Hi John

For more than five decades, Common Cause has been fighting to make democracy work for everyone. From the halls of Congress to local election offices, we’ve built a movement that stands up to corruption, strengthens accountability, and protects the power of the people.

It started in 1970, when John W. Gardner founded Common Cause as an independent, nonpartisan organization for Americans who believed democracy should work for the public good.

Within a year, we helped pass the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age to 18 — empowering millions of young people to have a say in their future.

From there, we’ve kept going:

• We exposed corruption and reformed Congress. We helped pass the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Ethics in Government Act, and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act — placing real limits on money in politics and creating the FEC to enforce them.
  

• We expanded voting rights and fairness. From Wisconsin’s first sunshine law to multiple Voting Rights Act extensions, to fighting gerrymandering in North Carolina and Ohio, we’ve been in the trenches defending equal representation.
  

• We stood up for transparency. We’ve pushed sunshine and open records laws in dozens of states, ensuring government decisions happen in the open, not behind closed doors.
  

• We’ve put people first. In Connecticut, Maryland, and New York, we helped pass small-donor public financing laws that give everyday voters a stronger voice in politics.
  

• We’ve defended the truth in media. From defeating corporate media mergers to stopping Sinclair Broadcasting’s expansion, we’ve fought to keep local journalism alive and accountable.

Every one of these wins was powered by people like you.

But John, our democracy is facing challenges we haven’t seen in generations: voter suppression laws, dark money flooding elections, and growing disinformation threatening public trust.

We set an ambitious $150,000 fundraising goal for Giving Tuesday. And with your support we can reach this goal and protect the right to vote, stop corruption, and build a democracy that truly represents all of us.

Make your Giving Tuesday gift for democracy »

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Your contribution today helps ensure that five decades of progress become fifty more.

In solidarity,

The team at Common Cause