NEWS ROUNDUP Open Government Russian discussion of impending open data publication held: A presidential decree declaring that states in Russia... View Article
Continue readingOpen Data Policy Guidelines
“Open Data” policies have been making their way through legislative bodies and executive orders with increasing frequency, especially since 2009.... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/28/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP International Open government comes quickly in Brazil: Since May, Brazil has launched a new freedom of information act,... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/27/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP Campaign Finance First unlimited spending, now unlimited secrecy: In a departure from their former campaign finance rhetoric–in which... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/26/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP State/Local Open government data in Chicago begets crime data visualization: The creators of Open City, who use government... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/25/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: State/Local Campaign finance reform in Connecticut unlikely: An impasse between Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and the state’s legislature... View Article
Continue readingBest practices for state and local bloggers
With contribution from Amy Ngai Earlier this month, a few of us from the Sunlight Foundation attended two of the major online political organizing conventions: Netroots Nation 2012 and Right Online. Both events highlighted the challenges faced by local and state bloggers, and gave recommendations for bloggers on how to reach a broader audience. We always encourage local bloggers and writers to share their experience in promoting government transparency in their local communities by writing guest blogs. You can read our past guest blog posts here. Blogs prove time and time again to be one of the quickest inexpensive ways of getting the word out – in real time. And if used right, they can be an important platform to call for accountability and transparency from our respective governments.
Continue readingSupreme Court Fails to Correct or Amend its Citizens United Decision
The Supreme Court had a chance to right a wrong. Unfortunately, by a five to four vote, it declined. Today the court announced its decision to overturn a Montana law prohibiting corporate contributions in elections. The decision comes as no surprise. The Montana law was in direct conflict with the Court’s decision Citizens United, which gave corporations the right to spend unlimited sums of money on political activities, as long as they don’t contribute to candidates directly. But the same activist court that enlarged the scope of the issues presented by Citizens United in order to fabricate a reason to overturn a century of law, today took the narrow approach. By summarily reversing the decision of the Supreme Court of Montana, the court ignored an opportunity to reconsider two important issues in Citizens United: First, that independent expenditures do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption, and second, that current disclosure laws would provide “citizens with the information needed” to “see whether elected officials are ‘in the pocket’ of so-called moneyed interests.”
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 6/22/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP International Big ideas from Buenos Aires’ open government department: Buenos Aires’ young and enthusiastic open government and web... View Article
Continue readingRebuttal to McConnell’s War of Misinformation on DISCLOSE Act
A war is being waged against the DISCLOSE Act. Its Commander in Chief is Senator Mitch McConnell, his secret weapon is misinformation and his goal is to protect unlimited dark money contributions to the political process.
It’s time for a counter-attack.
Last week, McConnell outlined his plan of attack in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute. Wrapping himself in a narrow and self-serving interpretation of the First Amendment, McConnell casts liberals as the enemies of free speech and he and his foot soldiers (the Chamber of Commerce) as the true protectors of our constitutional rights. But take apart his arguments and it is easy to spot his true intentions—not to protect the free speech rights of all citizens, but to protect the ability of wealthy donors to anonymously influence our democratic process.
The Sunlight Foundation refutes the worst inaccuracies being lobbed against reasonable efforts to disclose the dark money that is infiltrating our elections. This Orwellian tactic is timed to defang public support for the DISCLOSE Act, which the Senate is likely to consider in July.