Common Cause facts for kids
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| Formation | 1970 |
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| Founder | John W. Gardner |
| Type | 501(c)4 organization |
| Location | |
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Area served
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United States |
| Method | Advocacy |
Common Cause is a group that watches over the government. It is based in Washington, D.C. and has offices in 35 states. John W. Gardner, who was a government leader, started the group in 1970. He also led a group that helped minorities and people in cities.
When Common Cause first started, it worked to end the Vietnam War. It also helped lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
Common Cause is known for working for government reform. This means they try to make the government better and fairer. They are often called a "watchdog group" because they keep an eye on how power is used. Their main goal is to make sure that people in power are responsible for their actions. They want a government that is open, honest, and serves everyone. They also work to make sure all people have equal rights and can share their ideas in politics.
What Common Cause Works On
Common Cause focuses on several important areas. These include how money is used in politics, voting and elections, government ethics, making the economy fair, and how media and democracy work together.
Rules for the U.S. Constitution
Common Cause does not support calling a special meeting to change the United States Constitution. This type of meeting is called an Article V convention. Both groups who want more changes and groups who want fewer changes have suggested these meetings.
For example, some groups want to limit how much money can be given to politicians. Other groups want to change how states govern themselves. Common Cause believes that such a meeting could lead to big, unplanned changes to the Constitution. They worry that important rights could be lost. They also think that states controlled by one political party might control the meeting. This could make it hard to get good changes for things like voting rights. Any changes from such a meeting would need approval from three-quarters of the states.
Government Ethics
Common Cause has worked hard to make sure government officials act honestly. In 1978, they helped pass a law called the Ethics in Government Act. This law made government officials share their financial information. It also made it harder for people to move directly from government jobs to business jobs where they might use their old connections.
In 1989, they helped pass another ethics law. This law stopped members of Congress from getting special payments from outside groups. It also closed a loophole that allowed politicians to use money meant for campaigns for their own personal use.
Common Cause's efforts led to investigations and resignations of important leaders. These included Jim Wright in 1988 and Newt Gingrich in 1995, both Speakers of the House.
During the 2016 presidential election, Common Cause raised concerns about the Clinton Foundation. They suggested it could cause problems if Hillary Clinton became president. They asked for an independent check of the foundation's money. They also wanted all donors to be made public.
The group also criticized Donald Trump for not sharing his tax returns during the 2016 election. They were concerned about possible conflicts of interest from his businesses. They asked him to put his business assets into a "blind trust." This would mean someone else would manage them without him knowing the details.
Money in Politics
In 1972, Common Cause took legal action against President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. They wanted the campaign to report early donations. This lawsuit made several of Nixon's donors known to the public. In 1974, Common Cause supported the Federal Election Campaign Act. This law brought public funding for presidential campaigns. It also created the Federal Election Commission to watch over campaign ethics.
Publicly-Funded Elections
Common Cause supports using public money to fund elections. This helps reduce the power of large donations from special interest groups. They have had success with this in several places. These include New York City in 1999, Connecticut in 2005, and California. They also helped bring public funding to Montgomery County, Maryland in 2014, and Portland, Oregon in 2016. More recently, they helped Howard County, Maryland in 2017, and Prince George's County, Maryland in 2018.
Voting and Elections
Fair Voting Districts
Common Cause works to stop gerrymandering. This is when voting districts are drawn unfairly to favor one political party. In 2016, they filed a lawsuit in North Carolina. They argued that the district maps there were unfair. Their North Carolina group has also pushed for a nonpartisan way to draw districts. This idea has support from both major political parties in the state. Common Cause is also challenging unfair district drawing in states controlled by Democrats, like Maryland.
Voting Machines
Common Cause believes that all election machines should create a paper record of each vote. This is called a voter-verified paper audit trail. This way, people can check if their vote was counted correctly. The group has collected many complaints about electronic voting machines.
National Popular Vote
Common Cause wants the president to be elected by the most votes from all citizens. This is called a national popular vote. They want to replace the current Electoral College system. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Common Cause supported the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. They felt this compact would help fix what they called an "anti-democratic" result in that election.
Voter Identification
Common Cause works with an organization called VoteRiders.
How Common Cause is Organized
Leaders of Common Cause
Karen Hobert Flynn became the president of Common Cause in June 2016. She served until her death in March 2023. Virginia Kase Solomón was named the new president on December 14, 2023.
Here are some of the people who have led Common Cause as president:
- Jack Conway (1971–1975)
- David Cohen (1975–1981)
- Fred Wertheimer (1981–1995)
- Ann McBride (1995–1999) — She worked for Common Cause for a long time before becoming president.
- Scott Harshbarger (1999–2002) — He was a state attorney general before leading Common Cause.
- Chellie Pingree (2003–2007) — After leaving Common Cause, she became a U.S. Representative.
- Robert W. (Bob) Edgar (2007–2013) — He was a U.S. Representative before becoming president of Common Cause. He passed away in April 2013 while in office.
- Miles S. Rapoport (2014–2016) — He led another group called Demos and was a Secretary of State for Connecticut.
- Karen Hobert Flynn (2016–2023) — She passed away in March 2023 while in office.
- Virginia Kase Solomón (2023- ) — She was the CEO of the League of Women Voters before joining Common Cause.
Here are three important people who have led Common Cause's board:
- John W. Gardner (1970–1978) — He was the founder and first chairman of the group.
- Archibald Cox (1980–1992) — He was a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal.
- Robert Reich (2013–2018) — He was a former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration. He took a break from Common Cause in 2016 to work on a presidential campaign, then returned.
How Common Cause Gets Money
Common Cause and its sister group, the Common Cause Educational Fund, have a total budget of about $18 million each year. Common Cause is set up as a 501(c)(4) organization. Its sister group, the Common Cause Educational Fund, is a 501(c)(3) organization. These numbers refer to different types of non-profit groups under U.S. tax law.
See also
- Rucho v. Common Cause, a major case in 2019 involving Common Cause that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
