When you’re scrolling through the news, whether it’s on social media, a specific publication, or an eclection of articles on places like Microsoft or Apple News, does it ever feel like no matter how much you read, you never get the full picture? Does researching for an election feel incredibly daunting because you just know you’re going to see conflicting facts and figures and get confused? Do you read one article after the other, mentioning laws and agencies you know nothing about, and feel like you’re left with more questions than answers? Does it seem like our wide world full of news is just a giant black hole of contradicting information, with the only voices explaining the matter trying to convince you to join their side?
Journalists are grinding through their days and nights across the United States and the world to bring truth to the general public. Reporters and the people who help publish their work serve as the bridge between government officials and the constituents they serve. However, the pressure for publications to get the newest and most exciting scoops can alter our diet of media and news consumption. The outlook on our state of affairs is easily warped, and not always intentionally. We could believe we’re in a more compromised or vulnerable state than reality because the most concerning news gets the spotlight. The opposite could also occur; important but less exciting news can get swept under the rug for not being controversial enough to generate clicks and meet quotas for online traffic. The need to publish findings quickly can prevent journalists from researching further and making connections to similar past events in their work. Young Americans can especially be fooled into thinking nearly everything during a current administration is unprecedented when no one is telling them similar, if not the same things, have already occurred. Some publications even cherry-pick information to purposefully mire their pieces with political bias. Both mainstream and fringe publications intending to promote biased information or even propaganda prevent the American public from fully understanding the situations at hand.
Still, news outlets are highly valuable, and we should read a wide variety of publications at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Nobody is an expert on everything, so there will always be something in the pieces we read that sparks curiosity and inspires us to dive deeper into the issues we care about. Here in the United States, decisions are being made and their records are being published every day by our local, state, and national branches of government. Here’s where you can find exactly what they’re doing, details of decisions made even decades ago, how your elected officials’ records actually compare to their promises, and just some hidden treasures for all you public policy nerds out there.
(This article contains information at the federal level, but also resources curated to Michigan state and local governments, as applicable to MSU students.)
GovInfo
GovInfo is an online information service provided by the Government Publishing Office, a federal agency as part of the legislative branch. The site includes a vast array of past and present documents, including but not limited to codes, regulations, bills, statutes, calendars, hearing records, reports, manuals, laws, and court opinions/decisions. Video tutorials for navigating the website can be found here.
The Federal Register
The Federal Register is the official journal of the United States federal government. Every weekday, federal agencies publish “proposed rules, final rules, public notices, and Presidential actions.” The home page displays each daily current issue of all public documents being discussed, considered, or established at the federal level. Documents included on the site can be proposed or final. The Public Inspection page allows users to preview documents intended to be published the next day. Documents are organized by date, agency, and topic. The site offers various types of “Reader Guides” to explain how the site functions. The Federal Register unveils the constant machine of government, which continues to work diligently underneath the veil of wildly partisan media coverage. Remember, for every elected official serving as the leader of an agency or representative of a regional area, there’s a whole staff behind them doing the research and clerical work to serve the public.
This site is a great way to stay updated on everything currently being handled. Each document in the Register also clarifies whether there is a requested time period or any availability for public comment. The National Archives provides a tutorial for the Federal Register here. For more information, the Federal Register has a list of related resources here.
Regulations.gov
This site tracks all regulatory materials and requests for information that are open for public comment. This site is the perfect place to see which government decisions are closing in on being denied or accepted. If they concern you, your loved ones, and/or your community, you can speak up! The site also has tips for writing effective comments. Here, you can also download regulatory materials from agencies and subscribe with your email address to receive updates on certain issues. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also details information about regulations and how you can contribute here.
The National Archives
No, this isn’t just the agency that protects the Declaration of Independence from being stolen. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) serves to protect all historically and legally significant documents created by the US government. Many of these preserved records are available to the public. While a very small number of people have access to original documents, many documents are available for viewing online or by order of a physical copy. Frequently Asked Questions about the National Archives and their services can be found here. NARA also serves as the umbrella organization for The Federal Register, The Center for Legislative Archives, and the Federal Records Center.
USA.gov
This official web portal of the United States government helps you “locate and understand government benefits, programs, and information.” If there’s anything the government can help you with, it’s on this site. From everything to renewing your driver’s license, registering to vote, learning how to file your taxes, or figuring out benefits that may apply to you, this site can point you in the right direction. The site also provides places to file complaints regarding government agencies or services needing improved regulation.
