DENVER, CO – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and its client, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Colorado League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), submitted a brief to the Colorado Supreme Court urging the Court to reject the Congressional Redistricting Commission’s adopted map because it violates the Colorado Constitution’s strong protections of Latino voters.

“The Latino community in Colorado has been growing quickly, and the new maps this year need to reflect that,” said Mark Gaber, senior director of redistricting at CLC and the lead attorney representing LULAC. “Coloradans voted overwhelmingly in 2018 to reform the congressional redistricting process and guarantee strong protections for the state’s large and rapidly growing Latino population. Communities require equity in government representation so that their voices are heard and needs are met. The map adopted by the Commission fails that standard and should be rejected by the Colorado Supreme Court.”

In Colorado, 21.9% of people identify as Latino and that community has increased by close to a quarter million people over the last decade. In spite of this, the Commission’s submitted congressional map needlessly prevents these voters from electing Latino-preferred candidates in the State’s congressional delegation. The Commission’s map violates the state Constitution’s strong protection of Latino voters’ electoral influence. The dilutive map was also the product of a secretive process in which the Commission evaluated minority vote dilution outside of public view and in violation of the Constitution’s robust transparency requirements. 

CLC and LULAC have submitted two alternative congressional plans that satisfy all the Commission’s other redistricting criteria as well or better than the Commission’s map, while also avoiding the preventable dilution of Latino voters. Both maps, viewable on CLC’s website, would protect Latino voting rights by drawing districts in southern Colorado and the north Denver suburbs that do not dilute Latino voters’ electoral influence.

At Campaign Legal Center, we are advancing democracy through law. Learn more about our work.

KANSAS CITY, KS – Tomorrow, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Simpson Thacher are presenting oral arguments at 1 p.m. Central Time in the Kansas City Courthouse before District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil in VoteAmerica v. Schwab, a legal challenge to Kansas law, H.B. 2332. That law restricts the distribution of mail ballot applications to voters by nonprofit organizations that work to promote higher levels of voting.

The plaintiffs filed suit in federal court on June 2, 2021 to block anti-voter provisions in H.B. 2332, which are set to go into effect in January. CLC and Simpson Thatcher are representing VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center, two nonprofits that work to promote voting and would suffer greatly if the law takes effect.

“America saw record voter turnout in last year’s presidential election. That is a sign of a healthy democracy,” said Paul Smith, vice president at Campaign Legal Center (CLC. “It’s a shame that politicians in Kansas see voting as a threat to their power. The court should allow our clients, nonpartisan organizations, to engage with voters and help people navigate confusing systems and facilitate voting by mail. H.B. 2332 is unconstitutional, and the court should strike it down.”

Earlier this year, the Kansas legislature overrode the governor’s veto and passed H.B. 2332, an omnibus elections bill that prohibits out-of-state entities from mailing advance mail ballot applications to any voter in the state, in violation of the organizations’ ability to engage in voter engagement efforts that constitute political speech protected by the First Amendment.

H.B. 2332 also criminalizes the mailing of advance mail ballot applications personalized with the voter’s name, address and other information, even if the voter provided that information and specifically requested an advance mail ballot application.

At Campaign Legal Center, we are advancing democracy through law. Learn more about our work.

Each of these three members spent less than 25% of their leadership PAC funds on political activity during the 2020 election cycle - instead spending funds on things like travel, meals and other luxuries – possibly violating House rules regarding personal use of campaign funds.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed complaints with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) against three members of the U.S. House of Representatives – Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) – urging the OCE to investigate whether these members violated House rules governing the personal use of campaign funds.

At issue is spending by the members’ respective leadership political action committees (PAC). While most members of Congress primarily use their leadership PACs to make political contributions, these members spent less than a quarter of their leadership PAC funds on politics while still managing to spend significant sums on things like travel, high-end dining and sporting events.

“The law is clear that campaign funds cannot be used for personal use. When voters see thousands of campaign dollars spent on resort traveling and entertainment, they question whether the law is enforced,” said Kedric Payne, general counsel and senior director of ethics at Campaign Legal Center. “Many leadership PACs look like slush funds, and that diminishes the public’s trust in our campaign finance system.”

Much of the foundation for these complaints was laid out by a report published by CLC and Issue One on September 30th, which examined the spending by every leadership PAC that was both affiliated with a member of Congress and active during the 2019-2020 election cycle. The report found that Moulton spent just 8% of leadership PAC funds on politics while Moore spent 12% and Kelly spent 22%.

When that money is spent to enrich members of Congress, it is also funding an erosion of public trust. The OCE has investigated members for converting leadership PAC funds for personal use in the near past. It must do so again with these three members.

At Campaign Legal Center, we are advancing democracy through law. Learn more about our work.