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The State of Disclosure in Massachusetts There
have been few changes to Massachusetts’ disclosure
program in the past year and the state
again received a C+, but its overall rank
fell from three to twelve because other
states have made considerable progress. Under
Massachusetts law, candidates must file
one report in non-election years and
one before each election. Candidates
are required to provide detailed information
for all contributions of $50 or more, including
occupation and employer for those who give
more than $200. Information about
all expenditures of $50 or more must be
disclosed, but subvendor information does
not have to be reported. Independent
expenditures must be disclosed but there
is no pre-election reporting of either
last-minute independent expenditures or
last-minute contributions. Electronic
filing is mandatory for statewide candidates
who reach a $50,000 threshold and legislative
candidates who reach a $5,000 threshold. Along
with its electronic filing program, Massachusetts’ strength lies in Disclosure
Content Accessibility. The Office
of Campaign and Political Finance web site
features databases of contributions and
expenditures that allow “smart searches” and
sorting on a number of fields. Adding
a zip code field to the contributor search,
along with description and amount fields
to the expenditures search, would enhance
the databases. Access to paper copies
of reports is average compared to other
states and could be improved. Massachusetts’ web site usability
grade is still a B-, but its rank fell
as other states made significant strides
in usability. Summary information
comparing the campaign finance activity
of both current and past candidates is
the highlight of the site’s contextual
information. A component of the database
called “Report Status” and
a list of the most recently filed campaign
reports help site visitors determine whose
reports are available online. The
list of candidates has improved, but is
still missing party affiliation information. Massachusetts’s
score in the usability testing was average
and was the main reason the state received
a B rather than an A in this category.
 Disclosure Agency: Office of Campaign and Political Finance
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.state.ma.us/ocpf
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