We’re taught in school about checks and balances between the various branches of government, but those lessons tend to leave out the role that civilians play in holding officials accountable. We’re not just talking about the ballot box, but the everyday power we all have to demand government agencies make their records and data available to public scrutiny. At every level of government in the United States (and often in other countries), there are laws that empower the public to file requests for public records. They go by various names — Freedom of Information, Right-to-Know, Open Records, or…