Elections are the time when politicians pay the most attention to people and issues, and therefore the best time to ask them questions about how they plan to govern. OMB Watch wants your help in figuring out the best questions on government transparency that can be put to the candidates. Take just a few minutes to answer our survey and vote on your five favorite questions on the issue of government transparency and openness. We will then share the top questions with the news media and other organizations that have direct contact with candidates.

Government openness affects every issue from budget and taxes, to the regulatory process, to non-profit advocacy. The range of questions tries to reflect this breadth so check them and see which are most important to you.

Take the Open Government: What We Need To Know Survey today.

The ability to communicate with elected officials is vital to a healthy democracy and civil society. The easiest way to have any form of communication is over the internet, which can best be utilized as a two-way communication between legislative office and constituent. Unfortunately, the websites of many lawmakers are below average. The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) officially released its "Gold Mouse Report", acknowledging Member, committee and leadership offices that best use their Web sites as constituent communication tools. One key finding included that "Congress needs to recognize that the Internet is an essential information and communications medium."

CMF analyzed and ranked 618 House, Senate, committee, and leadership websites based on five major categories over three months and gave each site with a letter grade, ranging from "A" to "F."

The report accurately states that "[t]here is really no longer any excuse for a congressional office not to have a good Web site. Citizens are increasingly using the Internet to stay informed and get involved in politics, to interact with the government, and to participate in democracy. Congress, in turn, needs to engage with citizens online."

RollCall ($$) reports that "about 57 percent of Member Web sites lacked information about legislative issues with a particular local interest, which is arguably the No. 1 reason constituents visit Member sites to begin with. Twenty-six percent of sites didn't have links to sponsored or co-sponsored legislation, and of those that did, 23 percent did not reference the current Congressional session."

Click here, to read coverage of the Gold Mouse Report in The Hill.

The Financial Times reports on some nonprofits' plans for the upcoming year in 2008. With a troubling economy and increasing income gap, a demand for service organizations will only increase, leaving behind concerns that the groups will have adequate funds. In response, many organizations will become more involved in the political debate, and hopefully lawmakers will have an understanding of the sector's needs. Accordingly, service organizations must lobby the government in a time of economic instability so that the needs of the poor and middle class are met.

And non-profit chiefs are more likely than ever to lobby Washington. "[The Salvation Army] is getting involved with public policy in a non-partisan way. We are apolitical, but all of the issues that face society are impacted by politics," Gaither says. "It's about being a voice for the voiceless."

In pursuing their varied missions, many non-profits are working to cultivate local grassroots support while also broadening their national and global reach. Simultaneously with the launch of national media campaigns, the ACS [American Cancer Society] has trained cancer survivors from all 435 congressional districts to explain pressing policy changes that could facilitate a cure for cancer.

Posted by Amanda Adams, 01:44:27 PM



IRS Needs to Increase Outreach to Smaller Nonprofits

Nina E. Olson, the taxpayer advocate, released the annual report to Congress, which addressed a need for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help small nonprofit groups understand its rules. "Smaller EOs frequently lack professional tax guidance. The IRS has increased enforcement actions against EOs [tax-exempt organizations] and the resources dedicated thereto. However, resources devoted to EO education and outreach, which were never adequate, have continued to decline."

Furthermore, "the National Taxpayer Advocate believes the IRS can and should do more to help EOs, particularly small organizations, comply with the complex requirements to which they are subject. The National Taxpayer Advocate urges the IRS to conduct research to assess the service needs and preferences of the spectrum of EOs and to develop a strategic plan to enhance the scope and effectiveness of its outreach to these organizations.

To read the report, click here.

Posted by Amanda Adams, 11:14:45 AM

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Brennan Center report discredits alleged "voter fraud." Asserts these bogus claims harm election integrity.

A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice examines alleged instances of voter fraud, finding these claims "often prove greatly exaggerated." In the The Truth About Voter Fraud , author Justin Levitt defines voter fraud to clarify widespread confusion about the term's meaning. He then analyzes scenarios often described as voter fraud. Finally, he describes infamous individual cases of voter fraud and offers alternative causes and policy recommendations. The report concludes that "Usually, only a portion of the claimed illegality is substantiated — and most of the remainder is either nothing more than speculation or has been conclusively debunked."

Furthermore, Levitt argues that false accusations of voter fraud are harmful to election integrity. Levitt writes,
"Crying 'wolf' when the allegations are unsubstantiated distracts attention from real problems that need real solutions…. Moreover, these claims of voter fraud are frequently used to justify policies that do not solve the alleged wrongs, but could well disenfranchise legitimate voters."

Posted by Katie Clabby, 11:17:59 AM



New report examines elections in 5 Midwest states

A new report surveys the impact of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) on state and local election administration in five Midwestern states — Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. From Registration to Recounts: The Election Ecosystems of Five Midwestern States was written by Ohio State University Law election law scholars Edward Foley, Steven Huefner and Dan Tokaji. In addition to advocating specific policies for each of the five states, the authors make the following broader observations and recommendations:

• Statewide equality should generally trump local autonomy in order to ensure every citizen has the right to vote.
• A strong state elections authority is critical to ensure statewide consistency and support local election officials.
• States should work to improve both access and accuracy by relaxing barriers to registration and complying with existing federal laws governing registration. A particularly promising reform is Election Day Registration (EDR).
• States should provide clear guidance on provisional ballots
• States should consider in-person early voting instead of expanded absentee voting to reduce fraud and error.
• Election integrity efforts should focus on "insider" fraud not institute barriers to voter participation in the name of preventing fraud.
• State and local officials must continue to enhance poll worker recruitment and training. Larger, economically depressed communities are more likely to lack a sufficient number of trained poll workers.
• States should reexamine their post-election procedures, to ensure the evenhanded and prompt resolution of disputes.
• Congress should revisit the statute governing presidential election disputes.

Posted by Katie Clabby, 10:45:49 AM