Voter Registration and Participation City and County Clerks can provide records on which elections in which an individual or individual have voted, as well as registration data such as how long the individual has been registered.
Court Records Most court cases are public records and can usually be searched at the court clerks’ office and sometimes online. Federal courts can be searched online (for a fee) at
www.pacer.gov. Court documents for newer cases can generally be obtained online, but again, for a fee.
State court cases can be searched in a variety of manners as well.
Voting Records for Members of Congress A number of excellent (and free) sources of information on Congressional voting records are available on the Internet.
• Library of Congress:
Thomas.loc.gov provides bill descriptions, roll call votes, bill sponsorships and other information.
• Washington Post: The Washington Post offers an excellent database on Congressional voting records and other information.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/112/ • GovTrack.Us: GovTrack.us offers Congressional voting records dating back decades.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes.xpd • Project Vote Smart:
www.votesmart.org provides biographical information and limited voting record information on members of Congress and state-level elected officials. VoteSmart also provides scorecards issued by organizations like the AFL-CIO, the League of Conservation Voters and other advocacy groups that can serve as an excellent source of voting record information.
Voting Records for Members of the State Legislature • Project Vote Smart:
www.votesmart.orgVoting Records for Local Elected Officials City or County Clerks generally maintain minutes of all local government meetings. In many municipalities, these minutes are frequently available on the Internet.