"My Congressman Tweets, Does Yours?"

Sunlight Foundation is a non-partisan foundation dedicated to using the power of the Internet to make information about Congress and the Federal government more accessible to United States' citizens. By doing so, the foundation hopes to promote a government "transparency" that will promote openness and accountability of our government's actions. The foundation has already, through an online petition, enabled Congressional representatives to twitter during Congressional hearings. This has given representatives the ability to keep citizens informed of current government happenings as well as getting instant feedback. Sunlight Foundation continues to advocate for further advancements in government transparency.

I believe the Sunlight Foundation's mission, if furthered, will expand democracy and give individual citizens even more of a voice in government. Until recently, American citizens have relied on the conscience of their elected officials; hoping that when they cast the vote for their representative their aspirations for legislation would be fulfilled indirectly through that representative. The emergence of a more transparent government, however, has paved the way for more direct representation. Citizens can now remain informed on current government activity as well as providing government officials with feedback that will enable the officials to truly embody the political aspirations of the citizens they represent.