Common Cause Education Fund

THE COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND WORKS WITH COMMON CAUSE, A NONPARTISAN, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO UPHOLDING THE CORE VALUES OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, WITH THE GOALS OF ENSURING OPEN, HONEST, AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT; PROMOTING EQUAL RIGHTS, OPPORTUNITY, AND REPRESENTATION FOR ALL; AND EMPOWERING ALL PEOPLE TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AS EQUALS IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. CCEF WORKS ACROSS FOUR MAJOR ISSUE AREAS: VOTING AND ELECTIONS; MONEY AND POLITICS; ETHICS, TRANSPARENCY, AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY; AND MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY.

VOTING AND ELECTIONS COMMON CAUSE HAS WORKED TO ENSURE THAT EVERY ELIGIBLE CITIZEN HAS THE FREEDOM TO VOTE AND THAT THEIR VOTES ARE ACCURATELY COUNTED. TO ADVANCE THIS WORK, WE HAVE: MANAGED THE LARGEST NATIONAL ELECTION PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTION. THE PROGRAM MOBILIZED OVER 20,000 VOLUNTEERS, EXPANDED THE NUMBER OF STATES IN THE PROGRAM TO 36 STATES, SENT OVER 250,000 ELECTION DAY TEXTS TO VOTERS WITH ACCURATE INFORMATION, AND PROVIDED SUPPORT TO ALL VOTERS. CREATED RESOURCES FOR HOW TO CREATE A BALLOT COUNTING OBSERVATION PROGRAM, DEPLOYED THE PROGRAM IN MULTIPLE COMMON CAUSE-STAFFED STATES, AND TRAINED MORE THAN 50 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ON HOW TO LAUNCH PROGRAMS IN THEIR STATES. DEVELOPED AND DISSEMINATED RESOURCES ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND RESPONSE TO PARTNERS ON THE ROUND. THE RESOURCES INCLUDED TRAINING ON BYSTANDER INTERVENTION/CONFLICT RESOLUTION, BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING A STATE RESPONSE PLAN, COMMUNICATING ABOUT POLITICAL VIOLENCE, MANAGING CRISIS, AND CONNECTIONS TO NATIONAL POLITICAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE EXPERTS. RECRUITED, TRAINED, AND DEPLOYED 2,288 SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORS. THEY EXPOSED 3,825 PIECES OF DISINFORMATION THROUGH 3,825 HOURS OF MONITORING. RESEARCHED AND PUBLISHED REPORTS, SUCH AS EXTREMISTS PLOT TO NATIONALIZE VOTER SUPPRESSION: 2023 AND BEYOND. HOSTED OVER 30 CAMPUS FELLOWS WHO WORKED TO INCREASE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.

MEDIA & DEMOCRACY WE ENGAGE IN EFFORTS TO PROTECT A FREE AND OPEN INTERNET AND AN INDEPENDENT AND CONSTITUTIONALLY-PROTECTED FREE PRESS, TO ENSURE THAT VOTERS HAVE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE INFORMATION THEY NEED. TO DO THIS, WE WORKED ON:CONTENT ACCOUNTABILITY, MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR DISINFORMATION, AND WORKING TO HOLD PLATFORMS ACCOUNTABLE FOR REMOVING HARMFUL OR INACCURATE POSTS.HOLDING MEDIA COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE AND PROTECTING LOCAL JOURNALISM. THROUGH LITIGATION, MEDIA COMMUNICATION AND MEMBER ENGAGEMENT, COMMON CAUSE CHALLENGED THE STANDARD GENERAL MERGER WITH TEGNA, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN THE DISSOLUTION OF THE DEAL.LEADING THE "NO FOX FEE" CAMPAIGNRESEARCHING AND PUBLISHING: "UNDER THE MICROSCOPE REPORT: ELECTION DISINFORMATION IN 2022 AND WHAT WE LEARNED FOR 2024"

REDISTRICTING & REPRESENTATION WE WORK TO CREATE PEOPLE-CENTERED REDISTRICTING AND REPRESENTATION THAT IS TRANSPARENT, FAIR, AND INCLUSIVE. IN 2023-34, WE HAVE:PROTECTED VOTING RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY MINORITY VOTERS, THROUGH REDISTRICTING LITIGATION: - MOORE V. HARPER, NORTH CAROLINA: COMMON CAUSE SECURED A FAVORABLE DECISION FROM THE U.S. SUPREME COURT STRIKING DOWN DANGEROUS INDEPENDENT STATE LEGISLATURE THEORY. AS A LEAD PLAINTIFF, COMMON CAUSE LED EFFORTS TO FOCUS ON THE THREAT TO CONSTITUTIONAL CHECKS AND BALANCES POSED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEGISLATURE'S ARGUMENT THAT STATE COURTS SHOULD BE STRIPPED OF THE POWER TO REVIEW STATE GERRYMANDERS. COMMON CAUSE'S ATTORNEY, NEAL KATYAL PRESENTED ORAL ARGUMENTS, WHILE CC STAFF ORGANIZED THE NATIONAL LEGAL AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY, TOWN HALLS AND PRESS CONFERENCES AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND RALLY ON THE STEPS OF THE SUPREME COURT. - BYRD V. LEE, FLORIDA: IN FEDERAL COURT, COMMON CAUSE IS LEADING THE LEGAL CHALLENGE OF THE GERRYMANDERED CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP, WHICH UNDERMINED THE ABILITY OF BLACK FLORIDA VOTERS TO ELECT CANDIDATES OF THEIR CHOICE FOR CONGRESS AND IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE. THE CASE WENT TO TRIAL IN SEPTEMBER, 2023 AND IS AWAITING A DECISION.- COMMON CAUSE IS A PLAINTIFF IN LITIGATION OVER GERRYMANDERED MAPS IN GEORGIA AND TEXAS. WE ALSO FILED AMICUS BRIEFS IN REDISTRICTING CASES IN UTAH, MICHIGAN, AND NEW YORK.

MONEY IN POLITICS & ETHICS WE ENGAGED IN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH AROUND STATE-BASED MONEY IN POLITICS AND ETHICS ISSUES, INCLUDING:IN NEBRASKA, WE ISSUED A REPORT, "ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER RECORD: NEBRASKA'S CONTINUOUS LOBBYING CLIMB," FINDING LOBBYISTS BROKE RECORDS, EARNING OVER $21 MILLION IN COMPENSATION FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS TO INFLUENCE LEGISLATION AND SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE MT. KILIMANJARO SCANDAL, IN WHICH FIVE STATE SENATORS WERE SEEMINGLY PAID WITH A TRIP BY A FOOD SUPPLEMENT COMPANY IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCTS. WE REACHED OUT TO COMMON CAUSE MEMBERS AND GENERATED 15,000+ PUBLIC COMMENTS OPPOSING AN EFFORT TO FORCE THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CFTC) TO LEGALIZE GAMBLING ON ELECTION OUTCOMES.IN CALIFORNIA, WE ISSUED A REPORT "CALIFORNIA DREAM: USING PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS TO BUILD AN INCLUSIVE AND MULTI-RACIAL DEMOCRACY POWERED BY SMALL DONORS."IN MARYLAND, WE CONDUCTED EDUCATION AROUND BALTIMORE PUBLIC FINANCING, ELECTION, ETHICS PROGRAMS.