Voting records not popping up online
Paul Clinton
NEWPORT-MESA -- Two local congressmen aren’t quick to embrace a plan
by a group of congressional interns to post the representatives’ voting
records on their respective Web sites.
However, Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach) said he supported a
potential revamp of the way the Library of Congress organizes the
information.
The comments came in response to an organized effort, called the
Congressional Voting Record Project, in which 10 interns this summer from
both houses and sides of the aisle urged legislators to post their votes.
Votes are now available to the public via the THOMAS Web site at the
Library of Congress, which can be found at o7 https://thomas.loc.govf7 .
However, the votes are filed by vote not member.
“It should be made better,” Cox said. “That is a useful focus group,
and we ought to take it 100% seriously.”
Votes are cataloged and hand-delivered to each congressional office
each week. The packets, which can be up to 200 pages, would need to be
typed in by hand to be put on the Internet, said Ricardo Bernal, the
press deputy for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).
Both Cox and Bernal said the information is readily available to those
able to find it.
“It would be duplicating efforts that are already out there,” Bernal
said. “We don’t get a disk [with the votes]. It would be easier if we
did.”
Only two members of the House of Representatives or Senate now include
their own votes on bills on their Web sites -- Rep. Christopher Shays
(R-Conn.) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).
Wolf’s press deputy, Dan Scandling, agreed that the job is time
consuming.
“Regardless of the amount of time, [Wolf] thinks it’s important that
every voter in his district -- Republican or Democrat, for or against --
know where he stands on each and every issue,” Scandling said.
* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may
be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7
paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .
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