Illinois
received the same grade in each category
in 2007 as was earned in the 2005 assessment.
While the state dropped slightly in the
rankings as other states improved, Illinois’s
disclosure program maintained its top
ten status overall in 2007.
Illinois’s
disclosure law requires state level candidates
to report detailed information about
contributors giving more than $150, with
occupation and employer data disclosed
only for those giving more than $500.
Expenditures of more than $150 are also
reported, but subvendor information is
not. Independent expenditures made in
the two months prior to an election must
be disclosed, but independent expenditures
made outside of that timeframe are not
reported. Statewide and legislative candidates
reaching a threshold of $10,000 must file
electronically. The State Board of Elections
offers excellent filer support, and archives
training seminars online.
Illinois
earned its fourth B+ in the Disclosure
Content Accessibility category, though
the state dropped two places in the rankings
since 2005. 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 statement that
precedes the listings of search results
and summarizes the number and total value
of the transactions found, such as: “Your
search found 73 receipts totaling $53,750.00.” Illinois
also offers a listing of the most recent
filings, allowing site visitors to view
disclosure filings as soon as they are
posted online.
Illinois
remains in the top five states in the
usability category, earning another B+
in 2007. The state continues to offer
outstanding contextual information, such
as its annual “Money
and Elections in Illinois” report detailing
the 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 once
again performed well in the usability test,
and though testers reported some confusion
with the site, they expressed greater confidence
in the accuracy of the data collected in
2007 than testers did in 2005.
→ Quick
Fix: Add the ability
to download data in a spreadsheet
format.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The
Campaign Disclosure main page provides
a “Reports Filed” table that
shows the number of active campaign committees,
the total number of filings for the most
recent reporting period and how many
reports were filed electronically. View image
