On May 21, 2010, the Washington Post presented this article by Rosalind S. Helderman: “Virginia Gov. McDonnell speeds rights-restoration process for nonviolent felons“. In the article it is reported that Gov. McDonnell recognized that there was a significant problem with the process and, he made promises to streamline it to provide for a maximum 60 days for the process to be completed.

The length of time for the process to be completed is only part of the problem. There is also the fact that in many cases those convicted of Felonies (assuming that there is always the possibility for an innocent person to be convicted in some cases) are not aware of their resources for having their rights reinstated. Until such time as Virginia adopts a standard policy of restoration of civil rights (particularly voting rights) whereby the rights of felons are automatically restored upon completion of sentencing, it is important to do all that we can to make people aware of the existing process and to help them become active and informed voters.

There is now a special Restorative Justice page on this website where we will endeavor to provide resource material for members and interested citizens. If you know of someone who does not have the right to vote because of a felony conviction, please make sure that they know about getting their rights restored. Contact your State Legislators and the Governor to encourage an automatic process for the restoration of civil rights.

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Introducing: Virginia Decoded: The Code of Virginia, for Humans

Coming from the same “family” as Richmond Sunlight, the website that some of us use for tracking legislation before the General Assembly, is  the perfect companion. Virginia Decoded takes the Virginia Codes and set it up in a way that makes it far easier to find what you need in the Codes.  There is a nice article on the website of the Nieman Journalism Lab. “Virginia Decoded is the prettiest state code you’ve ever seen.” Upon first reading the article, it seemed too good to be true. Well, guess what, it’s not! In this case, Product = Hype! The Virginia Decoded website provides citizens with an easy way to find what you need. Ironically, it appeared at about the same time that a study was released concerning the potential for corruption in State government. The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County has a summary of that document that focuses specifically on the details of the results of that study for Virginia:

Introducing: Virginia Integrity Map: Mapping Virginia’s Position and the Score on the Corruption Report Card: Results from the State Integrity Investigation, A Project of The Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International, 2012.

“On February 19, 2012, the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International  released the State Integrity Investigation: Keeping Government Honest. The study includes detailed information on each state and a risk assessment for corruptibility. In the press release, issued the same day, the authors explained that The State Integrity Investigation, based on research from reporters, “measures the strength of laws and practices that encourage openness and deter corruption. The State Integrity Index measures the risk of corruption.” The reporters and authors looked at 330 corruption indicators across 14 categories:“access to information, campaign finance, executive accountability, legislative accountability, judicial accountability, budgeting, civil service management, procurement, internal auditing, lobbying disclosure, pension fund management, ethics enforcement, insurance commissions, and redistricting.”

Virginia did not fare well. In fact, Virginia ranks 47th out of the 50 states, well below states that popular culture equates with corruption, including Illinois and New Jersey. Indeed, New Jersey was ranked number one, with a composite score of 87, making it the state with the highest integrity score and the lowest risk for corruption. The higher the score, the less risk for corruption in state and local governments. It should be noted that the authors are not necessarily saying that the states are or are not corrupt, only that the legislative and legal framework and climate put them at risk.

The study states that Virginia ranks near the bottom of the State Integrity Index primarily because  the state has lax oversight laws, no state ethics commission, and no limits on campaign finance. According to Laura LaFay, who wrote the overview article on the Virginia results, noted that Virginia “is one of nine states with no statewide ethics commission, one of four states with no campaign finance limits, and one of only two states (South Carolina is the other) where the part-time legislators handpick the judges before whom many of them practice law.”

The report is published online, although the form makes it difficult to dig through and doesn’t allow users to compare Virginia with other states in the 14 main categories. To help members understand the information included in the report, we have posted a series of maps and summaries online at www.lwvmcva.org. To read Ms. Lafay’s report and view the study results, go online to http://www.stateintegrity.org/virginia_story_subpage. The report is well worth your time and underscores many of the League’s positions.” (M.H.Dorsett)

Bring the two of these together …

…and you have a perfect example of the role that the League of Women Voters plays in state government. League members go to Richmond and meet with Legislators when the General Assembly is in session.  Our members study issues to identify the problems and possible solutions, then make recommendations to lawmakers. We work to make sure that accountability and transparency  are not just maintained, but are expanded. We make phone calls, write letters, research and write reports, and have face-to-face meetings with elected officials.

The clear identification of those areas of State Code and Regulations that need to be addressed in order to improve accountability, coupled with a much easier way to look up the specific Codes involved, opens a wealth of opportunities for the League of Women Voters. If you are reading this and are not already a member, there is a lot of work to be done and you are welcome to join us!

Our next lunch meeting is Tuesday, April 3rh, at 622 Main in Blacksburg. Discussion starts at 12:00 but come a bit early for good parking and a chance to meet a few people.

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“A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both.” James Madison. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jamesmadis392906.html

How timely this statement is! We have entered into a new age of openness in government being driven by the internet. In recent years, the United States Government has taken tremendous strides in making information available to citizens. (DATA.GOV). Documents that formerly took weeks, months, and sometimes years for citizens to be able to access, now are only seconds away from the public by using computers. Many State and Local governments are also moving towards more openness in government (Sunshine Review).

Education reform has also taken “center stage” recently as noted by the League of Women Voters recent study for consensus “The Role of the Federal Government in Public Education” (including our own part of this study by League of women Voters of Montgomery County, VA). The need for reform and how it relates to our political environment has been nicely summarized by Davis, Hartoonian, Van Scotter, & White in the March 9, 2012 edition of Education Week: Restoring Civic Purpose in Schools.

James Madison’s statement “A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both.” could be construed to mean that simply having access to information, but does not “acquiring” mean more than simply being able to obtain information? A review of various definitions of the word “acquire” indicates a level of mastery or ownership over something. In order to achieve that level of mastery when applied to Open Government means that citizens must have access to information AND must have the education that allows them to understand those documents.

Open Government and Education are intrinsically intertwined. Current trends in education reform seem to indicate a shift from memorization to the knowledge needed to read, analyze, interpret, and fully understand the documents that are being provided.

Therefore, open government is more than having access. It is having access to information presented in a manner which average citizens can understand and to provide citizens with the education needed for critical thinking.

Then, there is one more key element that is required. Citizens must be willing to invest the time to use these resources, to be willing to ask questions, to be willing to think about issues rather than to be told by others “how”/”what” to think. No matter how much information is provided, if citizens choose not to use that information, there is no “open government”.

If you want to know more about Sunshine Week, National FOI Day (March 16), you might want to start here: Sunshineweek.org.

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Check out the current events at Richmond at the LWV-VA.org website.

In particular, the League’s position on the extreme measures used against protesters on 3/3/12 can be found in the document there: League Deplores Intimidating Atmosphere at a Peaceful Rally.

For additional information:

Virginia governor signs bill to require abdominal ultrasound before abortion despite protests

Virginia’s War on Women, 2/21/12 Pat Richards at keepwomenhealthy.com

Virginia’s War on Women: An Explanation; Joe Stanley; joestanley.org (This contains some interesting insights into why the LWV positions and activities are so very important!)

On a lighter, but no less important note: Latest Va. women’s rights protest has a festive flavor: Roanoke.com, Blue ridge Caucus, Mason Adams & Michael Sluss.

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