|
The State of Disclosure in Georgia
Even as disclosure responsibilities were transferred
to the State Ethics Commission in January of
2006, Georgia maintained its excellent disclosure
program, again earning a B and a top-ten ranking.
Georgia’s
disclosure law earned a B+ again in 2007,
led by strong reporting requirements for
individual contributors and independent expenditures.
Candidates must report details about all
contributors giving more than $100, including
occupation and employer data. Large, last-minute
contributions and independent expenditures
must be reported prior to an election. Expenditures
over $100 are also reported, but committees
are not required to list subvendor information.
Georgia law requires statewide candidates who
raise $20,000 and legislative candidates who
raise $10,000 to file electronically. The State
Ethics Commission provides candidates with
a free, web-based filing system, online demonstrations
and training programs. These factors helped
Georgia earn an A+ and a share of the number
one ranking in the Electronic Filing category.
Georgia’s grade in the data accessibility
category dipped slightly after the transition
to the new site, from an A- to a B+. Regardless
of filing method, all itemized disclosure data
filed since January 2006 can be accessed through
the Commission’s searchable databases
of contributions and expenditures, due to the
fact that the agency data-enters paper-filed
reports. The new databases now allow users
to search expenditures by purpose and date,
but contributions cannot be searched by zip
code as they could be in the previous database.
Users cannot sort data on the site, but are
able to download information for offline research.
Electronic filings are immediately available
online, and Georgia helps keep the public up
to date by providing a list of the fifty reports
most recently filed.
Georgia
climbed into the C range in the Online Contextual
and Technical Usability category in 2007, up
from a D+ in 2005. (The Commission redesigned
its web site in August of 2007, after the assessment
was completed.) The state improved information
on campaign restrictions and disclosure requirements
on its site and was one of four states to earn
the highest possible rating in the 2007 usability
test. Though the site is overall very user-friendly,
it lacks key contextual information, such as
a detailed listing of candidates. Reports filed
prior to 2006 are still accessible on the Secretary
of State’s web site, but the Ethics Commission’s
new site, with information since 2006, does not
provide a link to the historic data. While the
Commission does summarize cumulative funds raised
and spent by all filers, the public would also
benefit from comparisons of the totals raised
and spent by candidates for a particular office.
→ Quick
Fix: Add an explanation to the
site describing what campaign finance
information is available on the Ethics
Commission site and what data is available
on the Secretary of State’s site.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The
Commission provides a list of the 50
most recently filed reports. View
image
 Disclosure Agency: State
Ethics Commission
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.ethics.georgia.gov
|
