C-SPAN poll shows public wants bills posted online

A poll of midterm voters by C-SPAN shows publishing bills online and allowing television cameras to show the entire House chamber are two of the most popular suggestions to increase congressional accessibility.

When asked what changes would be most useful for a "more responsive and open Congress," the most popular suggestions were having lawmakers use everyday language when talking about legislation, publishing bills online, issuing alerts when major votes come up and allowing TV cameras to show the entire chamber.

A third of the 1,200 midterm voters surveyed by the polling firm Penn Schoen Berland said they watched C-SPAN at some point in the past year, and 69 percent of those viewers said they had watched coverage of the House during that period.

"There’s a clear message to the new House leadership in these national poll findings: accept the digital age," said Penn Schoen principal Robert Green. "The quickest way to rebuild confidence in the institution of Congress, now at an all-time low, is to make it accessible. Let the people read legislation themselves by putting it online."