A
small increase in Illinois’ Campaign
Disclosure Law score was balanced out by
an equal drop in its score for Online Contextual
and Technical Usability, leaving the state
with the exact same overall score, grade
and rank as in 2004. Illinois’ strengths
are still its Electronic Filing Program
and the usability of its disclosure web
site, which ranks 2nd in the nation; overall
Illinois ranks among the top five states
in the country.
State-level candidates in Illinois are required
by law to report detailed information
about contributors giving more than $150,
with occupation and employer disclosed
only for those giving more than $500. Expenditures
of more than $150 are also reported, but
not subvendor information. Independent
expenditure disclosure is a weak point,
though a new law does require the disclosure
of independent expenditures in the two
months leading up to the election (but
not during the rest of the year). Statewide
and legislative candidates reaching a threshold
of $10,000 must file electronically, and
the disclosure agency offers excellent
filer assistance.
Illinois
received a B+ in the Data Content Accessibility
category for the third year in a row,
though its rank in this area slipped
again slightly, from 10th to 12th. Little
has changed in the data section of the
disclosure web site, which continues to
offer well-designed searchable databases
and browsable campaign filings. Particularly
helpful is the summary statement that precedes
the listings of search results and says,
in the case of a search for contributors
to one statewide office candidate, “your
search found 570 receipts totaling $1,527,424.98.”
The
State Board of Elections web site got
a makeover in 2005, although the structure
of the site is basically unchanged. It
continues to offer outstanding contextual
information, including an annual “Money
and Elections in Illinois” analysis
that features total amounts raised and
spent by state-level candidates, a glossary
of common campaign disclosure terms, and
a wealth of information about Illinois’ campaign
finance restrictions and disclosure requirements.
Illinois scored well in the usability test
with most testers rating the site well
overall, but only half expressed confidence
in the accuracy of the information they
collected in answer to specific questions
about a candidate’s fundraising history.
→ Quick
Fix: Add the ability
to download data in a spreadsheet
format. By
not offering downloadable data, the
state makes it more difficult for
journalists, activists and others
to conduct detailed analyses of the
data and to identify patterns in
giving and spending.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: Live,
streaming Campaign
Disclosure Seminar for candidates,
treasurers and the public, held on
2/5/05 and archived on the agency’s
web site. View image
