Luke Wachob
Few people make a habit of reading government websites. They are far more likely to hear about political scandals or instances of corruption through news coverage, from political or membership organizations they belong to, from social media postings, or in conversations with friends and family. If government can restrict any of that speech, the information revealed through open records laws is robbed of its power to spur change.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what many state legislators and their regulatory allies are trying to do. Ironically, they are co-opting the rhetoric of transparency to do it, proposing that nonprofit groups that criticize candidates be forced to meet the same rigorous reporting requirements imposed on candidates, political parties, and professional political committees.
