League of Women Voters visit Stillwater City Council, announces Sunshine Week

Mar. 6—As elections have been kicking off, this year the Stillwater League of Women Voters dropped by Monday's City Council meeting to speak about Sunshine Week, and they collected signed pledge cards from elected officials about open meetings while Carol Anderson spoke at the podium about "Your Right to Know."

The Stillwater LWV, with Anderson as Chair of the Sunshine Week Committee, has been celebrating Sunshine Week for several years by making the rounds at open meetings and asking elected officials and those running for office to sign a pledge supporting open government.

By signing, they agree they and their public bodies will comply with the letter and spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws, transparency, Freedom of Information and the First Amendment.

This year March 10-16, 2024 marks the week for this event. Sunshine Week is always the week that has the anniversary of James Madison's birthday.

From 3-3:30 p.m. March 10, the 2023-24 honorees of Freedom of Information Oklahoma will be announced at the start of Sunshine Week with a formal presentation during the First Amendment Congress. As of today, nominations for honorees are still open.

"Madison was the fourth President of the United States, but he was also instrumental in the writing of the Constitution, and we know him particularly for his 10 amendments — now he actually wrote 19, but 10 were eventually passed," Anderson said.

Sunshine Week is a national, nonpartisan collaboration among groups in journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that "shines a light" on the importance of public records and open government, according to the website for the event.

In Stillwater, the LWV has taken up the mantle to spread the word regarding freedom of speech and information in this area, and fear, holds people accountable.

Their work in Stillwater and Payne County helps give people the opportunity to activate their voice in promoting freedom of speech and information in the community about matters important to them, while educating about the importance of an open government at all levels, at all times.

According to the Sunshine Week website, the initiative originated from the work of several newspapers, and it has grown, in large part, by continued support of the media.

Sunshine Week for journalists — the original watchdogs of government — exists at all times, but these professionals are encouraged during this time to report on local government transparency issues during the designated week.

Figuring out what is really going on in government — Your Right to Know

What "Your Right to Know" refers to, Anderson said, is in regards to the First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act.

"The freedom of the press, freedom of speech, that was back in 1791," Anderson said. "It wasn't until the 1900s that the Freedom of Information Act went in that said there should be freedom for any citizen, anyone to ask to see records, papers.

Oklahoma has an open meetings, open records law also. I'm sure some of you, most of you (addressing City Councilors), probably have looked at that law and know its requirements for it.

So we like to celebrate it (what Sunshine Week represents) each year. It's been 50 years since that information act, but still, we have problems."

"We don't need a proclamation (here today) but we have some signs to remind you," Anderson said as members traveled the City Council floor with signs to remind people they have a right to transparency in their elected governments.

"You have signed a pledge that says you're going to obey the law (on open records and meetings) as well as the spirit of the law," she said.

"And I know of no case in which you haven't. Congratulations for that and we thank you very, very much," Anderson said to Councilors, as her group collected the pledges.

In Oklahoma, the Open Records and Open Meetings Act are the laws that help county and city officials and workers in their day-to-day jobs and provides for the people to have access to the records of their work.

Anderson group's pledge given to Councilors on Monday is an example of how serious transparency in government is these days given the largely obfuscated world U.S. society lives in with regards to the truth in government, elections, how taxpayer dollars are spent, politics and more.

In early February, the News Press printed a story about transparency and the open records and meetings laws in Oklahoma related to the City of Stillwater and Payne County.

While federal laws can impact people more in some states than others, and is often the arena where the Freedom of Information Act becomes most useful, it's state and local laws that drive people's daily lives and questions.

And truly in the microcosm of the ultra-busy modern life, people within a state pay attention to what's happening at the very grass roots level to make decisions: county and city.

Knowing where to turn in local communities then becomes vital in getting information when it comes to where people want to send their kids to school, how they want to vote, emergency information, how to pay and use utilities, get a license, register their vehicles, take someone to court, figure out the cost of taxes, determine their safety and security, develop and use their land and so much more.

Sometimes it takes some sleuthing and digging through websites or making multiple telephone calls. For others, they prefer visiting government offices in person, where the information or paperwork can be found printed and handed to them with no need to do it digitally.

For most people who need to use government services, not only is having access to information on the things needed to get life done important — but how people's money is being used and what's being done — known as transparency in governmental affairs — is also very important.

Examples of open records can include, but are not limited to: books, papers, meeting minutes, film, data files, recordings, emails, photos, budgets, expenditures, grants, federal monies, etc.

And these records of government, often dug up or recorded by journalists, belong to the people as much as the work of the government does — this is Sunshine Week in a nutshell.

While transparency in government is tantamount to the health of a community, this is only a small part of providing information services.

And while the Open Records and Open Meetings Act are provisional to a small slice of access to public information, the State of Oklahoma has in place these statutes and other laws that dictate what must be provided in information services.

A healthy democracy requires a public that is knowledgeable about government processes and policies. Participation and commitment are measures of that health.

There are many ways citizens can participate in creating a healthy democracy: voting, attending town meetings or public hearings, serving on local and state boards and commissions, running for office, participating in political parties, being active members of organizations like the League of Women Voters or just by staying informed with "Your Right to Know."

More information on Sunshine Week can be found at www.sunshineweek.org. To nominate someone you know as a Freedom of Information honoree, or for more information, go to foioklahoma.org.