State-by-state ratings and summaries:

Kansas - North Dakota

KANSAS Forecast: Rank: 39 Electronic Filing: 0 Online Disclosure:   32 Bonus Points:   0 Total Rating Points:   32

Kansas has yet to embrace electronic filing. An inquiry to the state disclosure agency regarding the status of electronic filing prompted a spokesperson to reply, "Believe me when I tell you, there is absolutely nothing going on." While there has been no activity yet, officials have stated that they plan to learn from other states' experiences, and then replicate the system that seems most appropriate. This is a good strategy, and with many programs now underway in other states, there are numerous lessons Kansas can learn as it starts to move forward with a program. The simplicity and clean design of the disclosure web site make it easy to use. Although records date back to 1994, the information available is limited and not very timely. Data for 1998 was not posted until late spring of 1999. Itemized contribution records do not include the contributor's address, occupation or employer. One problem with the search function is that the name of the candidate must be known in order to perform a contributor search. One improvement would be to sort listings so a search can be performed by office.

KENTUCKY Forecast: Rank: 16 Electronic Filing: 30 Online Disclosure:   34 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   69

Secretary of State John Brown is actively promoting Kentucky's new voluntary electronic filing program. In October 1999, he set a good example when he was the first to file his campaign finance reports on computer disk. The Registry of Elections is also working on a method for allowing state candidates to file online. The agency also plans to make online filing available for local candidates. The disclosure web site covers gubernatorial candidates only, offering disclosure reports in PDF. These reports provide an outstanding amount of detailed information for each contributor, including: name and full address; how the contribution was collected (i.e. fund-raiser, or direct contribution); amount of contribution and cumulative total; occupation and employer; and spouse's occupation and employer. Contributions are summarized and broken down by congressional district and also by out-of-state contributions.

LOUISIANA Forecast: Rank: 6 Electronic Filing: 40 Online Disclosure:   41 Bonus Points:   10 Total Rating Points:   91 The California Voter Foundation congratulates the State of Louisiana for winning the 1999 Digital Sunlight Award!

Louisiana's move into the digital sunlight began with Governor Mike Foster, who pushed for a voluntary electronic filing program in 1996. The Louisiana legislature passed his bill, and in 1998 passed another law mandating electronic filing for statewide candidates who raise $50,000 or more. While the mandate does not apply to legislative candidates, they can still file electronically on a voluntary basis. The state appropriated $250,000 for the program, which helps fund the development of free filing software that can be downloaded from the Ethics Board's web site, and a standard filing format. Louisiana held its first election under the new mandatory program in 1999, and received electronically filed reports from 17 statewide candidates who ran in the October 23 election. In all, Louisiana collected electronic filings from about 100 candidates, and instantly placed the records on its web site. Some legislative candidates, who are currently not mandated to file electronically, chose to do so. For those who did not, the agency scanned their reports and placed them online in PDF. The agency's web site had a lot of traffic during the election, and feedback on the program so far has been positive. The agency reports their first round of mandatory electronic filing overall was a success. The state's online disclosure database underwent changes recently which have addressed several earlier problems. The data is now easier to search, browse and download. There is also a "late contribution watch" feature. The usefulness of this site could be further improved by offering users the ability to sort and view data by office and not just by candidate. Louisiana has come a long way in a short time and has done an exceptionally good job of providing a comprehensive, easy-to-use database.

MAINE Forecast: Rank: 41 Electronic Filing: 18 Online Disclosure:   6 Bonus Points:   2 Total Rating Points:   26

A 1997 ballot initiative required Maine to set up a voluntary electronic filing program. However, the initiative provided no funding for the agency to start a program, and so far one is not yet in place. The agency said progress has been minimal due to this lack of funding. They requested bids for setting up a program but the lowest bid was more than twice what they could afford. A bill was introduced in the legislature requiring lobbyist registration fees to be redirected from the general budget to fund the voluntary program. The bill will be carried over to the next session. The agency has experimented with placing PDF files on its web site, and had published records from the 1998 gubernatorial election. Unfortunately, those files are no longer available online because the agency is redesigning its web site. It is preparing to offer an online database made up of both electronically-filed and data-entered records which would be searchable and browsable. The launch date for the new program is the June 2000 primary. In the meantime, no campaign finance data is available online from Maine. This state is an example of how a lack of funding can seriously hamper digital disclosure, and why electronic filing programs must include adequate funding in order to succeed.

