Friday, March 05, 2010
Editorial: Lawmakers' voting records
Virginians should not have to work so hard to find out how lawmakers vote.
From the RoundTable blog
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Don't bother looking for an official record of your lawmakers' yeas and nays; you won't easily find one. The General Assembly breaks down voting records only by bill not by lawmaker.
That might sound like a minor difference, but it is a big one in a commonwealth that believes accountability and transparency guard against the corrupting influence of money in politics. If citizens wish to check up on lawmakers or compare voting records against campaign claims, they must painstakingly compile a list from the votes on each bill.
Del. Jim LeMunyon thinks it should be easier. He has sponsored House Bill 778, which would put every lawmaker's voting record online. It passed the House on an 86-13 vote.
Residents of the Roanoke and New River valleys should know that Dels. Jim Shuler, Bill Cleaveland and Anne Crockett-Stark were among the baker's dozen whovoted against giving their constituents easy access to their voting records.
Nevertheless, LeMunyon's bill passed, and now it is up to the Senate to send this bill to the governor. The Senate Rules Committee, on which Roanoke's John Edwards sits, will discuss it today.
The clerk of the Senate reportedly worries that compiling the records would be costly and difficult. One must look no further than RichmondSunlight.com to see such concerns are unfounded.
RichmondSunlight is a nonpartisan Web site that compiles General Assembly information, including the voting records for each member. If a shoestring, volunteer Web site can do it, surely legislative staff can.
Indeed, RichmondSunlight, for its ease of use and comprehensive presentation of General Assembly records, has become the go-to site for anyone who follows the action in Richmond. Yet because a private group runs it, it could disappear in a moment after a fundraising shortfall or volunteer disinterest. It's nice to have, but Virginians need an official tally.
