Records

 The West Virginia Clarity Project is an independent, nonpartisan civic education, transparency, and accountability initiative founded to make public policy, elections, and government systems accessible to everyday West Virginians.

The effort grew out of a recognition that local government processes, candidate records, and regulatory policies are often fragmented, difficult to access, or obscured by partisan spin. Rather than acting as traditional gatekeepers or pushing an editorial agenda, the project emphasizes open-source civic learning and tools that citizens can use directly.

Core Focus Areas & Initiatives

• Unedited Candidate Interviews: The project conducts long-form, standardized candidate interviews. All participants are asked comparable questions, interviews are published in full without selective editing or voice-over commentary, and decline notices are tracked for public transparency.
• Policy & Infrastructure Tracking: It monitors key regulatory and legislative shifts impacting the state—such as tracking proposals and bills surrounding utility demand, tax policies, and the development of hyperscale data centers (e.g., their "Data Center Watch").
• Civic Education & Micro-Learning: The platform publishes guides that break down how local government boards operate, how public records (FOIA) work, and how citizens can review decisions made by their elected officials.
• Crowdsourced Public Records: It provides community contribution frameworks where residents can submit local public notices, meeting minutes, and agency documents to help build a permanent, accessible public record.
• Process Transparency: True to its name, the organization documents its internal decisions, maintains a public changelog of website updates and editorial choices, and outlines strict ethics standards regarding research, correction policies, and data usage.