MARYLAND Forecast: Rank: 27 Electronic Filing: 43 Online Disclosure:   4 Bonus Points:   3 Total Rating Points:   50

Maryland should be congratulated on having one of the most successful electronic filing programs in the country. They have a comprehensive, mandatory program that covers all state filers, including PACS and political committees. Ninety percent of Maryland's filers submitted electronic reports in November 1999. In light of this success, it is disappointing to find absolutely no disclosure data on Maryland's web site, particularly since the bill mandating electronic filing specified that the digitally-disclosed data should be made widely available to the public by November 1999. The agency has developed an in-house disclosure system but has yet to migrate its data to the web. The agency will copy electronically-filed disks for a $2 fee, and is planning to run some queries on the in-house database and post the results on the web site. These efforts, while well-intended, are no substitute for a searchable campaign finance database on the Internet. Agency staff estimate such a database will be online in November 2000. In the meantime, Maryland is the only state in the country with an operating mandatory electronic filing system that is not placing the records on the Internet.

MASSACHUSETTS Forecast: Rank: 21 Electronic Filing: 23 Online Disclosure:   33 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   61

A "Clean Elections Initiative" passed by voters in 1998 mandated electronic filing and required that campaign finance data be made available in an electronic format. The program is scheduled to be phased in starting with legislative elections in 2002 and expanded for statewide candidates and committees after that. Currently, the state does not have a voluntary program and little progress has been made to develop the mandatory program. Efforts in Massachusetts are hampered in part by a lack of funding for the program. The state offers an online disclosure database created through data-entry and featuring contributions to statewide candidates. Only summary data is available for legislative candidates. The only way to retrieve and view the data is to download the entire database and import it into Excel. This is a deterring factor because, as the web site says, this process can take anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes. While this method of access may suit the needs of more advanced researchers, it is burdensome and confusing for less experienced users. Massachusetts could dramatically improve public access to its data by offering its disclosure records online in a searchable and/or browsable format.

MICHIGAN Forecast: Rank: 3 Electronic Filing: 40 Online Disclosure:   45 Bonus Points:   10 Total Rating Points:   95 The California Voter Foundation congratulates the State of Michigan for winning the 1999 Digital Sunlight Award!

Michigan has a very successful voluntary electronic filing program which has received both participatory and financial support from the legislature and the governor. Over 100 candidates filed voluntarily in the past election cycle. New funding will expand the program to include all committees, PACs, parties, ballot initiatives and the governor. The agency continues to conduct a successful and well-attended training program. It is already working to improve its free filing software, which is very popular. An add-on function which kept track of campaign accounting did not work well and is being removed. The state's disclosure web site is exceptionally comprehensive, well maintained and easy to use. The data goes back to 1994, and can be browsed, searched and downloaded. The search feature offers the user the ability to easily query the records from a variety of fields such as: schedule, occupation or employer, zip code or campaign activity (i.e. poll watcher, slate mailer). Realizing that not everyone who may be interested in campaign contributions is an expert, the site contains a very good, "plain English" section explaining campaign finance in general. It is clear that this site was designed with the average citizen user in mind. The agency could cut its data-entry workload if Michigan were to adopt a mandatory electronic filing program. Despite the absence of a mandatory electronic filing requirement, Michigan has done an outstanding job of implementing its voluntary program and building a user-friendly web site. Michigan is the only state without a mandatory e-filing program to earn a Digital Sunlight Award.

MINNESOTA Forecast: Rank: 29 Electronic Filing: 37 Online Disclosure:   3 Bonus Points:   6 Total Rating Points:   46

Minnesota has a voluntary filing program and is using its "Finance 98" software to encourage candidates to file electronically. A significant number of committees adopted the software for campaign record-keeping and reporting at the beginning of 1999. An appropriation of $234,000 is being used in part to update the software. New features will allow campaigns to send out "thank you" letters to contributors and include a guide to relevant regulations. There has been no push in the state for mandatory electronic filing. With these positive developments in mind, it was disappointing to find that there is no disclosure information available on the agency's web site. Perhaps as the electronic filing program gains acceptance, the state will put some thought into making campaign finance information available online.

