Public Equals Online

The Public=Online Campaign is an initiative of the Sunlight Foundation. This is important to know for several reasons.

The Sunlight Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, meaning there are some things that are OK to do under or through our campaign, and some things that are not. We want to be as clear as possible about what those things are.

Under the Public=Online Campaign WE CAN:

• Educate others about the need for government information to be available online and in real-time. We can (and should and will) always be vocal about why a more open, transparent government is important to us.

• We are not just educating citizens about the need for more transparency after all, but we're also educating candidates for office about how important transparency is to us when we cast our vote!

• Advocate for greater openness and transparency in government by communicating with government officials about our support of both the "idea" of transparency as well as specific pieces of legislation that we designate - such as the Public Online Information Act or Transparency in Government Act.

Our advocacy can take many forms, such as meetings with representatives, questions at town halls, letters to editors, emails or phone calls and more.

• Pressure elected officials, candidates for office and government staff - individually, as a group or in the media - to become more open and transparent, and work to make the whole government more so.

• Evaluate public officials on their level of transparency and their positions on transparency - though we will not single out any public official to say whether they are "good" or "bad."

It's also important to note that under the law, most legislative advocacy is considered lobbying. As such, we strictly track the amount of money and time that is spent on these activities by staff at the Sunlight Foundation. We do this so we do not devote more than the amount of resources that are permitted under 501(c)(3) guidelines. As citizens involved in a campaign, there are no limits on the time you spend doing this activity.

Under the Public=Online Campaign WE CANNOT:

• Endorse* specific candidates for office or support a particular political party in any election.

The Public=Online Campaign is a non-partisan initiative to put pressure on government to be more transparent. Transparency is an issue that every party and every candidate should have to answer to the public for, but we will not and cannot endorse or oppose any specific candidates based on their stances.

If any member of the Public=Online campaign has statements in writing or in imagery (such as a campaign sign or blog post) that states support of both the Public=Online campaign and a specific candidate or party at the same time, that campaign member is immediately disassociated with the Public=Online campaign.

*While citizens representing the campaign cannot endorse a candidate, candidates CAN specifically cite the platform of the Public=Online campaign as something that they will work toward as a public official, and we as citizens can ask them to do so.

Under the Public=Online Campaign WE SHOULDN'T:

• Speak for the whole campaign about issues or legislation that are beyond those specifically designated on the campaign website or in campaign materials.

It is the intent of the campaign that you will be able to connect with others around you and make your voice heard about the issues that matter most to you in regard to transparency at the local level. There are some pieces of legislation that we all agree on, and we'll want to be as vocal as possible about those. However, as an example, if you were to ask for a video camera on the desk of every elected official in your city, that is probably NOT something that everyone in the campaign would want. In such a case, you may be able to ask for it yourself, but it would not represent the requests of the Public=Online campaign.

(We will be releasing organizing toolkits and resources in April and May of 2010 with even more detailed information on these issues. If at any point, you have a question or concern, please contact campaign director Jake Brewer, jbrewer [at] Sunlightfoundation.com)