Observer Corps

Are you interested in learning more about an area of your local government? Are you passionate about government transparency and accountability? Can you volunteer at least 1-2 hours per month to attend a local government meeting (either in-person, virtually, or by watching a recording of the meeting afterward)? Join the Observer Corps!

 

Observers are individuals who attend local government meetings, take notes, and report back to the League and the community. In 2015, LWVUS released a publication detailing the Observer Corps program, Observing Your Government in Action: Protecting Your Right to Know. Below are excerpts from the guide:

 

“Observer programs (or Observer Corps) are a structured way for individuals to exercise their right to know. …They help ensure that citizens are aware of the decisions that impact their lives and they promote government transparency and accountability.

 

An observer is an individual who attends a governmental meeting, notes what happens at the meeting, and reports back to the League and (hopefully) the community. By attending public meetings of local governmental bodies/agencies, observers learn more about what their government is doing. They learn about the issues facing their community and are empowered to take action, if warranted. They also learn how issues are being addressed.”

 

Ann Sullivan-Smoot, one of our Clackamas County League Observers, has been observing Clackamas County Commissioner Business Meetings over the past several months. While Ann is a newer Observer, she shares that she is “personally benefiting from attending as I come from an entirely different and non-political perspective. Actually witnessing the process, the mannerisms, and the cooperation among the politicians has actually been reassuring in a way given our tenuous national governance. Frankly, this alone is a reason to become an observer.”

 

Possible Meetings to Observe:

• Board of elections 

• City/Town Councils

• County commissioners

• Department of Human Services

• Health department

• Historic preservation commission

• Hospital board

• Human relations committee

• Library board

• Park district board

• School committee

• Solid waste/Sanitary board

• Visitors and convention commission

• Water district/board

• Zoning/Planning board

 

Observer programs benefit the community by:

• Creating a civically engaged and empowered cadre of watchdogs;

• Connecting individuals (observers and others with whom their observations are shared) with government;

• Promoting open, transparent and accountable government;

• Connection elected/appointed officials with their constituents;

• Educating the public about issues impacting their communities and their lives; and

• Identifying areas where action or improvement is needed.

 

Observer programs benefit the League in the following ways:

• Existing members will become more engaged.

• The League will increase its community ties.

• The League will become more visible.

• New members will join the League.”
   

While there are no “qualifications” per se, ideally observers are:

• Good listeners and able to summarize and “interpret” proceedings in a fair way;

• Interested in local government and/or issues being discussed by the governmental body that they are observing;

• Able to serve as an “ambassador” for the organization (e.g. talking about the organization with other attendees at a meeting);

• Discrete and courteous;

• Not working a personal or partisan agenda while serving as a League observer.
   

 

If you are interested in joining the Observer Corps, please email us at Localaction@lwvclackamas.org

 

Additional Information:

 

Observers can report back to the League about meetings they attend with the Observer Corps Report Form (Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZP20s_liaQ9zg-HxiInDeFXfACtgXDVZ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117229981399495597209&rtpof=true&sd=true 

 

Google Form: https://forms.gle/nCieXb5GxEiYCrYM9 

 

Click here to open the Oregon Attorney General Manual on Public Meetings
https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/public-records/attorney-generals-public-records-and-meetings-manual/ii-public-meetings/ 

 

House Bill 2560, passed by the Oregon Legislature in the 2021 session, took effect on Jan. 1, 2022. It requires governing bodies to make most public meetings remotely accessible when it’s “reasonably possible.” The new law requires governing bodies to provide a way for people to access most public meetings remotely.