State’s campaign finance reports to go online

Tuesday, 14 August 2007

Page 1 of 2 By Molly Parker South Carolina citizens next year can expect to have online access to lawmakers’ campaign finance disclosure reports, a feature already offered by nearly every other state in the nation. “The target (completion date) is actually later this year. It’s in development right now,” said Jeff McCartney, general manager of South Carolina Interactive LLC, the Columbia-based company that runs the state’s Web services. The state’s failure to offer quick access to such reports via the Internet twice earned South Carolina close to a last-place ranking in a national report examining states’ campaign disclosure laws. In 2003 and 2005, the “Grading State Disclosure” report, a collaborative study by the UCLA School of Law, the Center for Governmental Studies and the California Voter Foundation placed South Carolina 49th in the nation. Only Wyoming fared worse. The report called the state’s campaign finance laws a “strong point,” but criticized the state’s failure to post the disclosure reports online, and for charging 50 cents per page for paper copies. “I can’t think of a state that doesn’t have both (legislative and constitutional officers) filing online,” said Will Barrett, program manager for the California Voter Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on issues where technology and politics intersect. “As more filings come online, it will put the state more in line with the national practice,” he said. With the changes, Barrett said, South Carolina’s score may improve in the next study set to be released later this year. In 2006, for the first time, all statewide constitutional officers were required to file online, giving citizens quick access to the candidates’ quarterly filings. The reports detail the amount of money a candidate lent himself or herself, how much is in the fund, the names of contributors giving more than $100, and a list of how the money was spent. The ethics commission wanted a system up fast for the constitutional officers, but “it wasn’t meant to be the long-term solution,” McCartney said. << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>