Aloha State News

Common Cause has released its 2022 "Democracy Scorecard," which evaluates the positions of all members of Congress on issues such as campaign finance reform, ethics and transparency, and voting rights legislation. The scorecard is intended to assist constituents in holding their leaders accountable for supporting democracy-strengthening legislation.

Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause, stated: "Our Democracy Scorecard empowers constituents with information on where our members of Congress stand on the people’s pro-democracy agenda." She noted that support for democracy reform in Congress has grown since 2020. At that time, 58 members achieved perfect scores compared to 101 this year.

The scorecard analyzes U.S. Senators' actions regarding various legislative matters, including confirming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and participating in a nonpartisan investigation into the January 6 attack. It also considers efforts like the DISCLOSE Act and proposals to amend filibuster rules related to voting rights.

Flynn remarked: “Absent the Jim Crow filibuster, reforms that expand the freedom to vote... would be the law of the land today.” She emphasized urgency by asking: “If we don’t move forward on this legislation after an insurrection, then when?”

The assessment extends to U.S. Representatives' involvement in multiple legislative pieces, such as Trump's impeachment proceedings and the establishment of a January 6 Select Committee. Sandy Ma, Executive Director of Common Cause Hawaii, highlighted: “Our democracy is strongest when constituents are informed about the job our elected leaders are doing in Washington.”

Two Hawaiian Senators—Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz—earned perfect scores on this year's scorecard. Additionally, Representative Ed Case received near-perfect marks with a score of 17 out of 18.

Some key findings from the scorecard include California having 19 congressional members with perfect scores—the highest among states—and Vermont being unique for its entire delegation earning perfect scores. Seven states have both senators achieving top marks: Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont.

In preparation for this release over six months ago, Common Cause sent four letters informing each member's office about their inclusion in this report. Since then, more than 250 additional cosponsors have been added due to their efforts.

Common Cause maintains a nonpartisan stance without endorsing or opposing political candidates.

To view further details within the full report or access specifics around scoring criteria used during evaluation processes can find it through official channels provided by Common Cause directly.