Wisconsin
is buoyed by its strong disclosure law,
ranked 13th in the country, but suffers
from continued poor access to disclosure
records and low marks for Online Contextual
and Technical Usability. Its grade
in that category improved from an F to
a D in 2005, resulting in a slightly higher
overall grade and rank compared to last
year, when it ranked 25th, with an overall
D+.
Candidates
in Wisconsin are required by law to disclose
detailed information about contributors
giving over $20, including occupation
and employer for those giving over $100.
Last-minute contributions and independent
expenditures must be reported prior to
Election Day. Expenditures over $20 must
be disclosed, but reports do not include
subvendor details. Another weakness is
the number of pre-election reports that
must be filed, which is fewer than many
other states require. Statewide and legislative
candidates raising $20,000 or more must
file reports electronically, and the
State Elections Board in 2005 described funding
for its electronic filing program as
adequate.
Wisconsin
again received an F for Disclosure Content
Accessibility, which can be largely attributed
to the fact that there are no searchable databases
of contributions and expenditures online.
The state’s disclosure
web site does feature itemized, downloadable
data, but only for those candidates who
file electronically. Unfortunately, there
are a significant number who do not, including
some incumbent state legislators who fall
below the $20,000 e-filing threshold and
still file on paper. The State Elections
Board did make one important improvement
to the way in which candidates’ campaign
finance reports are accessed online; site
visitors can now browse filings by candidate
rather than only by filing date, which
makes it possible to quickly view the recent
filing history of a particular candidate
on one screen.
The
State Elections Board web site was completely
overhauled in 2005, which is the reason
for the jump in Wisconsin’s
Online Contextual and Technical Usability
grade from an F to a D. As part of
the redesign, the agency changed the way
amended filings are handled online, and
it is now possible to view not only original
filings, but also all amendments filed
by each committee. Also contributing
to the higher grade in web site usability
is Wisconsin’s performance in the
usability test, which improved slightly
in 2005.
→ Quick
Fix: Display itemized
records online in HTML for candidates
whose reports can already be downloaded
in spreadsheet format.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: Contribution
limits relating to candidates for state
office are clearly described in a chart
that is easily located on the disclosure
web site. View image
