This is from Lisa Prosienski, a national staff member working in Columbus.  If you are in Ohio, please come out and join us. We have another packed weekend lined up with full of organizing activities to clean up that state:

We have yet another busy weekend fulll of reform related organizing activities in Ohio.  Please come out and join the Reform Ohio Now team at any of the organized events to reform Ohio this week.  View the list of campaign activities by clicking "read more" below.  You can sign up to volunteer and make sure you get advanced notice on local events by clicking here.

If you have any questions, please call our Columbus office at (614) 224-2497 or send an email to me at lprosienski@commoncause.org.  Thank you for your support and click "read more" below for the details!

As I write this, we have 48 hours until we know whether Albuquerque will lead the nation by being the first city to adopt Clean Elections through an initiative process.  We are in the final lap, but we're not done yet.

It is imperative that Albuquerque residents vote yes on the Open and Ethical Elections Code on Tuesday.  We have a chance at winning this, but we must have your support.  This measure is the first one on your ballot at the top of the page after you turn it over. 

The largest newspaper in the state, The Albuquerque Journal, released a poll Sunday morning that showed 54% of Albuquerque residents in favor of this proposal, with only 28% opposed.  You can read the full article here.  We are heartened by this news, but we cannot give up the fight.

I have been in Albuquerque for almost three weeks and I have met some of the most amazing people.  Ordinary folks, just wanting a more fair system of elections, have been volunteered to knock on doors and tell their neighbors.  With their help, we have knocked on thousands of doors.  I have seen those who preferred calling or those who couldn't walk the precincts offer their time to phone bank.  And with their help we have called thousands of Albuquerque residents to answer questions and encourage them to vote. 

We have had through our office in the last three weeks an acting teacher who fit in a few hours of phone banking between lessons.  A UNM student with three jobs has been in numerous times to call other residents.  A Colorado staff member brought down two interns and a board member to help canvas.  Oregon, California and DC staff have also joined in.  We had a doctor come down from Sante Fe and a couple of guys join us from Los Alamos.  Young politicos, grandmothers, state senators, Common Cause staff, a nurse, high school and college students--they have all pounded the pavement and reached out to other Duke City residents and I have been floored by their commitment and courage.  You can find pictures of just a few of them below.

Hello from Albuquerque, New Mexico!  Common Cause New Mexico has been involved in the fight to level the political playing field in Duke City for some time now and we're down to the final days.  As you may remember, we made a call for volunteers to help out with passing the Open and Ethical Elections Code for Albuquerque.  This is similar to the Clean Elections work we've been active on throughout the country, from Connecticut to North Carolina to Hawaii.  And needless to say, if you can help out, please let us know!

But I wanted to update you on our exciting progress.  We have had success in rallying volunteers.  Many Common Cause folks responded to our CauseNet on Friday and many local folks have offered their time as well.  Matt and I hit two classes at the University of New Mexico (go Lobos!) yesterday and got over 20 new volunteers.  We're going to 2 more classes today.  We are getting volunteers in the door, but we can always use more.

We have also been working closely with coalition members which include the League of Women Voters, Albuquerque Interfaith, NM PIRG, NM Voices for Children, Conservation Voters of NM, Democracy for NM, SAGE Council, Southwest Organizing Project, PACE, Albuquerque Sierra Club, 1000 Friends of New Mexico, Grey Panthers, plus State Senator Dede Feldman, former New Mexico Senate President Richard Romero, and Mayoral candidates Eric Greigo and David Steele.  But click "Read more" below to hear what people around the country are saying about the Open and Ethical Elections Code in Albuquerque.

This is DJ Francis, on behalf of Matt Brix, Executive Director of Common Cause New Mexico, and we want to extend an invitation out to you and all other members from Common Cause to come out to Albuquerque, New Mexico and help us in our fight for Clean Elections in.  For decades, Common Cause has been pushing to eliminate the corrupting influence of money in politics, and our effort in New Mexico is picking up steam.  We only have two and a half weeks left in the campaign and we have an opportunity to make real change in this campaign, which will have national ramifications encouraging reform movement all around the country.

We are close to tasting victory in Albuquerque, but we urgently need volunteers that can go the extra mile for Clean Money campaign finance reform.  That's why we are asking you to join us in New Mexico.  Wherever you are, we hope you will consider making a special trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the next two and a half weeks to work with our state staff and volunteers.  Please sign up now to volunteer now:

http://www.commoncause.org/JoinUsInAlbuquerque

Our efforts have already begun, but we need your help to get us over the edge.  We can win this, but only with your help.  

We know this is asking a lot, but we assure you it may be the most rewarding campaigning you ever do.  Common Cause staff from across the country is joining our local volunteers and those from across the country who care about Clean Elections.  A win in Albuquerque will significantly support our efforts for public financing in other cities and states.  Plus, it's great fun!  I hope you can join us.

