Criteria and Point Standards Below is the criteria used to judge the Digital Sunlight Awards and rate the 50 states' digital disclosure activities. This criteria was developed by the Digital Sunlight research team, with input from the awards judges and other disclosure experts. Part 1: Election Filing Part II: Online Disclosure Part III: Bonus Points PART I - ELECTRONIC FILING (50 Points) A. Requirement (20 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Is mandatory electronic filing required? Is voluntary electronic filing available? If so, is it available to all candidates? 15 10 for voluntary programs 15 for mandatory programs 2. Is electronic filing mandatory for all reports and filings for all candidates who file with the state disclosure agency, or is it limited to just some candidates? 5 0 to 5 B. Progress (15 points) Possible Points Actual Points For states with mandatory electronic filing or Internet disclosure programs, judging in this category is based on progress made toward implementation. For example, is implementation on schedule? Has the agency involved the public in implementation of their program? Are candidates being trained how to use the new program? 15 varies For states without mandatory electronic filing or Internet disclosure programs, judging in this category is based on progress made in the legislative or regulatory arena. Questions to be considered are: Has electronic filing legislation been introduced this year? Has it progressed? If not, has there been any other type of effort to get electronic filing started? Have there been past efforts to establish electronic filing that failed for one reason or another? 15 varies C. Funding (5 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1.Is there adequate funding for an electronic filing program, whether or not itís required by law? 5 0 or 5 D. Software/Filing Format (10 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Has the elections office developed a standard filing format or are they in the process of doing so? 5 0 or 5 2. Does the disclosure agency offer free software to campaigns? Is free software available through another outlet? 5 0 or 5 TOTAL POINTS - PART I: 50 PART II - ONLINE DISCLOSURE - DATA AND FORMAT (50 Points) A. Online Disclosure (25 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Does the appropriate agency have any campaign finance data available on their web site, whether electronically filed or data-entered by hand? 5 0 or 5 2. Does the online data cover all or just some of the races? 3 0 to 3 3. Is the data limited to summary figures, or is there detailed data as well? Are all fields (except street address) reflected in online records? 7 0 to 7 4. How timely is the data? How quickly does the agency put data online? 5 0 to 5 5. How much historical data is available? 5 0 to 5 B. Cost (2 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Is the data available to the public free of charge, or is there a cost to access the online records? 2 0 or 2 C. Format of Itemized Data (9 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Is it possible to browse the data? 3 0 or 3 2. Is it possible to search the data? 3 0 or 3 3. Is it possible to download the data from the agency's web site? 3 0 or 3 D. Web Site/Data Design (14 points) Possible Points Actual Points 1. Finding the site - starting at the official state web site, how easy is it for the average person to locate the web site of the state agency responsible for providing public access to campaign disclosure information? 3 0 to 3 2. Overall, is the agency's web site well-designed and easy to use? 4 0 to 4 3. How easy is it to find campaign finance information on the site? 3 0 to 3 4. Design of itemized disclosure data -- for states offering online, itemized campaign finance data, how well-designed is this data? 4 0 to 4 TOTAL POINTS - PART II: 50 PART III - BONUS SECTION (Maximum 15 points) Bonus Questions (maximum 15 points) Possible Points Actual Points This section awards bonus points for other good efforts being made to improve online disclosure. For example: has the state changed its laws or regulations in a way that improves the quality of public disclosure? Is lobbying data or statement of economic interest data available online? Is electronic filing available for non-candidate filers? Are online records available for non-candidate filers, such as political parties and PACs? 15 0 to 15 TOTAL POINTS - PART III: 15 OVERALL POINT TOTAL   Possible Points PART I: Electronic Filing 50 PART II: Online Disclosure 50 PART III: Bonus Points 15 OVERALL TOTAL: 115 Digital Sunlight is a project of the California Voter Foundation copyright 1999; all rights reserved.