Help Us Put Campaign Finance Forms Online

by Staff on October 28, 2010

 

The City of Somerville has mandatory public financial disclosures, that detail information ranging from who donated to candidates, how many hours of time various public figures volunteered, and more that helps illuminate the political structure of the city. Unfortunately, these records are locked in the basement of City Hall.

Post Somerville wants to change that, and has filed a freedom of information request via MuckRock for the documents. The City of Somerville charges .25 cents per page, and the Election Department quoted $100 for copies of the Mayor’s 2009 disclosures. We will get and post those forms, as well as those of other high-profile Somerville elected officials.

By funding the release of these documents, you’ll be putting this important snapshot into the public domain: MuckRock filters requests through DocumentCloud, which helps “tag” politicians and other figures, as well as providing an easy viewing, search and downloading interface for any member of the public to finally access this potential trove of information.

In an move for greater transparency, the public is also invited to track most MuckRock requests while they are going through the legal system. This particular request is tracked here.

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Barry Rafkind October 28, 2010 at 9:27 PM

Hooray! I think this is issue is so important. The story only needs $9.67 to reach it’s funding goal!

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