Senator DeMint pursues a more open, transparent government

Senator DeMint has taken a very impressive step forward, leading a bipartisan request to the Committee on Rules and Administration (Senator Schumer and Senator Bennett), asking them to post Senate votes in XML format.  This would make vote records much more transparent and accessible to the public.  Kudos to Senator DeMint for taking the lead on this.  It will be instructive to observe how Senators Schumer and Bennett respond.  Tom Jones, Professional Staff for Senator DeMint, explains what Senator DeMint is doing. - Jon Henke

The Senate has been referred to as the “world’s most exclusive club," a place where deals are made behind closed doors and the public having no idea what’s going on. Too often, transparency can be an after-thought and the privileges of the institution seem to trump the Americans' right to information on their elected officials.

Some reform minded Senators are working to fix these problems. They believe that the Senate can do better because the American people demand and deserve an open and transparent government. Senator DeMint is leading a bipartisan effort to shine a little more sunlight on the Senate by dragging its antiquated vote reporting system into the 21st century.

Currently the Senate posts its votes in HTML (HyperText Markup Language). In 1999, this was acceptable. But today plain HTML is the technological equivalent of a rotary telephone, adequate for a basic service but unable to perform the variety of functions modern technology now allows.

Instead of HTML, Senator DeMint is asking that votes be posted in XML (Extensible Markup Language). Without going to deep into the technology, XML would allow roll call votes in the United States Senate to be disseminated in a format that anyone can download, parse, disseminate, and distribute in any form they see fit. By having an authoritative XML stream provided by the Senate, application developers could build databases that could overlay different types of data onto Senate votes, public interest groups could match up policy background with votes, or any of a hundred other possible applications. The result would not be merely some whiz-bang technology, but rather a better informed electorate.

Unfortunately with the current HTML formatting, the best we can hope for is that outside groups successfully “scrape” the Senate webpage for votes and repackage the data on their website. This forces the public to either pay for the information from other websites or to rely on data which can be prone to errors. Such basic democratic information, how elected officials vote on important issues, should be available in the most transparent format, free and accessible to all Americans.

Many assume the lack of modernization is simply characteristic of an institution with a very un-modern image. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the difficulty in acquiring voting information is not just an oversight, but may be an intentional effort by Senators to keep their votes hidden from nationwide scrutiny.

In years past, employees of the Senate have asked to be allowed to post the Senate votes in XML, but the Rules Committee has curiously refused. The previous webmaster at the Senate explained the prohibition on XML posting this way, “The Rules Committee has always contended that Senators want to provide their voting records to their constituents themselves.” That's Washington-speak for allowing Senators to spin their votes rather than allowing others easier access to the information.

Reform-minded Senators believe Americans should be allowed to draw their own conclusions. Burying this important information with technology shouldn’t be an option.

Below is the text of a letter Senator DeMint and a bipartisan coalition of senators has sent to the new chairman of the Rules Committee, Senator Charles Schumer, asking him to make this simple change that could help make "the world's most exclusive club" also one of the most transparent as well.

April 30, 2009

Senator Charles Schumer, Chairman                    Senator Bob Bennett, Ranking MemberCommittee on Rules and Administration             Committee on Rules and Administration305 Russell Senate Office Building                      305 Russell Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510                                           Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Schumer and Bennett:

We are writing today to ask you to change the Senate’s policy on the publishing of roll call votes so they are made available to the public in an XML format, in addition to what is provided on the Senate website today.

As Americans increasingly turn to the Internet to stay informed, the Senate as a body has a duty to promote timely and accurate reporting of our actions through the most current and effective technologies. Voting is the most basic Senate action and is of crucial importance to the public. Yet the Secretary of the Senate is constrained by an antiquated policy on how roll call votes can be published on the Senate website.

The Secretary of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms have made strides in the development of the Senate website and the lobbying disclosure database. However, it is our understanding that the Secretary feels constrained not to use "XML" for online voting records.

It is crucial that the Senate add XML. XML is more than merely a data format; it promotes the ability of citizens, watchdog groups, and the press to access and analyze Senate roll call votes. The addition of XML will allow the public to use computers to search, sort, and visualize voting records in new ways. While the costs associated with this transition would be negligible, the impact on transparency and accountability would be profound.

It is troubling that the current policy makes it more difficult for the public to access and disseminate information about Senate roll call votes. This policy has created a situation where outside groups are forced to create databases that are more likely to contain errors and omissions. The public should not have to resort to subscription-based or mistake-ridden databases to easily obtain this information.

It has been suggested that the policy may have been implemented originally because “Senators want to provide their voting records to their constituents themselves.” The suggestion that the Senate would intentionally hamstring the distribution of roll call votes so Senators could put a better spin on them is concerning. The public is capable of interpreting our votes on its own.

The House of Representatives has been using XML for approximately five years with no adverse effects. It is time for the Senate to change its policy on sharing XML data and make roll call vote information easily available to the public. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to working with you improve the Senate’s legislative transparency in this way.