Common Cause Florida is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has been working for nearly 50 years to uphold the core values of American democracy, including an open, accountable government that is of, by, and for the people. They focus on issues around voting, and ensuring that every vote counts, that every eligible voter gets their chance to have a say, and that our elections represent the will of the people.
Our guest today, Amy Keith, started working for Common Cause Florida about a year and a half ago as Florida Program Director, leading the organization’s voting rights, redistricting, and accountability work, including its federal congressional redistricting case that’s still working its way through the system. As of December 1st she now serves as the organization’s Executive Director.
In that federal congressional redistricting case (Common Cause Florida v. Byrd) Common Cause Florida, Fair Districts Now, the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, and individual voters from across Florida argue that the Florida Legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis engaged in intentional racial discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution when they crafted the state’s current congressional map.
The new map modified Florida’s former fifth district in north Florida, turning a reliably minority and Democrat district into four new ones which all elected white Republicans in 2022. That case was heard in Federal Court back in September and they’re still awaiting a ruling.
There is another case working its way through the state court system that's challenging the new district map, arguing it violates Florida's 2010 Fair Districts Amendment to the state constitution. You can learn more about it here.
But this case is just one of the issues that Common Cause Florida is focusing on right now. We spoke with her to get an overview of the work she’s done, and what’s on the horizon.
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