The State of Disclosure in Virginia

Virginia earned the distinction of being the most improved state in Grading State Disclosure 2005, raising its overall grade from a D+ to a B and its overall rank from 22 to seven. The biggest improvement came in the area of Disclosure Content Accessibility, but the state also made strides in Online Contextual and Technical Usability.

Virginia’s disclosure law is strong and ranks 8th in the nation. Candidates are required to disclose detailed information, including occupation and employer, about contributors giving over $100. Contributions made just before Election Day are reported before the election. Expenditure disclosure is excellent and candidates must report vendor name, subvendor details, and accrued expenses. Disclosure of independent expenditures is required, but last-minute independent expenditures are not reported until after the election. The state’s enforcement provisions could be improved, particularly in the area of auditing. Electronic filing is mandatory for statewide office candidates and voluntary for legislative candidates, though the Board of Elections estimates that 85 percent of legislative candidates participate in the program.

The State Board of Elections web site now features a comprehensive, searchable database of itemized contributions and expenditures, which is the reason for the huge jump in Virginia’s Disclosure Content Accessibility grade from an F to a B. The new system greatly improves access to campaign records, but is a bit cumbersome—for example, to view the names of all individuals making contributions in 2005 from a particular zip code requires looking at 18 different search results screens (three screens each for six different committees). To improve further in this area, the agency could add the ability to search by a contributor’s employer (data which is already included in the search results), and consolidate the search results screens.

Virginia’s Online Contextual and Technical Usability grade also improved, from a D- in 2004 to a C+ in 2005, and it now ranks among the top ten states in this category. Specific improvements include the availability of both original and amended reports, and a compilation of total amounts raised and spent by all statewide office candidates. The agency redesigned its web site in October 2005 (too late to be factored into its grade.) Still missing is a set of instructions to accompany the new searchable database; adding a complete user’s guide would be best, but even some basic tips would help site visitors make the most of the new system.

→ Quick Fix: Add a search field for contributor’s employer to the existing database.

♦ Editor’s Pick:  Comprehensive, searchable databases, made possible in part due to the high rate of participation among legislative candidates (85%) in the agency’s electronic filing program. View image

Disclosure Agency: State Board of Elections
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/