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Internet Research

Internet Research. Public Records & Exercises. Public Records. In a democracy, government and its officials work for the people, the public. The records of government officials therefore should be public.

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Internet Research

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  1. Internet Research Public Records & Exercises

  2. Public Records • In a democracy, government and its officials work for the people, the public. The records of government officials therefore should be public. • The public votes for – “hires” – those officials. The public pays them. The public needs to have information to judge them.

  3. Public records should be - public • Public records are the records of governments made available to the people. • Most government information should be public.

  4. Examples of public records • Examples of public records are: • Voting records of politicians • Donations given to politicians • Court cases • Birth and death certificates • Financial records of non-profit organizations

  5. The Internet and public records • Many people are surprised to find how much information is available to them. They shouldn’t be. Government information belongs to the people. • The Internet has the ability to make information available as never before.

  6. Public Record Indexes • Many sites – for fee and for free – gather information on Internet access to public records. • Look at the state-by-state listings at brpub.com/pubrecsites.asp • Also see: • vitalrec.com • www.peoplesearch.com

  7. Non-Profit Organizations • Non-profit organizations are required to file a great deal of information. • You can check out any organization claiming to be non-profit. • Use guidestar.org to begin your research.

  8. Court Records • Many people do not realize that most court proceedings are public records. • Information is kept at courthouses in state capitals, county seats and other locations that often not easily accessible to the public. • The Internet is changing that.

  9. Online court records • But more court records are being placed online. • www.carrollpub.com/CitCenter/citcenter.html has links to numerous online sources. • Also go to http://www.nccpa.org and link to Court Opinions.

  10. FOIA • The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1967. Much government information became available to the public. • In 1975, the Act was applied to law enforcement agencies. Suddenly, many files kept by the FBI were open to public inspection. • For example, use http://foia.fbi.gov to get information on mass murderer Ted Bundy.

  11. Private Campaign Contributions • Are people or companies buying influence from politicians? • The public has a right to know who is giving money to candidates. • Check out www.fec.gov for the top contributors to your Senator or Representative.

  12. Donor Lookup • You can find individual and corporate contributors to politicians and parties at www.opensecrets.org • Use their excellent Occupation/Employer search and find out donations of Lehigh University employees. • Also try the Laundromat at www.commoncause.org

  13. Project Vote Smart • Many public interest groups are taking advantage of the Internet to make information available to the public. • Use www.vote-smart.org to check the voting record of your Senator or Representative.

  14. Ancestors • Genealogy – finding information about ancestors and family trees – has received a huge boost from the Internet. • You can use www.ancestry.com to do a search on your last name.

  15. Social Security Death Index • The Social Security Death Index contains the records of deceased people who had Social Security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the government. • You can use the link from www.ancestry.com to check for Social Security records on deceased relatives.

  16. Obituaries • Newspaper obituaries are rich sources of information on people. • www.gengateway.com has numerous indexes that serve as “gateways” for researchers. • Use the Obituary Gateway to find news of famous people who have died.

  17. Birth Records • Most states still do not publish birth, marriage and other personal records on the Internet. Some do. Use: • www.publicrecordfinder.com/vitalrecrds.html and find the birth record of a famous Californian. California publishes these records.

  18. Public Records are Public Rights • Keep in mind that democracy is based on the access to information. • We make decisions and vote based on information we have about government, officials and our society. • Public records are public rights.

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