Common Cause Texas is the Texas state branch of Common Cause, a left-of-center advocacy organization. Common Cause Texas lobbies for changes to the Texas judicial-selection process, campaign finance laws, and election laws.

The organization’s executive director said he was “really concerned about violence at the polls” prior to the 2022 midterm elections and said there was “limited” violence during the elections. ¹

The organization asserts that judges in Texas should be selected by independent commissions that are required to “consider region, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other demographic factors” and “ensure that the commission as a whole reflects a state’s diversity.”  ² The organization also said that Shelby v. Holder, a Supreme Court decision on Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, “undermined the freedom to vote for diverse Texans.” ³

Agenda

Changes to Judicial Selection

Common Cause Texas advocates that the method of selection for Texas state-court judges be changed. The organization claims that “far too many judges in Texas are funding their campaigns by taking contributions from the very same attorneys who will be in front of them in their courtrooms once they’re elected” and that “far too many Texans go to the polls to vote in judicial races with little to no knowledge of the candidates.” ⁴

The organization is a member of the Texas Fair Courts Network, a coalition of left-of-center activist groups which seek to change the way judges are selected in Texas. ⁵ In public testimony before the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection, the Texas Fair Courts Network said judges should be selected by independent commissions whose appointers should be required to “consider region, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other demographic factors” and “ensure that the commission as a whole reflects a state’s diversity.” ⁶ The coalition also said that these commissions should be selected by an independent board and the state’s governor without any input from the state legislature. ⁷

Election Policy

Common Cause Texas works to change election policy in Texas. Following the 2022 midterm elections, Common Cause Texas executive director Anthony Gutierrez said he had “very low expectations” leading up to the elections, claiming he was “really concerned about violence at the polls,” but stated that the violence was “limited.” ⁸ Common Cause Texas said changes to Texas election law after the 2022 midterms were “an intentional form of partisan takeovers of local election offices.” ⁹

Anthony Gutierrez claimed it was “super clear” that Republicans did not want new Texas residents to vote in the 2020 election after several Republican officials attempted to invalidate votes in Harris County, Texas, claiming that the way the votes were cast violated state election law. ¹⁰

Common Cause Texas said that Shelby County v. Holder, a Supreme Court case over Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, “gutted the Voting Rights Act and left state legislatures free to enact more dangerous, suppressive legislation” that undermined the “freedom to vote for diverse Texans.” ¹¹

Campaign Finance and Redistricting

Common Cause Texas also advocates for changes to state campaign finance law. The organization says state campaign contributions should be limited to “add much-needed balance to our democracy and enforce tougher rules to ensure politicians can’t be bought by the highest bidder.” ¹²

Organization

Common Cause Texas is a state branch of Common Cause, a progressive 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. ¹³ Anthony Gutierrez, Common Cause Texas’s executive director, previously worked as a staffer for the Democratic National Committee and the Texas Democratic Party. He also ran several campaigns and a political consulting agency prior to joining Common Cause Texas. ¹⁴

1. Robert Downen. “Texas avoided election violence. Advocates say voters still need more protection.” Texas Tribune, November 11, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/11/texas-midterms-violence-pollwatchers-threats/.
2. Texas Fair Courts Network. “Public Testimony to the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.” June 5, 2020. https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1447208/tfcn-testimony-20200605.pdf.
3. Common Cause Texas. “From Suppression to Subversion: Texas Voting Rights Since Shelby v Holder.” https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/568711/. Accessed July 4, 2023.
4. Common Cause Texas. “Free People Deserve Fair Courts.” https://www.commoncause.org/texas/our-work/protect-the-constitution-courts-other-democracy-reforms/independent-courts/. Accessed July 3, 2023.
5. Texas Fair Courts Network. “Public Testimony to the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.” June 5, 2020. https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1447208/tfcn-testimony-20200605.pdf.
6. Texas Fair Courts Network. “Public Testimony to the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.” June 5, 2020. https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1447208/tfcn-testimony-20200605.pdf.
7. Texas Fair Courts Network. “Public Testimony to the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.” June 5, 2020. https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1447208/tfcn-testimony-20200605.pdf.
8. Robert Downen. “Texas avoided election violence. Advocates say voters still need more protection.” Texas Tribune, November 11, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/11/texas-midterms-violence-pollwatchers-threats/.
9. Robert Downen. “Texas avoided election violence. Advocates say voters still need more protection.” Texas Tribune, November 11, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/11/texas-midterms-violence-pollwatchers-threats/.
10. Frida Garza and Erum Salam. “Judge dismisses Republican effort to invalidate Texas drive-through ballots.” The Guardian, November 3, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/03/texas-republicans-harris-county-drive-through-ballots.
11. Common Cause Texas. “From Suppression to Subversion: Texas Voting Rights Since Shelby v Holder.” https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/568711/. Accessed July 4, 2023.
12. Common Cause Texas. “Curbing the Influence of Money in Politics.” https://www.commoncause.org/texas/our-work/reduce-moneys-influence/fight-big-money-in-texas/. Accessed July 4, 2023.
13. Common Cause. “Find Your State.” https://www.commoncause.org/about-us/. Accessed July 3, 2023.
14. Common Cause Texas. “Anthony Gutierrez.” https://www.commoncause.org/people/anthony-gutierrez/. Accessed July 3, 2023.