A serious financial hit

Common Cause will remain unbought and unbossed.

Two weeks ago, we announced we returned a $200,000 donation and asked our members to help us fill the gap. Since then, Common Cause members showed up in a massive way. Thousands of people like you mobilized in the last week - from chipping in to show we're stronger than one billionaire to speaking up in defense of our First Amendment. Together, we're showing that our collective power is stronger than any one billionaire. Read on to learn about how we got here and how you can help keep the momentum going. Pamela, Common Cause is taking a serious financial hit to ensure we remain an independent voice for We The People and nobody else. Some background: last month, California voters received a mailer that falsely implied we oppose the state drawing new maps to counterbalance Texas and other states' pro-GOP gerrymanders. [1] The source of these mailers? California billionaire Charles Munger Jr. – who we've worked with in the past on fair redistricting, and is now bankrolling the campaign against California's ballot measure. So, we wrote to Mr. Munger, demanding that he remove our name from his mailers and returning a $200,000 contribution we received from him last month to support our voter education work. [2] That's serious money – especially for an organization like Common Cause, and especially when we're already stretching every dollar we've got as American democracy faces truly unprecedented threats. But Common Cause is not for sale. Our principles, and the mission that you've entrusted us with, must always come first. You see, when we announced we wouldn't oppose California's redistricting plan – because it complied with the fairness criteria our experts developed – nearly all of you who wrote back (over 95%) said you agreed with our decision. But Mr. Munger didn't … as we learned from a few angry phone calls. But with the lion's share of members like you on one side, and one billionaire on the other – we had to go with the people, not the money. Common Cause won't be bought. That's what we said in our letter to Mr. Munger, and we hope it's as important to you as it is to us. That's because while we're confident in our decision, $200,000 isn't an amount we can just write off. We're going to need to make this money up somewhere… or scale back our work – at the same moment Trump's GOP is eyeing states like Ohio, Florida, and Missouri to push his election-rigging scheme. So, we're writing to you in hopes that members like you will agree we did the right thing, and back that belief up with action. Don't worry, Pamela: We're not asking you for $200,000. But, I am hoping that every person reading this can chip in $20, or whatever you can spare, as an investment in the independent, fearless, and resilient Common Cause our nation desperately needs right now >> If you've saved your info with ActBlue, we'll process your contribution instantly: CHIP IN $5 CHIP IN $10 CHIP IN $20 CHIP IN $35 CHIP IN $50 CHIP IN $100 CHIP IN OTHER AMOUNT We hope we can count on your support, The team at Common Cause [1] https://www.commoncause.org/california/articles/did-you-get-this-mailer/ [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/us/political-neutrality-redistricting-california.html Common Cause is a leader in fights that matter at the local, state, and national level. Your support helps us fight special interests, hold elected officials accountable, and build a better democracy for all Americans. DONATE Interested in volunteering with our Action Team? Sign up here. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 202.833.1200 https://commoncause.org Common Cause's work to defend and strengthen our democracy is powered by members like you. You can use this link to unsubscribe or let us know you'd like to receive fewer emails from us.

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