MISSISSIPPI Forecast: Rank: 23 Electronic Filing: 23 Online Disclosure:   31 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   58

A voluntary disk-based filing program for statewide candidates is in place in Mississippi. Governor Kirk Fordice and Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove have set a good example by participating in the new program. The Elections Division is energetic in its efforts to create a good program; by the end of 1999 they expect to have web-based filing available. The disclosure agency's web site features scanned reports, and does a good job of getting these reports online quickly. Data is limited to reports filed in the 1999 election cycle and includes statewide, state district, and legislative committees, as well as PAC contributions. Hardware and software compatibility issues make it difficult to both view and download the data. Users of the site can request that data be sent via email, but once it arrives, proper software is still required to view it. The agency is aware of most of these problems and is addressing them. In the meantime, an online fax feature appears to be the easiest and most reliable method for viewing files.

MISSOURI Forecast: Rank: 17 Electronic Filing: 45 Online Disclosure:   16 Bonus Points:   7 Total Rating Points:   68

In May 1999, Governor Mel Carnahan signed a bill into law making electronic filing mandatory for statewide candidates who raise or spend over $5,000, and for PACs (called "continuing committees" in Missouri) making contributions totaling more than $15,000 in any reporting period. A special appropriation of $300,000 was allocated to establish the mandatory program. The mandatory program begins in January 2000, and follows an earlier, voluntary program which was enacted by the legislature but put on hold due to problems with a software vendor. Legislators exempted themselves from the mandatory e-filing program, but may file voluntarily. Though Missouri has made big advancements toward electronic filing, the state's disclosure web site is sadly lacking in content. It contains only limited summary contribution and expenditure data for candidates in the 1996 and 1998 elections. Hopefully, more disclosure data will be made available to the public online once the mandatory program begins.

MONTANA Forecast: Rank: 43 Electronic Filing: 10 Online Disclosure:   2 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   17

This "Dark Skies" state has neither an electronic filing program nor a disclosure web site. A bill introduced by Representative John Cobb would have provided a $50,000 appropriation for an online database. The bill became a "political hot potato" according to Cobb, when fellow Republicans added an amendment to raise campaign contribution limits. The bill was vetoed. Advocates say Internet disclosure is coming soon to Montana, largely because Secretary of State Mike Cooney and Linda L. Vaughey, the state's Commissioner of Political Practices, are working toward it. One bright spot is that for $5, a diskette containing itemized campaign data from the 1998 season can be purchased from the Commission.

NEBRASKA Forecast: Rank: 33 Electronic Filing: 7 Online Disclosure:   30 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   42

Nebraska does not have an electronic filing program. Governor Mike Johanns did sign a bill this year eliminating the need for a notarized signature on campaign contribution forms, which was considered to be an impediment to electronic filing. The elections agency is trying to start a voluntary program and did increase its budget request accordingly. The disclosure web site uses scanned documents to include contribution information for legislative and local candidates. The scanned documents can be browsed offline but are sometimes difficult to read due to illegible handwriting. Scanning is a good start and hopefully will lead to a more comprehensive and user-friendly disclosure program.

NEVADA Forecast: Rank: 40 Electronic Filing: 2 Online Disclosure:   25 Bonus Points:   2 Total Rating Points:   29

Nevada has no electronic filing program and the responsible agencies are only just now talking about developing one. The disclosure web site does a good job of covering most elected officials but is neither timely nor easy to use. The site features data from candidates for statewide and legislative office, and a variety of district offices. However, the files are scanned and made available in a "tiff" file format which requires a special plug-in or program to view. Some pages could not be opened and for others only the first page could be viewed. Furthermore, it can take up to two weeks for pages to be put online after filing.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Forecast: Rank: 24 Electronic Filing: 25 Online Disclosure:   29 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   58

Both statewide and district candidates may file electronically on a voluntary basis in New Hampshire. Candidates can file by disk or use an online form. The agency realizes the latter is inadequate and expects to have a form available soon that can be downloaded from the agency site and used with Excel. The agency is scanning reports and making them available online as "gif" files, which are easy to access. However, many of the scanned records are very difficult to read.The disclosure reports, which are available in a browsable format only, include contributors' name, address, amount contributed and occupation. Some reports list zip code and others do not. All expenditure data is available as well. There is no list of candidates sorted by office, and the office sought is not listed next to the candidate's name, which can make it difficult to locate records. A series of links must be followed to find this information. Overall, New Hampshire is off to a good start, and with a little effort this site could become much more user-friendly.

