wertheimer (born January 9, 1939) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and activist notable for his work on campaign finance reform and other government integrity, transparency, and accountability issues.
Early career
He is ...
(1981–1995)
[Common Cause Names Karen Hobert Flynn President](_blank)
Common Cause (June 13, 2016).
*
Ann McBride (1995–1999)—longtime Common Cause employee who served as vice president and lobbyist for the group before serving as president
[Ex-Massachusetts Official New Common Cause Leader](_blank)
Associated Press (July 31, 1999).
*
Scott Harshbarger
Luther Scott Harshbarger (born December 1, 1941) is an American attorney and Democratic politician. He served as the 56th Massachusetts Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. In 1998, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts but l ...
(1999–2002)—served as
Massachusetts Attorney General
The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...
before becoming Common Cause president
*
Chellie Pingree
Chellie Marie Pingree ( ; ''née'' Johnson; born April 2, 1955) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, her district includes most of the southern part of the state, inclu ...
(2003–2007)—after stepping down as president of Common Cause, was elected as U.S. Representative from Maine
*
Robert W. (Bob) Edgar (2007–2013)—served as
Democratic U.S. Representative from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
before becoming president of Common Cause; died in office in April 2013
*
Miles S. Rapoport
Miles S. Rapoport (born October 15, 1949) is an American politician who served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1995 to 1999. A progressive Democrat, he went on to serve as president of Demos and Common Cause.
Early life and educ ...
(2014–2016)—was president of
Demos
Demos may refer to:
Computing
* DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system
* DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR
* Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems
* plural for Demo (computer programming)
...
and Secretary of State of Connecticut before becoming president of Common Cause
[Mark Pazniokas]
Miles Rapoport named national president of Common Cause
''Connecticut Mirror'' (January 14, 2014).
*Karen Hobert Flynn (2016–present)
[
The following are three of the most prominent individuals who have served as chairs of Common Cause's board:
*]John W. Gardner
John William Gardner (October 8, 1912 – February 16, 2002) was United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) under President of the United States, President Lyndon Johnson. He was ...
(1970–1978)—founder and chairman of the organization; served two three-year terms as chairman before stepping down.
*Archibald Cox
Archibald Cox Jr. (May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was ...
(1980–1992)—former Watergate special prosecutor
In the United States, a special counsel (formerly called special prosecutor or independent counsel) is a lawyer appointed to investigate, and potentially prosecute, a particular case of suspected wrongdoing for which a conflict of interest exis ...
.Archibald Cox, 92, Is Dead; Helped Prosecute Watergate
''The New York Times'' (May 30, 2004).
*
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich (; born June 24, 1946) is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and served as Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 in ...
(2013–2018*)—former
Secretary of Labor in the
Clinton Administration. (*Due to Common Cause's policy of nonpartisanship, Reich took a leave of absence from the group from February 2016 until after the November 2016 election in order to become involved in
Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.)
Funding
Common Cause has an annual combined budget of around $18 million. This includes its sister organization, the Common Cause Educational Fund.
Common Cause is organized as a
501(c)(4) organization, and its sister organization, the Common Cause Educational Fund, is a
501(c)(3) organization
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of t ...
.
See also
*''
Rucho v. Common Cause
''Rucho v. Common Cause'', No. 18-422, 588 U.S. ___ (2019), is a landmark case of the United States Supreme Court concerning partisan gerrymandering. The Court ruled that while partisan gerrymandering may be "incompatible with democratic principl ...
'', a 2019
landmark case
Landmark court decisions, in present-day common law legal systems, establish precedents that determine a significant new legal principle or concept, or otherwise substantially affect the interpretation of existing law. "Leading case" is commonly ...
of the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
involving Common Cause
References
External links
*
Common Cause Records (1968–1991)at the
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
{{Authority control
1970 establishments in the United States
Electoral reform groups in the United States
Government watchdog groups in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Organizations established in 1970
Political advocacy groups in the United States