2. Goals:  Common Cause’s main goals are to be a vehicle for citizens to be involved in the political process and hold the elected accountable to public interest. increase public participation, ensure that the government is serving the common good, curb the excessive influence that money has on government and illuminate the relationships between lobbying money and gov’t policies going out, promote fair honest and transparent elections, hold officials accountable, fight for independent and vigorous media, protect all civil liberties.

3. What type of interest group?  The Common Cause interest group classify themselves as a “public interest group”

4. What techniques do you see the group using?  Together with our sister organization, the Common Cause Education Fund, they employ a powerful combination of grassroots organizing, coalition building, research, policy development, public education, lobbying and litigation to win reform at all levels of government

5. Benefits  To be a part of the political process and make their voices heard and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

6. Information Available  Lead by Bob Edgar who arrived in 2007, Robert Reich, the Chair of the National Governing Board, and Martha Tierney is the Vice Chair of the National Governing Board. The group gets its funding from dues and contributions from its members which is non-tax deductible. Dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to participate.

7. Works Cited  (http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c =dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4860183)