NEW JERSEY Forecast: Rank: 12 Electronic Filing: 31 Online Disclosure:   48 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   83

New Jersey is evaluating a test of a new voluntary electronic filing program first used in November 1999. All legislators were invited to participate. Eighteen responded and nine were selected. Following the evaluation, the agency will make necessary changes and make the program available to all candidates from statewide, legislative and local races, who wish to participate during the 2000 election season. The agency has produced free software and is putting the finishing touches on a standard filing format for vendors. New Jersey's digital disclosure efforts have been well funded thanks to a million dollar appropriation which Governor Christie Whitman included in the state budget. The appropriation, which was approved by the New Jersey legislature, financed scanning and online access efforts. The money was obviously well spent. In October 1999, the disclosure agency launched a new, state-of-the art database which is exceptionally complete and easy to use. Other states looking for ways to design a user-friendly disclosure site should take a look at what New Jersey has accomplished. Users may browse, search or download the data. The database contains the most historic itemized disclosure data of all 50 states, with records dating back to 1981.

NEW MEXICO Forecast: Rank: 38 Electronic Filing: 25 Online Disclosure:   3 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   32

In 1994, New Mexico became one of the first states to experiment with electronic filing. Since then, its program has fallen behind other states, and declined in terms of participation. The current Governor, Gary Johnson, filed electronically when the program was initiated in 1994, making him one of the first politicians in the country to do so. However, the elections division now reports that he is using the free filing software to print out his reports and file them in hard copy. No disclosure data whatsoever is on the election division's web site. Any reports filed electronically have not been put online. Instead, they can be viewed on a computer at the division's office. It is unfortunate that New Mexico, a state that was once at the forefront of the movement toward electronic filing, has earned a "Mostly Cloudy" rating.

NEW YORK Forecast: Rank: 2 Electronic Filing: 50 Online Disclosure:   41 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   96 The California Voter Foundation congratulates the State of New York for winning the 1999 Digital Sunlight Award!

In 1997, New York Governor George Pataki signed into law an electronic filing program passed by the legislature which mandates electronic filing for statewide, legislative and judicial candidates who raise or spend over $1,000. The program was developed on schedule, and was successfully launched in 1999 with 86 percent compliance. New York allows a one-time electronic filing exemption for "justifiable hardship", which resulted in 47 exemptions this year. To prepare for the program, the Board of Elections conducted 30 well-attended training sessions over a two-month period throughout the state. The state appropriated $500,000 for the program. Six vendors have made use of an available standard filing format. Free software is available, and the agency has received positive feedback from filers, who are finding the software easy to use, and the electronic filing process less burdensome than paper filing. The state's disclosure web site is excellent, with a clean design and user-friendly interface. It is, however, somewhat slow and does lack in some detail. For example, no occupation or employer data or cumulative contribution totals are included. The information can be searched, browsed or downloaded. The combination of both its successful mandatory e-filing program, and its easy to use disclosure web site have earned New York a "Digital Sunlight Award".

NORTH CAROLINA Forecast: Rank: 15 Electronic Filing: 40 Online Disclosure:   23 Bonus Points:   6 Total Rating Points:   69

North Carolina passed a law in 1997 requiring the implementation of a mandatory electronic filing program in 1999. The program was to include statewide candidates and PACs raising or contributing over $5,000. Voluntary filing was to be available for all other candidates. However, due to software problems, the program is not running and the state is officially violating its own law. A new software vendor has been selected and the agency is attempting to come into compliance. The agency's disclosure web site apparently contains a lot of data but it is difficult to access. Three different researchers with expertise in this area and sufficient computer skills, at different times attempted but could not download and view files from the web site. The agency said it is aware of existing problems and hopes to correct them soon.

NORTH DAKOTA Forecast: Rank: 37 Electronic Filing: 2 Online Disclosure:   27 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   34

While there has been no legislative action this session relating to electronic filing, North Dakota's disclosure agency is currently investigating various types of voluntary programs. Governor Edward Schafer signed a law in 1999 centralizing the filing of campaign finance reports at the Secretary of State's office; previously records were filed with 54 different county offices. This change makes an electronic filing program more of a possibility. Data on the disclosure web site was difficult to find because its link is not clearly labeled. When located, it leads to reports for only three candidates. Hopefully, the centralization of filing will eventually lead to more information available online.

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