State-by-state ratings and summaries

Ohio - Wyoming

OHIO Forecast: Rank: 32 Electronic Filing: 2 Online Disclosure:   41 Bonus Points:   2 Total Rating Points:   45

Although Ohio permits electronic filing via diskette, the Secretary of State's web site states that most candidates continue to file paper records. Agency staff say they really aren't set up to accept disk filings. In 1999, legislation was introduced by Representative Ron Amstutz to mandate electronic filing. His bill originally required electronic filing by statewide and legislative candidates, as well as PACs and parties. However, in an effort led by Representative Jeff Jacobson, the bill was amended in the General Assembly to exempt legislative candidates from the mandatory program. Once the bill reached the Senate, it was amended again in committee to include legislative candidates. The effort to start a mandatory electronic filing program in Ohio has won key support from Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, as well as state Republican Party Chairman Robert T. Bennett. A legislative vote in early December, 1999 will decide the fate of the bill. Ohio does offer an online disclosure database, but it is incredibly slow. Several attempts to access the database were abandoned due to its lagging performance. One attempt did yield success, delivering 41 records on a query after waiting three minutes for the records to appear on the screen. When Ohio's database does work, it delivers outstanding data and provides the contributor's full address. Overall, Ohio's disclosure site is easy to use and navigate, but the wait time for accessing records is intolerable. Hopefully, the agency will adjust their database soon so the public can make better use of it.

OKLAHOMA Forecast: Rank: 18 Electronic Filing: 25 Online Disclosure:   38 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   68

Oklahoma took a giant step backward in 1998 when the legislature repealed an electronic filing requirement passed the year before by the Ethics Commission. This requirement made electronic filing mandatory for statewide candidates and PACs. Several PACs lobbied the legislature to repeal the requirement, and lawmakers complied. A diverse coalition of nonprofit groups is working to have the requirement reinstated. Meanwhile, the state is continuing its voluntary electronic filing program, and offers free software to filers. Since the mandatory requirement was repealed, participation in electronic filing dropped by 50 percent, from 60 to 30 filers. Using its voluntary program, the Ethics Commission only posts information online that has been filed electronically. This data could be made easier to find and utilize. The site was difficult to locate from the Election Board's web site, some links were not functioning, there is no explanatory text, and the font size is small and difficult to read. The data can be searched, browsed and downloaded, and with a few improvements, Oklahoma's online data could be made a lot more user-friendly.

OREGON Forecast: Rank: 19 Electronic Filing: 30 Online Disclosure:   34 Bonus Points:   3 Total Rating Points:   67

Oregon's legislature passed a bill in July 1999 that was signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber which requires electronic filing for candidates and committees raising $50,0000 or more. However, the new law allows for exemptions that could delay full implementation of the program. The disclosure agency is now working to implement the program, and has conducted one test filing so far. It has also developed a standard filing format that is text-based and can be used by filers to report without the need for additional software. The agency hopes to have its filing program ready by April 2000. The agency's web site offers a database of summary data for statewide, legislative and judicial candidates as well as PACs. The site offers ten years of historical records for candidates and committees, however, itemized contributions are not available. The only way to retrieve and browse a listing of all the records is to leave the search field blank and hit return. An explanatory note offering this tip for users would make Oregon's database more user-friendly.

PENNSYLVANIA Forecast: Rank: 20 Electronic Filing: 31 Online Disclosure:   32 Bonus Points:   3 Total Rating Points:   66

Pennsylvania has a voluntary program, but the rate of participation has been very low -- only 12 out of 200 potential filers. Governor Thomas J. Ridge has publicly supported the program and did submit his disclosure information in electronic format last year. The elections agency is also trying to promote the program with mailings and outreach to candidates. Legislation was introduced in 1999 by Rep. Greg Vitali in favor of mandatory filing. It is in committee and will be carried over to next year. Governor Ridge has also made it a goal that all campaign reports filed at the Secretary of State's office be available on the Internet by 2000. The agency is working with a special appropriation of $390,000 for FY 1999. The agency currently has a standard filing format available, but no free software. This may explain the lack of participation in the voluntary program. The disclosure web site is off to a good start, but one disturbing feature is the agency's policy to offer data "during the most recent reporting period only", according to the agency's site. Fortunately this is not a policy in other states. Pennsylvania offers an easy-to-use database of itemized contributions that provides contributors' city, state, zip code and occupation, and it is data-entering records for candidates who are not filing electronically.

RHODE ISLAND Forecast: Rank: 48 Electronic Filing: 4 Online Disclosure:   4 Bonus Points:   3 Total Rating Points:   11

Rhode Island's State Board of Elections is attempting to develop an electronic filing system, but indicates that a major hurdle is getting funding from the legislature for the project. They have gone to the legislature in each of the last four sessions, but each time have come away empty. According to an agency spokesperson: "In this day and age it is absurd not to use computers. Everyone we deal with has computers, and they have to take information off their computers to file with us, and we have to data-enter it again here." At the time of this report, however, the agency is not placing this data-entered information online. It is available on disk, but the disclosure web site contains no campaign finance disclosure information. The agency would like to make its in-house data available online, and hopefully will receive the resources and support it needs to do so.

