Politics

Sunlight Blogger Round-up: Post election Picks

By Zubedah Nanfuka

While many reflect on yesterday’s election results, activist bloggers keep on tracking the direction of government affairs in their respective states. In this week’s round-up, we explore the functionality of a new data transparency software as we see developments in  electronic filing. Read on…

• Supporters of open government in New Jersey have registered some success after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of lowering fees for copies of public records. The ruling, which was encouraged by the American Civil Liberties Union among other advocates, will ensure consistency in court fees and help residents access information more easily as Holly Otterbein of the Clog blog reveals.

• The city of New Orleans is introducing a new software to promote accountability and data transparency. NolaSTAT, a system that has been allocated a budget of $750,000, will track the city?s progress on rebuilding and renovating major infrastructure. Matt Davis  presents in detail Mayor Mitch Landrieu?s ?open and effective government? budget on the Lens blog.

• Electronic preservation of public records is making information more accessible in Georgia. Take a look at how the Georgia State Archives is using digital archiving such as audio indexing to make information of legislative sessions more useful to citizens. Andy Pitman of the Bright Side of Government explains more.

• Check out how Justin Hoenke is inspiring transparency in public libraries by offering simple tools  that let local communities know what their librarians are doing. From video blogging to lifestreaming, Hoenke demonstrates the usefulness of openness in public information. More on Tame the Web.

How is transparency faring in your community? We would love to hear your comments.

Full post as published by Sunlight Foundation on November 03, 2010 (boomark / email).