| I'd like to start a simple little project and I need your help.
I've been looking around and I can't find any broad range scorecards -- I'm thinking of something like Progressive Punch, but much simpler -- that track the votes of W.Va. legislators. Yes, there are several groups who do a very good job of honoring legislators who are supportive of progressive causes. And, there are some issues groups that rate legislative votes.
With your help, I think we can create a simple system to start shining a light on the conservative vs. progressive rating for house of delegates and state senate members.
Here's what I have in mind.
West Virginia Blue Progressive Ratings
Let's pick no more than a dozen votes for the house and for the senate (they will, by necessity, be a slightly different list... not all bills came up for vote in both houses). The optimal list will span a broad range of issues: non-discrimination, the environment, labor issues, health care, choice, the occupation of Iraq, and anything else that may have come up in the most recent session.
Once we have a list of 8-12 votes for each chamber, I'll put together a spreadsheet showing how each legislator voted on each bill. From there, we figure out a percentage score and we've got W.Va. Blue Progressive Legislator ratings and rankings to share with the world.
Your Help
Here's where I need your help. What were the key votes for this session? If you can provide a specific bill number, all the better, but even if not, let's just start brainstorming about ideas.
A few that come to mind... the employee non-discrimination bill is an obvious choice. My memory is already hazy, it was voted on in the Senate but never made it to the House floor?
On the House side, the bill restricting the ability of employers to force employees to attend meetings was voted on in the House but never made it to the Senate floor, right?
I didn't follow the ins and outs of the floor fights on the Tier 2, 2.5, 3 water way designations. Were there key votes in each chamber related to that issue?
What do you think?
1. Is this worth doing?
2. If so, any suggestion on votes?
Please add your thoughts in comments or feel free to suggestions via email to me at: wvablue@gmail.com. |
