Over the Fourth of July weekend, I had occasion to reread our Declaration of Independence, and among the long list of grievances against King George III, this one stood out to me: “He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.” I thought of that grievance as one historical source of our American insistence on open and accessible government, so the people can see, understand and participate in the public processes with power over their lives. It is...