Government
Attention, State Government Watchdogs: You Might Need This
A new search engine called Digital Democracy can comb through videos, transcripts, and records of what goes on in America’s statehouses.
Julie Griffiths, the executive director of the the nonprofit Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, wanted to keep tabs on California’s American Disabilities Act compliance laws. But tracking what lawmakers were saying in the statehouse used to be a massive undertaking. She spent untold hours recording the live broadcast from California’s public access channel devoted to legislative hearings. “You had to sit there and videotape Cal access channels, or you had to order the videotape, which could take forever,” she says. Hours of methodical fast-forwarding and rewinding followed. “It was hard to get that information of what somebody actually said.”
Now, all it takes are a few clicks and keyword searches.