Nonprofit Voter Engagement

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Federal Court Rules on Voting Rights of Incarcerated Felons

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that Washington State felony inmates are entitled to vote under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The court held that current restrictions, which strip convicted felons of the right to vote while incarcerated or under Department of Corrections supervision, unfairly discriminate against minorities.

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A Song about Nonprofit Speech Rights in 2009

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Speech Rights are the thought of the day
Oh what fun it is to work
When nonprofits have a say, hey!

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Groups Use Citizens United as the Vehicle to Pass Public Financing

Dec 10, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

Many fear that if the Supreme Court decides in the Citizens United case to overturn limitations on corporate expenditures in political campaigns, it will transform elections with a deluge of corporate and union money. In preparation, groups are using this prospect as a way to advocate for election reform legislation, specifically public financing in House and Senate races.

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Group Asks FEC if Federal Election Law Preempts State Robocall Laws

Robocalls – automated phone messages – are one of the least expensive methods that political candidates use to reach voters. However, restrictions on unsolicited calls have complicated efforts by candidates who want to use political robocalls. While political robocalls are exempt from the national "do not call" registry, some states have implemented restrictions on them. A political organization is now asking whether these state laws run afoul of federal law.

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FEC Ruling Could Block State Laws on Robocalls

Dec 3, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

Robocalls, automated phone messages, are exempt from the national "do not call" registry. However, some states have implemented restrictions on robocalls. Some states require that a live operator talk first before connecting to the recording, while Arkansas and Wyoming have even banned them.

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Nonprofits Play Role in Legislative Push to Remove Barriers to Voting

Nonprofits are playing a key role in a recent legislative push to remove barriers from the voting process. Various organizations have kept voting issues at the forefront by continuously informing the public about policies and tactics that disenfranchise voters. These organizations' efforts focus on military voting concerns, online voter registration, and election reform as a means to ensure that all citizens are able to vote as easily as possible.

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Common Cause Reports on Possible Ramifications of Citizens United Case

Nov 3, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Supreme Court may soon decide the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) case, which could drastically change elections with an increased amount of corporate political spending. In preparation for the outcome, Common Cause has released a report titled, "Corporate Democracy: Potential fallout from a Supreme Court decision on Citizens United."

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Recent Push for Bipartisan Voter Reform Measures

Oct 30, 2009 by Lateefah Williams*

Recent efforts to reform and modernize the voter system have received bipartisan support. The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, which would allow overseas troops and American citizens to access voter information online, passed Congress last week with bipartisan support from legislators who "decried an antiquated voting system that left as many as one out of four overseas ballots uncounted," according to Roll Call.

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Role of Outside Groups Could Significantly Grow in Next Election

Oct 28, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

Eliza Newlin Carney's newest column in the National Journal ($$) discusses possible ramifications if the current trend of favoring deregulating campaign finance law continues. Carney notes that, "thanks to a sharp right turn in the judiciary, from the Supreme Court on down, those who favor a world without rules may be about to get their wish."

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FEC Announces Rule-Making on Coordinated Communications

Oct 14, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) to implement the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion in Shays v. FEC (Shays III). The court struck down FEC coordination rules, and other rules regarding "federal election activity."

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