SOUTH CAROLINA Forecast: Rank: 50 Electronic Filing: 0 Online Disclosure:   2 Bonus Points:   0 Total Rating Points:   2

South Carolina has no electronic filing program and does not appear to be making any moves toward developing one. There is no disclosure information available online. One large hurdle which must be overcome is that many different agencies in the state have responsibility over elections. Statewide candidates file with the State Ethics Commission, House candidates file with the House Ethics Commission, and Senate candidates file with the Senate Ethics Commission. Paper copies of all these reports are then forwarded to the State Ethics Commission, which forwards copies to the counties where the candidates reside. The state of disclosure is so bleak that state Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian once quipped: "You can't follow the money in South Carolina". The state's lack of digital disclosure activity earned South Carolina the lowest rating in the country.

SOUTH DAKOTA Forecast: Rank: 36 Electronic Filing: 0 Online Disclosure:   30 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   35

South Dakota does not have an electronic filing program, and is not in the process of developing one. There is no legislative initiative to start one, either. The agency said it is developing software to help candidates prepare paper reports, but the software is not being designed to accommodate electronic filing. The state's disclosure web site offers summary campaign finance data for legislative and statewide candidates dating back to 1994. The summary data offers a breakdown of the amount and percentage of funds received by various types of contributors, such as PACs, parties and the candidate. However, it does not feature any itemized contributions.

TENNESSEE Forecast: Rank: 49 Electronic Filing: 5 Online Disclosure:   0 Bonus Points:   0 Total Rating Points:   5

In Tennessee, several legislators have introduced bills to get the state to develop an electronic filing system. One of these passed the Senate, but was tabled in the House. Budget constraints reduce the chances of an electronic filing program being enacted in Tennessee. Nothing else appears to be happening in this state regarding digital disclosure. The Registry of Elections does not even have a web site, and there is no disclosure information available from other agencies. Thus, with only five points, Tennessee receives a "Dark Skies" rating.

TEXAS Forecast: Rank: 8 Electronic Filing: 45 Online Disclosure:   35 Bonus Points:   10 Total Rating Points:   90

Texas is a state in the forefront of the digital democracy movement and was only one point away from getting a Digital Sunlight Award. There is an active voluntary program in place and legislation passed in 1999 which will make e-filing mandatory by April 2000. The agency is on track to launch the program, and is working with a special appropriation of $450,000. They have free software available for candidates to use and a standard filing format. The disclosure agency offers various types of information online, however, it is difficult to locate and requires users to sign in. Even though a public password and user name are provided, a sign-in feature can be a deterrent to users, particularly inexperienced ones. Candidates' finance reports are found under the heading "supplemental filings", and are available for display in various formats. Some of these reports are easy to read, others are confusing. The agency also offers disclosure data online for PACS. These reports are easier to make sense of than the candidates' reports. Hopefully, once the new electronic filing program begins, Texas will reorganize its web site to make its data more user-friendly. With a little more attention to the needs of typical online users, Texas will join the top tier of digital sunlight states.

UTAH Forecast: Rank: 14 Electronic Filing: 32 Online Disclosure:   36 Bonus Points:   8 Total Rating Points:   76

Utah has a voluntary electronic filing program which has had only minimal participation. The agency said this was because the process for filing was not very user-friendly. The agency and the state's lieutenant governor, Olene S. Walker, were unsatisfied with this situation and contracted with an outside firm to completely overhaul and improve the system to make it more user-friendly. In September 1999, the Lt. Governor's office released new, free filing software which can be downloaded from the agency's web site. Currently, the software is only compatible with Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The Lt. Governor's office also offers an online disclosure database featuring good, detailed itemized contributions, including the contributor's complete address, but lacking contributor occupation and employer. The database is simple, easy-to-use, and well-designed. Itemized data can be browsed, but not searched or downloaded. The data is organized by election cycle, featuring records from 1995-96 and 1997-98. However, some users have complained that the database has been offline at key, active times during the legislative process. Greater reliability should be built into the system so that when the database is needed, it is available.

VERMONT Forecast: Rank: 44 Electronic Filing: 0 Online Disclosure:   11 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   15

Vermont has no electronic filing program in place, and currently there is nothing under development. The agency has a new director of elections, and is in the "talking stage" regarding electronic filing. There are no legislative initiatives for electronic filing underway either. There is very limited campaign finance data available from Vermont's web site. A "historical campaign finance database" is online, but it is just a list of the total amounts of money raised and spent in each Vermont election since 1916. While this historical information is interesting, current and expanded data on the Internet would be much more useful. Until then, Vermont is rated as a "Dark Skies" state.

