Idaho
earned a C in 2007, though the state
dropped six places in the rankings as
other states made significant improvements.
Idaho’s
strengths continue to be in the Online
Contextual and Technical Usability category,
where the state earned an A+ and maintained
its status as the top ranked state in 2007.
Idaho
earned a B- in the disclosure law category,
the same grade earned in the previous
two assessments. Idaho 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 an electronic
filing option, but the Secretary of State’s
office reports that it is designing a system
for candidates.
Idaho
improved slightly in the Disclosure Content
Accessibility category, earning a C in
2007 and ranking higher than 23 states
(including 14 with electronic filing
programs). The Secretary of State’s
office manually enters all campaign finance
data, making itemized contributions available
through a database in both searchable and
downloadable formats. Idaho added a zip
code search option to its contributions
database, but users still cannot sort the
data online. The site’s primary deficiency
remains the lack of an interface for searching
campaign expenditures, though this data
is also manually entered. Idaho makes disclosure
reports available almost immediately by
posting scans of reports online the same
day they are received. Making reports available
for the searchable database and download
options takes slightly longer, but the
process for manual data-entry is usually
completed in seven days.
Idaho
maintained its 1st place ranking in the
usability category in 2007. Idaho’s
performance on the usability test earned
the highest possible rating, accounting
for the jump from an A to an A+ since 2005.
The Secretary of State’s site is
easy to navigate and contains thorough
descriptions of the data available, as
well as how to access it. The site also
contains very clear summaries of the totals
raised and spent by candidates from 1994
to present, providing site visitors with
an excellent view of Idaho’s campaign
financing trends.
→ Quick
Fix: Allow site visitors to sort
contribution data online, either
through the contribution search interface
or on the search results page.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: Summary reports displaying
totals raised and spent by all
candidates from 1994 to present. View
image
Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.idsos.state.id.us
