Explanation of dates in the gubernatorial FOIA request

To be consistent from state-to-state, we recommend that you ask for e-mails for 4 full days; Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Also, we recommend that you ask for the period closest in time to when you send your request.

The precision of the the time period is because the records you are asking for are electronic and time stamped by a computer. The phrase "on or after 12:00 am (midnight)" of a Friday includes all the emails sent during the 24 hour period of midnight Friday to midnight Saturday. The phrase "before 12:00 am (midnight)" of a Tuesday includes all the emails sent during the 24 hour period of midnight Monday to midnight Tuesday, but none of the emails sent on Tuesday.

If the records are archived, sorted, and retrieved by a program, then this definition of 4 days is precise and clear enough for even a computer program to understand.

Return to How to ask for records from your governor

See also:

Note from John Washburn
Investigative bloggers
Sunshine Blogger Project
Your Governor and Open Records