VIRGINIA Forecast: Rank: 7 Electronic Filing: 43 Online Disclosure:   43 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   91 The California Voter Foundation congratulates the State of Virginia for winning the 1999 Digital Sunlight Award!

Virginia has come a long way in just a few years. In 1997 Governor George F. Allen signed a bill into law directing the elections agency to develop an electronic filing program. The state passed another law in 1998 requiring statewide candidates to file their reports electronically for the 2001 election. Another law passed in 1999 specifying that any records the Secretary of State receives via electronic filing must be published on the Internet. During the 1997 election, ten of the eleven candidates running statewide voluntarily filed their disclosure reports on computer disk. This high rate of participation is due in part to the efforts of the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit organization that has been encouraging candidates to file electronically. Since 1997, the agency has developed electronic filing software which is available for $25; a standard filing format has also been developed which allows software vendors to develop other electronic filing programs. In the most recent election, 50 out of 300 candidates filed electronically, as did some PACs. The agency's web site provides excellent campaign finance data, as well as a note informing users that the disclosure data available is only for candidates who voluntarily file electronically. The agency's web site also encourages visitors to "encourage those candidates whose reports are not available here to file their reports with this office electronically." Virginia has been looking at Florida's online database as an example to follow. Itemized contributor data includes contributor name and partial address (city, state, zip), occupation and employer, place of business, amount and date of contribution, and aggregate contribution amount. The site offers various search capabilities, as well as the ability to browse or download the data. Virginia is an excellent example of how state agencies working in collaboration with an outside group can quickly make progress into the digital sunlight.

WASHINGTON Forecast: Rank: 10 Electronic Filing: 38 Online Disclosure:   39 Bonus Points:   8 Total Rating Points:   85

Washington's electronic filing program began with legislation passed in 1996 requiring electronic filing by candidates for governor. Another bill was passed in 1999 and signed into law by Governor Gary Locke directing the disclosure agency to allow for voluntary electronic filing by all legislative and statewide candidates by July 1999, and mandating electronic filing for PACs spending $10,000 or more starting in 2001. The agency asked for $1 million to implement the new program, but was appropriated only 40 percent of its request. Former director Melissa Warheit has stated these funds were insufficient, and the agency is working to get an additional appropriation. Free software is available for filers and can be downloaded from the agency's web site. The agency is publishing scanned disclosure reports on its web site and offering them as "gif" images, and does an excellent job of getting the reports online quickly. A visit to the web site in October turned up reports that had been disclosed just two days prior. However, the report images are sometimes difficult to read, and the format prevents the user from searching the data. For more experienced users, the agency also offers the ability to download entire databases from past election cycles that can be searched and sorted offline.

WEST VIRGINIA Forecast: Rank: 46 Electronic Filing: 12 Online Disclosure:   2 Bonus Points:   0 Total Rating Points:   14

West Virginia is behind the rest of the country on digital disclosure, but hopefully recent developments will turn things around in the near future. The agency is setting up a voluntary electronic filing program which it plans to make available in 2000. In 1999, a bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Cecil Underwood requiring the elections agency to post campaign reports on its web site within 45 days of receipt. The law directed the agency to begin offering reports online by April 1999. However, late in the year no reports were available from the agency's web site. The agency received a special appropriation to fund the disclosure effort, which will eventually result in scanned images of reports available on the web. In the meantime, the only disclosure information available on the web site is an explanation of how to view campaign finance reports in person at the agency's office.

WISCONSIN Forecast: Rank: 35 Electronic Filing: 32 Online Disclosure:   0 Bonus Points:   5 Total Rating Points:   37

Although there has been a lot of political activity around electronic filing over the past several years in Wisconsin, little has yet to result from these efforts. In 1997, Governor Tommy Thompson convened a Blue Ribbon Commission on Campaign Finance Reform which recommended electronic filing be required for all statewide and legislative candidates raising or spending $20,000 or more. These recommendations were enacted into law that same year, directing the State Elections Board to establish an electronic filing program by July, 1999. This deadline was not met, however, and the agency is not sure when it will be able to roll out its program. In the meantime, no disclosure information is available online. In fact, the State Elections Board is one of the few disclosure agencies in the country that does not yet have a web site. Despite enacting one of the strongest mandatory electronic filing laws in the country, Wisconsin rates as a "Mostly Cloudy" state.

WYOMING Forecast: Rank: 47 Electronic Filing: 5 Online Disclosure:   4 Bonus Points:   4 Total Rating Points:   13

There is no electronic filing program available in Wyoming, largely due to the fact that the legislature has not appropriated the funding needed to get a program started. With a large deficit looming in Wyoming, it appears unlikely that sufficient funding will be granted anytime soon. At this time the agency doesn't think a program will begin for at least a few years. No campaign finance data is available from the agency's web site. The absence of an electronic filing program and lack of online disclosure data place Wyoming among the "Dark Skies" states.

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