Manuscripts Collection
Common Cause/Minnesota, a local branch of the national organization Common Cause (U.S.), acts as a citizen lobby group and a watch dog on issues of government responsibility, accountability and disclosure. The group advocates for "Sunshine laws" intended to "open up the system" to public scrutiny and "Sunset legislation" that "instigates mechanisms for periodic review and assessment to determine that current legislation is serving its intended public purpose."
The collection is divided into three sections. The first section is the Organizational Files, which consist of correspondence, miscellaneous papers, bylaws, membership information, financial records, newsletters, printed materials, and minutes of the Executive Committee, the Board of Governors, and the Project Action Committee (PAC). The second section is the Political Action Files, which contain correspondence, miscellaneous papers, and reports by congressional district and state legislative district. The third section is the Subject Files, which include files on issues such as: conflicts of interest, the Equal Rights Amendment, ethics in government, monitoring political campaigns, and public financing of campaigns.
These records are divided into the following three sections:
Accession number: 12,404; 12,539; 16,825
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, April 1980; additions by David B. Peterson, November 2013
Catalog ID number: 09-0320711
Includes information abut the Calling project.
Scattered issues.
The material is related to state legislative districts, although the main organization of the files is by Congressional district.
Questionnaires and similar papers on state and national elections.
Includes the Robert Sikes case.
Includes the case of Buckley vs. Valeo and legislative reform briefing.