| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, June 16, 1997 |
CONTACT: Kim Alexander |
ãDIGITAL SUNLIGHTä SWEEPING THE NATION
INTERNET ACCESS TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATA
ADVANCES IN SEVERAL STATES
Sacramento -- ãDigital sunlightä is sweeping the nation, according to a progress
report issued today by the California Voter Foundation,
a non-profit, non-partisan group promoting Internet access to campaign finance data.
According to the report, seven states, including California, have made dramatic
progress in recent months to mandate electronic filing of, and online access to campaign
disclosure records.
ãPeople may disagree about how to best address the issue of money in politics, but
improving public access to disclosure data is one issue where there is growing consensus,ä
according to Kim Alexander, executive director of the California Voter Foundation
and author of the report.
The report outlines recent efforts in Maryland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
Virginia, Indiana and California to shine a brighter light into the dark corners
of campaign financing. ãPoliticians across the country are responding to the publicâs
demand for better access to campaign finance data,ä Alexander said. ãPoliticians
are saying ãyesä to electronic filing, and ãyesä to online disclosure. They are
realizing that by moving from a paper-based disclosure process to a digital one,
we can provide the public with timely, accurate and meaningful access to campaign
contributions and expenditures.ä
However, the report also notes that while the concept of ãdigital sunlightä is catching
on, issues such as privacy, software and authentication still need to be worked out.
Next month, representatives from more than a dozen states will gather in Chicago
to consider how states can work together to ease the transition into digital disclosure.
ãWe hope that the Chicago conference will mark the beginning of a long-term, collaborative
effort,ä said Bob Watada, director of Hawaiiâs Campaign Spending Commission and coordinator
of the Chicago conference.
The progress report includes contact information for each state evaluated, and is
available in a hyperlinked format at the Digital Sunlight Web site at:
The report is also available via email and fax; contact the California Voter Foundation at (916) 325-2120, or write to kimalex@netcom.com. Digital Sunlight is a project of the California Voter Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that promotes the use of new technologies to help shape a more informed and engaged electorate.
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