Project Vote Smart has a webpage that has a lot of useful information for all voters. I was looking for information on Voting Records as a way of evaluating current elected officials' performance. On the left had side of this webpage is a list of links. The second such link under "Basic Categories" is Voting Records...ahhh...just what I'm looking for. Clicking that link brought up a page where I simply click on "Virginia" to highlight it, then click on the "Go" button to the right.
This next page gives links to information about all the officials from President down to State offices that have a direct effect on residents of Virginia. A click on the Congress link brought me to a page listing all of the U.S. Congress members from Virginia. Each one of their names is a link that will take you to the voting record of that elected official. By clicking on the name of an official whose voting record you are interested in seeing, you are taken to a webpage where you can view a wide range of issues (abortion, energy, social issues, etc.). You will be provided with a list of the date, name of the bill, how that person voted, and the outcome of that bill. The same information is available for State level officials.
This is a great way to find out if officials' voting records match with the campaign promises they made. You can also find links taking you to the sources of campaign money that each person received. (OpenSecrets.org if you want to go to this site without going through Project Vote Smart).
What I like about the Project Vote Smart site is that they simply report the facts. There is no interpretation, no rating, no opinions. They seem to believe that voters are capable of forming their own opinions when given the facts to do so. I kinda like that concept.
What is unfortunately, is there there is nothing like this for local officials yet:) At this time, the only way to find out exactly what has come before the Town Council and Planning Commission to see how each person voted is to go through the minutes. Hmmm....maybe someone is working on a database of exactly this information. Maybe these records for the last 5 years or so will be available to the public well before the next Town elections. It would certainly make it easier for voters to see if campaign promises and performance match up. Yes, I include the Planning Commission votes in that same venue because the Planning Commission members are appointed by the Town Council and should be evaluated as part of determining the elected officials job performance. The voting record of the Planning Commission is a direct reflection of the Town Council. Knowing how different Planning Commissioners vote, you can then look to see which Town Council Member supported that person's appointment and make an assessment of whether or not you agree with the Town Council Member's choice.
In the meantimes, I will keep updating and adding to the citizen webpage where all of the
Town Council and Planning Commission Meeting minutes I have been able to obtain are posted. Feel free to take some time to read these summaries of the meetings to get an idea of how your elected officials and the people they appoint to help them make important decisions do their jobs. While you're there you might want to go to some of the audio files that are available to hear the actual meetings, or check out the survey page where citizens can give their input to important issues.
However you do it, evaluating the performance of elected officials at ALL levels should be a key part of deciding who to vote for in elections.