Public Records are KEY to Government Accountability and Transparency

Public records belong to everyone! It's not about you.

Since I was young I was taught to ask questions and request the record needed to get answers to those questions.  I have spent over 30 years of my life getting records from county clerks throughout the heartland of America. 

You may have seen my short video on how I got started working election GRAMA quest for voter records from the 2020 November Election in Utah.  If you haven't, you can watch a clip below.  

Today, I saw this posted on telegram.   A watermark? Really?

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​​Public records belong to everyone! 
It is really sad to see someone
​making it about themselves.

Public records are important for government accountability and transparency.  For those who attended my Your Vote: Canvass Report Presentations I have a slide that shows how HAVA (2002 Help America Vote Act) made fundamental changes to voting while forcing the start of centralization of elections.  

​This document is an important source for that research.  So, where is this document found exactly?  Who can access it?

In early spring of 2021 I found this public record document with some effort on an old Utah election website while researching the State Selection Committee. I have since posted it several times with other research from this committee.  I have also shared the link with many people--which includes in the fall of 2021 with one of those whose face is watermarked into this record.   I have also used it as a source for some of my research compilations about Utah voting systems that I compiled May 2021 and Oct 2021. 

​​Ok, so what is your point? 
Anyone who takes the time to look
​can find this public document!

What would motivate a person to put a watermark of their faces and social media information on a public record instead of posting the original source link or copy?  Hmm.  Is it possible they do not know where the original source is found?

In case you want to actually read this document without faces on it use the link below:
https://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/Documents/VMachines/Press/stateplanpubliccomment.pdf

Public records should be accessible to the public!  One reason I posted this particular link/pdf in so many places is because the record was removed from Utah Open Records making it difficult to find in an online search.  No doubt this document is important to the history of where were are today with election voting systems.   This is why I GRAMA requested from the Lt Governor's office all the record for this committee which was denied or ignored each time.  That says a lot right there!

Again, I am not the only one who can find and locate this public record.   Nor should I be.  That is why I am working hard to source, add search tags, and post a repository of GRAMA records on my website.   These are not just my GRAMA's but also ones collected and submitted by others. The GRAMA library can be accessed with a FREE account on getinvolvedutah.com.  

​​Three Reasons I Have a GRAMA Library
1.  Public records take time to find online.
2.  GRAMA records are expensive.  Why not share?
3. Just because a public record is public today, does not mean it will be tomorrow.

​The more people who can access, read and archive public records the better!  So why does Get Involved Utah require a FREE account?  Utah code includes very broad language about posting records online.  I am certainly not doing anything unlawful!   In case you haven't noticed the government sometimes puts agenda over the law to go after people.  In an effort to be as responsible as possible and not put myself at risk of false allegations, the GRAMA's are behind a login.   

Please know the GRAMA Library is far from complete!  I ask for patience while I get the documents catalogued and posted for easy access and searchability.   Check back often to see what has been added.

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​It takes funds to get things done--like GRAMA requests.  My non-profit can take donations or you can sign up for a Sponsor account with a monthly or yearly donation.  As a thank you for being a Sponsor you will have access to exclusive content.