For 32 years the Almanac of Virginia Politics, a comprehensive compendium of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s legislative actions, has been available in print only. Last month, the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University released a long-awaited digital version of the encyclopedic anthology, thanks to the tireless efforts of a team of graduate research assistants, undergraduate students in state and local government courses, and a tenacious professor.
For decades the printed Almanac of Virginia Politics has been a reliable resource for legislators, lobbyists, libraries, civic activists, students, and researchers who need information—historic and contemporary—in Virginia legislative politics. The online version will increase access and heighten awareness, say the editors.
“It’s the go-to site for Virginia politics,” said managing editor Matthew Sardone, a student in the Schar School’s Master’s in Public Administration program and an alumnus of the Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics program.
“The Almanac is the best guide to current and past legislation,” added Toni-Michelle Travis, a professor of political science at the Schar School and founder of the innovative digital version of the Almanac project. “It’s a handy guide to the legislature. The Almanac provides current and historical information for the citizen, the researcher, and the press.”
Sardone was assisted by public administration major Iman Abebe, the assistant editor who supervised the team of undergraduate researchers.
The digital version of the book, first compiled for print in 1977 by Mason graduate and equal rights activist Flora Crater, includes records for the current General Assembly session to 2011 (more years will be added). Crater, who graduated in 1981 from Mason at age 67 with a bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics, died in 2009. Travis was a longtime associate of Crater.
Raw data available in the Almanac includes current and past budgets, economic outlook and revenue forecasts, unaudited general fund annual reports, and the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission’s comparisons of Virginia’s budget to other states’ finances.
A section on “Women in the Virginia General Assembly” will eventually include information on every woman elected to the statehouse, from 1920 to the present. Future versions will highlight contributions by other minorities.
Accessing the Almanac is free of charge, said Sardone, who continues to input data into the work-in-progress. “The move to the digital medium makes it significantly easier for anyone who wants to access the information,” he said.
Being in the Schar School’s MPA program has changed Sardone’s thoughts about his future.
“I know I want to work at some level of government, and I’ve always been interested in federal,” he said. “But as an MPA student, state and local government have become a lot more attractive to me. I never recognized the opportunities.”