As I read my IRE newsletter this morning over breakfast, it reminded me that this week is Sunshine Week–when we celebrate or bemoan government transparency and accountability, or the lack thereof.

In honor of the week, the nonprofit wiki Sunshine Review has ranked state, county, city and school district Web sites on how much information they contain and how easy it is to navigate them. What grade did Virginia’s state Web site receive? Alas, a C minus.

According to Sunshine Review, pluses include:

-The budget is published.

-Elected officials are listed with their contact information.

-Employee contact information is available in the searchable database as long as you know the employee you’re looking for.

-Current state contracts are available.

-Annual financial audits are published.

-Tax information is posted.

-Provides information on Virginia FOIA and forms to request records.

-Includes database of registered lobbyists and disclosure statements.

The cons:

-Site has a search function, but is somewhat difficult to navigate.

-Doesn’t provide information on ethics.

-Doesn’t provide information on state-paid lobbying and agency lobbying contracts.

Of course, who needs the state to be transparent when we’ve got groups like the Virginia Public Access Project and Richmond Sunlight to help us figure out what our officials are up to? I’m pretty sure I visit these sites several times each day.

But in case you don’t feel bad enough Virginia, here’s something else: even Blago’s Illinois beat you out, receiving a grade of B minus.