to publicly and officially tell people your opinion about something (often + as + doing sth) Are you prepared to go on record as supporting the council on this issue?
Embrace a position publicly. For example, I want to go on record in favor of the mayor's reelection. It is also put as for the record, as in For the record, we support sending troops there. The record in both signifies either publication or public knowledge. Both expressions date from the first half of the 1900s, although slightly different phrases, such as put on record, are older. Also see just for the record; off the record.