GovTrack.us
Want a comprehensive guide to all bills and laws the federal, legislative, and executive branches are considering? GovTrack’s website explains the purpose of its services: “We publish the status of federal legislation and voting records, information and statistics about representatives and senators in Congress, and news and commentary about official actions by Congress, the President, and the White House.” GovTrack encourages use of their site to “research and track legislation in the United States Congress, including Members of Congress, bills and resolutions, voting records, and committee activity.” Information about the data they provide and projects they contribute to can be found here.
Bill Track 50
This website requires you to register for an account, and although the home page may seem frightening with the mention of a 30-day free trial, you can register for a Citizen account and use it indefinitely for no charge.
Bill Track 50 has a well-crafted and advanced search engine. It’s easy to find information on specific legislators, committees, and issues. Instructions for using the free version can be found here.
OpenSecrets
OpenSecrets tracks the “money in politics,” meaning it records, organizes, and publishes data about money received and spent by campaigns, as well as monetary transactions between lobbyists and elected officials. The easy-to-use website features a well-organized Learning Center, where users can search for specific issues and topics, read reports with in depth analysis, or just learn the basics about campaign finance. To be officially trained on how to use the website, OpenSecrets offers a connection to their Communications department here.
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia boasts itself as the encyclopedia of American politics, and rightfully so. Besides tracking and analyzing elections at the national, state, and local levels, the site also provides newsletters and learning initiatives for anyone to learn more about public policy. Their site claims, “Ballotpedia’s administrative state coverage is dedicated to providing neutral, nonpartisan, encyclopedic content covering concepts, laws, court cases, executive orders, scholarly work, government activity, and other material related to the administrative state.” Election toolkits are updated yearly. Whenever you’re looking to research upcoming elections and the candidates on the ballot, Ballotpedia is the place to go.
Your legislative representative’s website
While elected representatives are going to glamorize their sites in their favor, getting updates about what legislation they’re introducing and what projects they’re working on can help you become more familiar with what they value the most, and whether they’re addressing the issues you, their constituent, care about.
For example, Michigan residents can sign up for updates from Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters with these attached links. East Lansing residents can do the same for US Representative Tom Barrett, State Representative Julie Brixie, and State Senator Sam Singh. Not sure who your representatives are? Use this site from Ballotpedia to find them.
Your local and state government
The federal level may be where the headline drama is, but serious decisions directly affecting you happen at the state and local levels too! Here are some examples of sites with regular updates and access to services with links for East Lansing residents.
- Michigan Legislature
- Michigan House of Representatives
- Michigan Senate
- State of Michigan
- Michigan Courts
- Ingham County
- City of East Lansing
- City-Data.com
The language of these primary sources is heavy. For young people, like high school or college students, it can be especially daunting. In an ideal world, everyone would automatically be given the education to read documents like a lawyer, but we can’t all be experts. In our digital age, it’s very easy to drown in information. Sometimes, we also just need a refresh on the basic civics we learned in K-12 school. These are some websites to help you learn legal jargon and other terms often found in government documents.
- The United States Government Manual
- A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies
- Commonly Used Agency Acronyms
- Glossary of Terms Related to Congressional Records
- Glossary of Records Management Terms
- US House of Representatives Glossary of Terms
If manually exploring websites isn’t your thing, signing up for a wide variety of newsletters and publication subscriptions brings the information right to your inbox. Sometimes, the best strategy to get more information every day isn’t making it easier to get the news, but making it harder to look away.
It is unrealistic to expect every citizen to sift through all of the numerous and frankly bland records the government releases every day. Some days, we may only have time to glance at some headlines while we’re doing other things. However, including some of these primary sources in your media diet, like regularly browsing GovTrack while you drink your morning coffee, can bring some much-needed autonomy to your political research. Keeping a list of sites you consult before every election means advertisements and smear campaigns won’t be the only things determining your vote.
Being an active citizen is a skill that requires exercise. Being an informed voter is something young people are practically a stranger to, and quite frankly, something Americans of all ages can improve upon. It has been said that effort will never betray you. All learning is beneficial to you and those around you. At the end of the day, putting in time, effort, and taking your naturally endowed place as an active citizen is an act of gratitude towards our democracy.