After almost three years of work toward a civic information hub, it took its first breath last weekend.
After two weeks of 16, and sometimes 20, hour days, millions of public records came to life. A single place for primary-source public data, including campaign finance and the voting records of federal elected representatives, among the many datasets that form the foundation of this project.
These were the first steps in creating a new, nonpartisan Matter of Record, allowing Americans to closely examine the work of those they elected to represent their interests. No political leanings, just the FACTS, because the truth DOES matter.
Everything from voting records to donor spending to the legislative record will be in the sunlight, which is the best disinfectant for keeping democracy safe and secure. This two-strand project separates my political advocacy work from critical primary-source data. I will deliver it through two new websites: ‘Matter of Record’ and ‘Truth Matters’. Each has its own domain and will become the foundation of my work moving forward.
As the project has come to life over the past couple of weeks, I felt it essential to ensure the factual data could NOT be contaminated by opinion. Moreover, I didn’t want to open myself up to any suggestion that my social justice and democratic advocacy work might provide an opportunity for those with malign intent to label Matter of Record as some left-leaning liberal think tank experiment. That’s absolutely NOT what it is or what it will ever be. I have no intention of distancing myself from the fact that I built a nonpartisan civic information hub. On the contrary, I am very proud to be its creator.
As a result of the information it contains, I’m pretty sure that the project will come under intense scrutiny, so it’s important I outline for the record the division between my digital activism and a site providing purely primary source data directly from public open source records, all of which are attributed within the site. Matter of Record has a very specific goal: to put critical information in one place, designed to help inform Americans, in the hope that it will enable them to engage with politics based only on the facts and not the fiction they are so often presented with.
It will be a completely FREE public resource, and over the coming week, I’ll pull back the covers on years of thought to offer a hands-on sneak preview before a slow, deliberate rollout begins. At times, I wondered if it was a task too far, but the last week proved it can be done, and delivered in an elegant, intuitive interface that just works.
Anyone who’s ever had a dream knows how it feels when nervous anxiety turns into the excitement of bringing a project to fruition. It’s made all the 5 am to 10 pm days worthwhile. I can do no more than show anyone willing to listen that things don’t have to be the way they are. We can do better. We can better inform, not preach, and that’s what Matter of Record is designed to do. I’m not offering the ‘jam tomorrow’ solutions so often sold in order to have you believe that the promised land is just around the corner. Maintaining a democracy has never been easy. But I promise it doesn’t have to be this hard, if people are simply given the facts.
I’ve always maintained that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I’m about to deliver what I believe is a tantalising slice of truth cake, with a delicious helping of pure factual sauce, for FREE to every American. The good news for British readers is that the same recipe will be available on a device near you, and I’ll keep you up to date on progress.
The new resources will come in a variety of flavours from day one, both for mobile and desktop devices. Later, I plan to add native apps for both iOS and Android. So whether you’re at your desk or on the move, you’ll have the facts to hand. The legislative process has long been out of sight for everyday Americans. It’s time to make that a thing of the past. My aim is to change that and set people free from the tsunami of disinformation we are all constantly subjected to in this upside-down world.
It’s an important moment for me, because I’m genuinely committed to making a meaningful contribution in this battle to preserve democracy and social justice before I pass the baton to others. It brings with it a quiet, determined commitment to a long-held belief: no family should be left behind, and no child should go to bed hungry. Sadly, these are choices made by those who should know better. More than enough resources exist; we just choose not to distribute them fairly in this era of social Darwinism.
To hold average Americans' representatives better to account, I believe the key is knowledge. It’s not for nothing that this regime spends so much energy hiding the truth from people. I believe they might know that if the truth ever comes knocking, they might face jail time. Invariably, finding the truth is like a treasure hunt, assembling the puzzle pieces. I’m proposing an opportunity to reduce deliberate obfuscation and let technology do what it does best: Gathering and analysing data.
The second problem Matter of Record will address is providing a sterile environment in which to digest it, unhindered by a political lens. This is not about alternative facts or the reader’s perceived version of the truth. Just the plain, unvarnished FACTS. It’s about using data to promote critical thinking, a skill that will become extinct if we don’t use it. The claim is always that people don’t have time to find the truth; instead, they rely on social media to reinforce views they already baked in through their politics of choice.
Matter of Record will let anyone ask simple questions and get fact-based answers on whether the person they elected to represent them is doing what they promised. Politicians have long taken their constituents' votes for granted, assuming all they have to do is hold out their hand for money every election. I’ve compiled millions of records on what elected representatives do, so you can ask the right questions and get an honest answer, even if they won’t give it to you.
This resource isn’t mine; it belongs to the people. I’m simply a custodian of the data. My role is to use it to answer the questions that matter: how well those who claim to represent the people perform. You’ll be able to look at any vote, the path of any legislation a member sponsored, and how it moved through the legislative process. You’ll be able to see the money they’ve raised and where it came from. This makes it easier to spot where lobby money or special interests might be influencing them. In time, you’ll be able to examine every word of every floor speech and statement they’ve made on the record. You can do that not only in writing, but by watching them say it on camera in their own words.
You’ll see which committees they serve on, what those committees do, when they break with their party on votes, and how they vote on critical issues that matter to you. All of this will be available in an easy-to-use interface that works just as well on any connected device, from the phone in your pocket to your laptop or desktop. Soon, I’ll release time-limited links to examples of the data you will have access to at launch, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. My goal is to give you easy-to-use examples and get your feedback on what you would find useful. This will be a journey we take together, with me providing the information you need to better understand how the government serves you, or fails you.
Over time, we’ll add more primary-source data as we expand the system’s capabilities to provide more transparency about government and the politicians who claim to represent your best interests. I’m eager to get your early eyes on Matter of Record because it will show how it can point you to useful information to help guide your political decision-making. I MUST STRESS that this initial soft release of the system is still a work in progress.
I hadn’t thought we could get this early release preview in place before the midterms, but we’ve ingested enough data to clearly show the direction of travel. This should help people understand what’s possible. I think the best route is to share it for feedback, and I’ll provide a space for that as you try it for yourself. This way we can test features as we deploy. There’s a lot of work still going on as I write this. I’m trying to balance writing and working on the system, because I’m not sure what meaningful contribution I can make in the last couple of weeks before midterms.
My aim is to be in a much better position directly after the elections to start rolling this system out in modules. Assuming I can fund the project, it should be fully operational for when the new Congress begins in January. This would give us ample opportunity to refine the application so it can operate through a full election cycle.
Tomorrow, I’ll walk you through what I see as the next step up for the other side of the project, Truth Matters and my advocacy work. This part of the project is a bespoke toolkit that will streamline my writing and social media work, and it will finally tell you about the Unvarnished podcast, something I’ve been working to produce for a long time. This is me stepping out from behind the brand to put a face to the name. It’s a huge step for me, and I have to admit I’m very nervous, but it’s time to “step up and step out”.
If you would like to support my work but can’t commit to a paid subscription, you can now make a one-off donation by clicking the image below. Your donation helps cover research costs and keeps my independent reporting FREE for all. It also now helps support Matter of Record.
Truth stands above all else! Thank you, Martin, for following: your heart & the truth. Your commitment is inspiring!!
Thank you Martin for all your passion and work to bring this database of our political system to light. I do hope that much of the danger passes with the election, but I fear that real dangerous efforts will be made to circumvent the results and that the players brought in to facilitate the "steal" will be armed and masked. I don't know who will win in this catastrophe.