How to improve transparency in state and local government

Citizen engagement is vital to an accountable functioning government. Transparency empowers people to witness and participate in the decision-making processes. In today’s digital age, livestreaming public meetings is critical for fostering community involvement. 

Livestreaming public meetings allows citizens who cannot attend in person to engage with and monitor discussions and decisions. This practice should be adopted at all levels of government, from school boards to municipal, county, and state governing bodies. Transparency must be prioritized across the board. 

Latest report from The Nerve  

Recently, The Nerve, SCPC’s investigative news outlet, released an report examining livestreaming practices across South Carolina’s 72 regular school districts. The findings revealed that almost 30% of districts are not livestreaming their official meetings, limiting public access to critical discussions and decisions. 

One superintendent claimed they have not implemented a livestreaming policy due to cost concerns and the belief that current solutions would not meet their quality standards. 

We challenge this characterization. For districts not currently livestreaming their meetings, there are three straightforward options: 

1.  Continue not to livestream meetings. 

1. Install the necessary audio and video technology to support livestreaming. 

1. Use a free platform like YouTube, Zoom, Facebook, or X, all of which offer high-definition livestreaming at no cost. 

The first option is clearly the least desirable, as it limits public participation and reduces accountability. Regarding the second option, districts with the necessary funding should prioritize investing in audio and video technology to livestream meetings.  

For districts without available funding, free platforms should be utilized for livestreaming, even if the quality falls slightly below the district’s preferred standards. Ensuring access is far more important than perfect production quality in fostering transparency and accountability. 

State livestreaming trends 

SCPC has championed transparency in state government for over a decade. During the 2021-2022 legislative session, we began tracking livestreaming rates for committee meetings in both the House and Senate. 

The initial results were disappointing. In the 2021-22 session we found that in the Senate, only 34.2% of committee meetings were livestreamed, while the House was slightly better, livestreaming 35.1% of their committee meetings. 

However, after sustained focus by SCPC, we saw significant improvement in the 2023-24 session. Our reports in 2023 & 2024 showed that 45.6% of Senate committee meetings and an impressive 79.5% of House committee meetings were livestreamed. 

The combined data for both chambers reflects a positive trend: While only 35.1% of all committee meetings were livestreamed in 2021-22, this rate nearly doubled to 63.7% in 2023-24. This is an encouraging shift, and we hope to see lawmakers continue expanding transparency efforts in the 2025-26 legislative session. 

The fix 

This issue presents an opportunity for improvement across multiple levels of government. Ideally, school districts, municipalities, counties, and state government would proactively implement livestreaming policies to enhance transparency. However, this has not been the case.  

We recommend legislation requiring that all levels of state and local governments livestream their meetings. This legislation will look differently on the state and local level.  

At the state government level, the ideal policy should reflect the Government Transparency Act, filed in 2023 by S.C. Rep. Rob Harris. This bill would require all committee meetings to be livestreamed, including nomination hearings for state judicial candidates.  

The bill additionally increases transparency surrounding the state budget, state and local records, and public employee salaries. 

Similarly, a 2023 bill proposed requiring all school boards to livestream their official meetings. This legislation would compel districts to adopt a livestreaming policy while allowing them flexibility in implementation.  

This compromise addresses the concerns of districts that might lack funding for advanced technology, as they can utilize free platforms to fulfill the requirements. The bill also states that the state Department of Education would be responsible to develop model policy and best practices to follow.  

We encourage the reintroduction of these measures at the beginning of the 2025 session, along with the filing of similar legislation at the municipal and county levels. 

A positive step forward 

Livestreaming public meetings remains a critical objective for SCPC in the coming legislative session, as detailed in our 2025-26 Legislative Agenda.  

It is essential that state, county, municipal, and school board meetings be livestreamed and archived to keep the public informed and ensure transparency in government proceedings. 

Livestreaming along with video archiving plays a critical role in ensuring accountability. It provides citizens with valuable insight into the actions and decisions of public officials, while also deterring misconduct and abuses of power through increased visibility and exposure.