Who represents me in government?
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civic information lookup
SHOW HN2012
34points
28comments
#658of 1,677 in 2012
Top 40%of 2012 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
3 positive, 3 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 6 critical, out of 17 comments about the project. Thread score -0.15.
Idea: 2 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 3 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Simple way to see your representatives and contact them
From 2 comments
I really like this. A very simple way to see your reps if you want to contact them. Might I suggest taking the idea a step further: Perhaps finding a way to list key legislation…
dclowd9901 on HNThis is awesome, and I needed it just yesterday to determine who my local representative is. You use a nice large font too, but then I'd suggest making the…
jerrya on HN
Nice interface
From 2 comments
Can you go more into the challenges you had? From the few minutes I spent on your site I didn't see too much of a difference from what I can obtain from Project Vote Smart. That…
jsabo on HNThis is awesome, and I needed it just yesterday to determine who my local representative is. You use a nice large font too, but then I'd suggest making the…
jerrya on HN
Objections
Local officials should be shown first, not federal
From 4 comments
That's neat. I agree with the other commenters that local officials should be shown first. FWIW, it looks like you haven't yet taken into account Minnesota's recent…
cfinke on HNI wonder if the ordering of who represents you should be handled differently. Sorted starting from local is in many ways more relevant. Obama represents everyone in the USA, and…
Tiktaalik on HNI agree with the other commenters that this should work "from me, out", meaning show me the most local, then state, then federal. Also, please include a note on each page…
jcoder on HNI like your app. I have sent an email to your address (I hope it is the right one, please put in your profile) with some ideas that I will never have time to chase myself, in…
gregpilling on HN
Supreme Court listed as representatives is misleading
From 1 comment
As others have said, starting off with local is better than with federal. Others may disagree with me, but seeing the Supreme Court listed as my representatives made my eyes roll…
danso on HN
Tabs are hard to notice and switching tabs shows a blank page
From 3 comments
The tabs need more visual weight. I was unimpressed at first until I noticed that I could dig into the meaty information at county and state level.
xbryanx on HNSwitching to a different tab (Federal/State/Local) just shows a blank page until I manually reload. Chrome 18.0.1025.152 m on Windows 7.
nollidge on HNDitto on Chrome *.162 on Snow Leopard.
Dejital on HN
Outdated data, such as a former mayor and pre-redistricting representative
From 2 comments
I was expecting state-level officials to appear in the list considering that information on federal officials is already available in many places and having state information…
LeafStorm on HNThat's neat. I agree with the other commenters that local officials should be shown first. FWIW, it looks like you haven't yet taken into account Minnesota's recent…
cfinke on HN
Requests
Campaign contribution and voting record data
From 2 comments
I really like this. A very simple way to see your reps if you want to contact them. Might I suggest taking the idea a step further: Perhaps finding a way to list key legislation…
dclowd9901 on HNHey, thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions! We're a small team right now (actually, I'm the lone dev for the site), but we definitely want to integrate a lot of these…
5vforest on HN
Show where tax dollars go locally
From 1 comment
This is AWESOME. People see government as this incomprehensible thing - and parts of it definitely are - but there are simple ways of looking at some stuff. Seeing who represents…
andys627 on HN
Show which officials oversee a given agency
From 1 comment
(Okay this is my wishlist feature: I type in the address of some random government agency, and you tell me what elected officials are most responsible for that agency's operation…
jerrya on HN
Cite sources for biographical data
From 2 comments
I agree with the other commenters that this should work "from me, out", meaning show me the most local, then state, then federal. Also, please include a note on each page…
jcoder on HNThis is awesome, and I needed it just yesterday to determine who my local representative is. You use a nice large font too, but then I'd suggest making the…
jerrya on HN
Questions
Where does the data come from
From 1 comment
This is awesome, and I needed it just yesterday to determine who my local representative is. You use a nice large font too, but then I'd suggest making the…
jerrya on HN
Alternatives named
Project Vote Smart
From 2 comments
Can you go more into the challenges you had? From the few minutes I spent on your site I didn't see too much of a difference from what I can obtain from Project Vote Smart. That…
jsabo on HNThis is awesome, and I needed it just yesterday to determine who my local representative is. You use a nice large font too, but then I'd suggest making the…
jerrya on HN