Common Cause Education Fund

The Common Cause Education Fund (CCEF) works to promote greater citizen participation in the political process and a more open and accountable government.  It is one of a handful of firmly-established and well-run national organizations working to protect the vote, create fair and representative districts, and reduce the influence of money in politics.  Often Common Cause Education Fund works in concert with other national organizations but it sets itself apart with its unparalleled network of state-based chapters through which it affects key legal and policy outcomes.

This grant supports two areas of CCEF’s work: Voting and Redistricting.  In the voting area, funded activities promote modernization of voter registration systems and address polling place problems.  In redistricting, funded activities include litigation of key redistricting cases and scholarly research to support fair and representative redistricting processes.

The Common Cause Education Fund works to promote greater citizen participation in the political process and a more open and accountable government. It is one of a handful of firmly-established and well-run national organizations working to protect the vote, create fair and representative districts, and reduce the influence of money in politics. This grant supports the national and state-based activities to protect and promote voting in the 2014 and 2016 elections and the longer-term planning and strategic activities to modernize election systems and advance a fair and representative legislative districts drawing process in 2021.

Common Cause Education Fund works to promote more open and accountable government and greater citizen participation in the political process. This grant supports a six month planning process and national convening to build agreement around core redistricting reform principles among civil rights and good government organizations. This work will lay the foundation for a long-term strategic and coordinated effort to improve the 2021 redistricting process.

The Common Cause Education Fund is the public education and research affiliate of Common Cause which has chapters in 35 states and 400,000 members and supporters. It conducts research and policy analysis, provides litigation support, develops communications strategies to engage the press and public, and leads collaborations with other national organizations in order to promote greater citizen participation in the political process and a more open and accountable government. MacArthur funds will support two program areas: Money and Politics, and Voting and Elections. In the area of Money and Politics, Common Cause Education Fund will work to increase public awareness and support of disclosure of independent expenditures, and expose and limit corporate influence on policymaking processes. In the area of Voting and Elections, it will educate voters about the barriers to voting, and support elections administration activities that facilitate voting.