(l-r) Pete Maysmith, Executive Director Colorado Common Cause; Ambrosia Ortiz, lead canvasser; Marshall Martinez, lead canvasser; Matt Brix, Executive Director Common Cause New Mexico

Common Cause New Jersey Director Lauren Skowronski was working from the Washington, DC, office earlier this week and we worked together on reforming "pay to play" practices in Jersey, which for all intents and purposes is a form of "legalized bribery.  Lauren has done a lot of great work on this and other issues, but pay to play reform provisions are currently in danger.  If Acting Governor Codey (D) does not bring Enabling Legislation (S1987) before the senate and urge his collegues to pass it, weak state laws will reempt stronger local reforms.

Currently, over 50 municipalities in N.J. have passed "pay to play" reform laws, which will be preempted when the state law goes into effect in January.  Most of these were passed through citizen actions of petition drives or presentations to town/city councils.

The N.J. Assembly took corrective action the following November, by passing Enabling Legislation (S1987), which specifically allows local and county government to pass their own stronger "pay to play" reform laws.  The N.J. Senate has continuously put this legislation on the back burner. As Senate President, the decision to post a bill for a vote is in Acting Governor Codey's hands.

Lauren is urging residents of the Garden State to call Acting Gov. Codey at (609) 292-6000 and ask him to bring pay to play reform legislation before the state senate.  Lawmakers have only a few short months left to pass this important legislation, so, if you live in New Jersey, please call today.  And if you don't live in New Jersey, you can tell friends and family there to make this call.  We can fortify pay to play reforms for the good of all in the Garden State.

Going south in the middle of August is not something I would normally do.  Washington, DC, is built on a swamp, but it is just *blazingly hot* down there.

But head south I did for another training on our internet and email system for our offices in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.  Suzy and Robbins from Texas, Dot from Louisiana and Gail from Oklahoma put in two full days of training.  If you are a resident of one of these states, expect to hear even more from our leaders there.  They are all working on important Common Cause issues.

I was certainly appreciative that they all took the time out of their busy schedules to meet with me.  You may remember a training in North Carolina earlier in the year.  Again, I am working with the states to fully utilize the new tools we have at our fingertips.  Since they are the experts, we use real-life examples of how they can use the web and CauseNets to help their campaigns.  I will be working with at least 6 more states yet this summer--expect good things from all of them!

Clockwise from left: Dot Wise Wirth (LA), Robbins Jones (TX), Gail Poole (OK), Suzy Woodford (TX), me

Hi everyone-- here's an update from Bob Phillips in North Carolina.  Over 800 North Carolina residents have signed a Confidence in Voting Bill petition drive we launched few weeks ago. and we just went back to them with the opportunity to pass the word along to their friends, family and co-workers in the state.  These are the activists who realize how important it is that elections in North Carolina be fair and reliable.  If you have friends or family in North Carolina, you can help too.  Use our action center tool to send information and a link to the petition to your contacts in North Carolina.

Bob has been sending regular emails to our members in North Carolina and has kept them informed about the state's two big issues: election reform and lobby reform.  You can read text of Bob's email below after the jump.  As always, look for more activism to come out of the Tar Heel state.  

After a successful first run of its Holding Power Accountable Forum series in April, Common Cause of Utah tried to avoid a sophomore jinx in the second installment on June 30.  Titled, "Utah's Open Records Law: Can GRAMA Survive in the 21st Century?", Common Cause of Utah put out the word and invited the public to the Salt Lake City Library Thursday for a government records extravaganza.
 
While not the sexiest issue out there, the matter of accessibility to government records constitutes a fundamental feature of open and accountable government.  Utah's Government Records and Management Act (GRAMA) is facing its greatest threat since its inception in 1992.  The state legislature is studying the law in an interim task force, and with the prospect of having to categorize email and other electronic communications as public records, some legislators are all too ready to close down broad categories of important government records to public access.
 
Thanks to our publicity (and with special thanks to the efforts of KCPW, a local NPR affiliate), our attendance on June 30 exceeded that of our first forum, despite the upcoming holiday weekend.  Joining us on the panel for the June 30 event were Joel Campbell,  Assistant Professor of Communications at BYU and co-chair of the Society of Professional Journalist's national Freedom of Information Committee; Jeff Hunt, First Amendment and media lawyer, and founder of the Utah Freedom of Information Hotline; and Frank Nakamura, city attorney of Murray City, and one of the good guys in government supporting the principles of open records.  Also joining us in the audience was State Representative Roz McGee, and one of the original writers of the GRAMA law, Kate Lahey.  The panel was well-received by our audience, and the ensuing discussion received high marks in our evaluation process.  The event was well-covered by Natalie Andrews of the Deseret Morning News.


CC/UT Board members Ed Williams and Kay Brim at the forum

Having gained confidence with 2 successful forums, we hope to set the bar higher for our next effort.  In September (date to be determined), we plan on featuring the work of the Committee on Consumer Services and the role for public advocacy in utility rate-setting.  The issue has been hot since Governor Huntsman unceremoniously sacked its director, Roger Ball, earlier this year.  The Committee also remains in the crosshairs of legislators who are anxious to do the bidding of the large utility companies and kill the role of public advocacy in the regulatory process.  Stay tuned!