The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so they may maintain control over the instruments they have created.
Revised Code of Washington

Its an annual event that goes virtually unnoticed, but the focus of Sunshine Week impacts each of our lives.
Sunshine Week, observed March 16-22, is a national initiative aimed at promoting an on-going dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information, and how we all must be vigilant in ensuring the publics right to know.
According to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Sunshine Week is about the publics right to know what its government is doing, and why. Sunshine Week seeks to enlighten and empower people to play an active role in their government at all levels, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better, and their communities stronger.
A recent Sunshine Week poll of 1,012 adults by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University asked Is your local government open or secretive? Forty percent of the respondents said Somewhat or very secretive, while 56 percent answered Somewhat or very open. The remaining 4 percent said they dont know. When asked Is the federal government open or secretive? 74 percent answered Somewhat or very secretive, while only 20 percent said Somewhat or very open. The remaining 6 percent said they dont know.
The fact that nearly three-quarters of the respondents said the federal government is somewhat or very secretive, illustrates the importance of Sunshine Week and the need for all of us to be involved.
The public can get involved in a variety of ways. They can demand that candidates for elected office whether local, county, state or federal support an open and transparent government. The Sunshine Week polls shows that voters do consider candidates positions. When asked How important is a presidential candidates position on open government when you decide whom to voter for? 87 percent said somewhat, very important, while only 10 percent responded, somewhat, very unimportant. When asked How about a candidates position on open government when voting for your city council or school board? 91 percent responded somewhat, very important, while only 6 percent said somewhat, very unimportant. But its not enough to vote for a candidate who says they support open government once an elected official takes office the public must ensure their actions support open government. The public must at all times demand that elected officials strive toward making government as open and accessible as possible.
An open and transparent government is necessary to ensure accountability and is not something we should simply take for granted. We all can, and must, play a role in ensuring and safeguarding the publics right to know.

As the recent legislative success with the Open Government Act shows us, open government is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It is an American value and a virtue that all Americans can embrace. Sunshine Week gives us the chance to celebrate our successes, and evaluate the challenges that lie ahead as we work to further strengthen laws to protect the publics right to know. To hold our government truly accountable, we must shine light on the decisions being made in the name of the American people.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

STF

To contact a member of The Marysville Globe/Arlington Times editorial board Stuart Chernis or Scott Frank e-mail forum@marysvilleglobe.com.