Idaho’s
clear strength is in the usability of
its disclosure web site, which improved
further and helped the state climb from
a C- to a C overall. The lack of even
a voluntary electronic filing program
is still a significant shortcoming, and
prevents the state from achieving a higher
overall rank and grade.
Idaho’s
disclosure law, which is slightly above
average by this project’s
criteria, requires candidates to report
details about contributors giving more
than $50 and expenditures of at least $25.
Expenditure disclosure is particularly
strong and requires reporting of information
about subvendors and accrued expenses.
Last-minute contributions and independent
expenditures must be reported before
Election Day, and the law’s
enforcement provisions, including mandatory
desk reviews and field audits, are strong.
Idaho still does not offer candidates the
option of filing reports electronically,
one of only thirteen states without such
a program.
While
Idaho does offer the public a comprehensive
searchable database of contributions, its
disclosure web site still lacks an interface
for searching campaign expenditures and
there are still problems with data consistency,
as described in previous Grading State
Disclosure reports. Also, there
are some fields missing from the searchable
database, and disclosure records cannot
be sorted either there or in the browsable
filings. A recent change in the law
requires candidates for statewide office
to file an additional statement mid-year
in non-election years, and those filings
are now online.
Idaho
made enough gains in Online Contextual
and Technical Usability to jump from a
B to an A, and perhaps more significantly,
to move into 1st place in this category
in 2005, up from 7th in 2004. The state’s
performance in the usability tests improved
substantially, with most testers finding
the terminology and interface easy to understand,
and giving the site an overall high rating.
Summary information is excellent, as noted
below, and the Secretary of State’s
web site is well-designed and easy to navigate.
→ Quick
Fix: Add contribution
date and contributor zip code fields
to the searchable database of contributions,
and add ability to sort itemized contribution
records.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: 2004
Sunshine Summary, and additional
summary information going back to
1994. View image
Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.idsos.state.id.us
