How can elected leaders become more accountable to constituents?

[mgnp...@gmail.com]

In today's time of info overload, it seems really hard to get regular, updated information about what our elected leaders are doing, thinking, and saying. Instead, oftentimes we end up just following 1 or 2 key issues that end up being most heavily covered by the media or that are most important to us.

I want to make it easier to get real-time, streamlined information about how my local, state and federal officials are representing me, and the decisions that they are making. And, most importantly, I want these leaders to see that their constituents are paying close attention -- more than ever before. Can you imagine if thousands -- maybe eventually hundreds of thousands! -- of people were tracking their legislator's and Congressperson's votes, speeches, and public comments every day?

Is anybody else interested in this? Want to work on it with me? I've got some ideas, and want to hear others!

Megan

[Erfaan Hussein Babak]

i am with u...

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Erfaan Hussein Babak
Social Entrepreneur/Executive Director
"The Awakening"

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

I don't know how it is where you live, but here in the Pacific
Northwest (Western Oregon and Washington, anyhow) our news
organizations are doing a pretty good job of covering the state
legislatures in session. *After* the sessions, though, they do tend to
be forgotten, and for the most part state legislators have other "day
jobs" rather than being full-time like the US House and Senate.

--
Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism Publishers Workbench
http://j.mp/CompJournBench/

Get out of the building - and don't come back till you have the order!

[mgnp...@gmail.com]

Thanks for your response! I agree that news outlets generally cover the legislative session well...in terms of which bills pass and fail. But does that translate into awareness of what your particular state rep and senator are doing, considering, and deciding each day?

For example, I know pretty generally what my state senator and rep have voted on this session, particularly on transit, poverty, and same sex marriage, b/c I follow those issues. But that's still a pretty small slice. How about who they're meeting with on a daily basis -- what kinds of groups and individuals? (And thus, what pockets of the community are they less connected or familiar with?) What kinds of events and meetings do they attend and give speeches at? What do they say about what they stand for and what's important to them? Right now, the only real way to get a good picture of their perspectives is to watch endless hours of live floor debate...and that's still a pretty limited picture.

Those kinds of things, I think, would help people better see how they're fulfilling their promise of public service, and how they're representing the needs and interests of their constituents. As well as regular tracking of their statements supporting or opposing various bills, sometimes BEFORE they actually vote on them. To me, that's accountability.

Sounds kind of pie in the sky, I know -- but I have some ideas about how to curate digital content to get a fuller picture of legislators' decision making and representation during session. And critically, to have that info summarized and coming to me rather than me having to go out and look for it in the paper or on the Legislature website (and it's barely featured in broadcast TV news as it is).

And I think this kind of tool would be even more valuable at the federal Congress level.

What do you think? Does that make sense? Would you want/use something like that? Any reactions, ideas?

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

I think it would be interesting and useful, but let's say, for
example, the legislature meets every other year for 60 - 90 days,
which is typical, and pays a modest stipend during the session. Unless
there's some kind of crisis justifying a special session, the rest of
the time, state legislators are earning a living doing something other
than making laws. They may be giving interviews, raising funds for the
next election, making speeches, meeting with other members of their
political parties, etc., but they are most likely busy being lawyers,
accountants, insurance salesmen, realtors, pharmacists. shopkeepers or
whatever.

On the other hand mayors, city councils, school boards, judges and
other elected and appointed officials *are* "on the job" nearly every
work day or regularly during the week or month, so their activities
affect our lives on a daily basis. That's where I'd focus.

>
>
>>
>>
>> I don't know how it is where you live, but here in the Pacific
>> Northwest (Western Oregon and Washington, anyhow) our news
>> organizations are doing a pretty good job of covering the state
>> legislatures in session. *After* the sessions, though, they do tend to
>> be forgotten, and for the most part state legislators have other "day
>> jobs" rather than being full-time like the US House and Senate.
>>
>> --
>> Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism Publishers
>> Workbench
>> http://j.mp/CompJournBench/
>>
>> Get out of the building - and don't come back till you have the order!
>

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>

[mgnp...@gmail.com]

That's true, but on the other hand, our statespeople are critically important, b/c they make decisions about the allocation of millions and millions of dollars annually, even in just that short 90-day session. That ends up affecting our lives on a daily basis, sometimes to a grander scale than local officials. And yet citizens as a whole don't get much of a picture of who they are and what their values are, except for right before an election or right after they vote on a bill.

It's not that I think we should concern ourselves with what they are doing as pharmacists or lawyers or whatever. But that when they represent us, we should know how their positions and perspectives will inform the policy decisions they will eventually make on our behalf.

And I believe that most state legislatures actually meet annually, but they switch off every other year from doing a "long session" to a "short session" and then back again. The long session is often 100-140 days. Other states actually operate throughout the whole calendar year, but less frequently during the week, and with breaks built in throughout the year. But I could be wrong about whether this is how the majority of states operate...

All that said, I agree with you that doing this on the local level may be potentially valuable too, depending on constituents' interests, etc.

I think it would be interesting and useful, but let's say, for
example, the legislature meets every other year for 60 - 90 days,
which is typical, and pays a modest stipend during the session. Unless
there's some kind of crisis justifying a special session, the rest of
the time, state legislators are earning a living doing something other
than making laws. They may be giving interviews, raising funds for the
next election, making speeches, meeting with other members of their
political parties, etc., but they are most likely busy being lawyers,
accountants, insurance salesmen, realtors, pharmacists. shopkeepers or
whatever.

On the other hand mayors, city councils, school boards, judges and
other elected and appointed officials *are* "on the job" nearly every
work day or regularly during the week or month, so their activities
affect our lives on a daily basis. That's where I'd focus.
>
>
>>
>>
>> I don't know how it is where you live, but here in the Pacific
>> Northwest (Western Oregon and Washington, anyhow) our news
>> organizations are doing a pretty good job of covering the state
>> legislatures in session. *After* the sessions, though, they do tend to
>> be forgotten, and for the most part state legislators have other "day
>> jobs" rather than being full-time like the US House and Senate.
>>
>> --
>> Twitter: http://twitter.com/znmeb; Computational Journalism Publishers
>> Workbench
>> http://j.mp/CompJournBench/
>>

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