Monday, August 16, 2004

Political Victory in Allegheny County for voter database access

The county voter database has been opened at a reasonable price. This makes for a major victory for open government. Thanks to David Tessitor. and the ACLU for bringing the case against the elections department before a judge. If you missed the news, catch it at 9x9.CLOH.Org/departments/politics.

Celeste Taylor, formerly of the NAACP and Good Schools PA, said she'll be down at the county offices to pick up her copy tomorrow.

1 comment:

Mark Rauterkus said...

Having an 'iron grip" on the voter database was a serious advantage for the political parties. Now, a nice ray of hope comes to indies. Furthermore, as David proved, the hope also spills to those with ballot questions and issues campaigns too.

But, to be honest, getting access to the database is much like a 'snap shot.' A picture tells a thousand words. But the entire story rests in updates, database management, customizations, remote access, sorts and other functional efforts. The leverage isn't with the the data -- its the application of that data with people in the field.

Those interested in working together on these data functions are encouraged to contact me.