Friend, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well in this uncertain time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended many of our expectations -- and Common Cause staff have shifted to work from home in compliance with public health guidelines.
But we haven’t slowed down one bit -- because our mission to protect voters’ rights during this pandemic has only grown more urgent.
We’re facing new strains on our election systems -- and seeing problems that we’ve always fought against made even worse. So if we want to have free, fair, and safe elections this year -- we must dramatically ramp up our work to keep voters informed and help election officials respond to this crisis.
We’ll also need to give voters more options for how to participate -- expanding vote-by-mail wherever possible, and offering other reforms like online voter registration or extended early voting to make sure no voter is left behind.
And, Friend, I’m proud to report that Common Cause’s state action teams are leading these efforts across the country.
Take Wisconsin -- where right now, we are mobilizing rapid-response action to demand that the state legislature postpone the in-person voting that’s scheduled for next Tuesday.
We’re up against a partisan GOP legislature who is still refusing to act -- even after large-scale dropouts by poll workers reduced the number of available polling places in Milwaukee from 180 to just 5 for the whole city. [1]
So, we’re using the digital organizing muscle we’ve spent years building to drive hundreds of letters and phone calls to the state capitol. Together, we’re condemning politicians who would let this pandemic suppress our votes -- and demanding they act to ensure all eligible voters can participate, whether that’s via absentee ballot, or safely in person at a later date.
That’s not all -- in states across the country, we are working with election officials to help expand vote-by-mail, or no-fault absentee voting, online registration, and other necessary reforms that make sure no voter is left behind as our elections adjust to this pandemic.
Friend, I’m writing today because the extraordinary level of new work we’ve taken on demands an extraordinary infusion of resources. I know that many of our members are in difficult financial circumstances right now -- so please only give if you are able to.
But if you can, your support will immediately go to work to make a difference for voters -- and ensure that everyone’s voice can be heard in this year’s elections.
Or give another amount >>
Here’s just one example of what we’re dealing with: we’ve never seen this many changes to election dates and procedures, in such a short timespan, in Common Cause’s entire 50-year history.
It’s the right thing to do for public health, but it also requires serious effort to inform voters about the changes -- and make sure every eligible voter is able to cast their ballots safely and freely.
So, in states that have already moved their primaries, we are partnering with election officials to spread the word, implement new reforms, and make sure voters can participate in the ways that work best for them.
Take Maryland, which moved its primary from April to June -- and is expanding vote-by-mail options to help voters participate without overwhelming their systems, while ensuring safe in-person voting options are available for those who need them. [2]
Or in Ohio, where we’re educating voters about their right to vote by absentee ballot and making sure they request one in time -- after the state’s last-minute decision to postpone its primary just hours before voting was set to begin. [3]
And in New York, which moved its presidential primary to June, we’re fighting to expand absentee voting -- so that no New Yorker has to choose between their health and their right to vote. [4]
In each of these states, Common Cause is there to help -- using our decades of expertise to help implement these necessary changes fairly, equitably, and effectively.
And it’s thanks to the financial support of ordinary, concerned Americans like you that we’re able to make it happen. So, if you’re able to, you can make a major impact for voters today with your 2020 Voting Rights contribution >>
We’ve fought for half a century to protect every American’s right to vote -- and that fight has taken on new importance now. I’m glad we can continue to count on your support.
Thanks for all you do,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/wisconsin-governor-in-abrupt-reversal-urges-delay-of-tuesdays-primary/2020/04/03/928392e2-75ae-11ea-85cb-8670579b863d_story.html
[2] https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0405-coronavirus-elections-maryland-pirg-common-cause-20200402-lx4fx3onw5ggldz6gsfidde7ya-story.html
[3] https://www.facebook.com/CommonCauseOhio/photos/a.208847502509338/3009402205787173/
[4] https://www.commoncause.org/new-york/page/safeguarding-democracy-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
