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The State of Disclosure in Indiana
While
Indiana’s disclosure program did
not experience significant changes since 2005,
a revised Campaign Disclosure Law grade bumped
the state’s grade from a C- to a C in
2007.
A
closer examination of Indiana’s disclosure
law in 2007 resulted in scoring revisions,
causing Indiana’s grade in this category
to increase to a C- from an F in 2005. Candidates
must report detailed information about contributors
giving at least $100, but the donor’s
employer is not disclosed and occupation is
only reported for those contributing $1,000
or more in a year. While expenses over $100
made by a candidate’s committee (and
any subvendors) are disclosed, independent
expenditure reporting is not required. Electronic
filing became mandatory for all statewide candidates
in 2005, regardless of the amount raised. Legislative
candidates may participate in the electronic
filing program on a voluntary basis.
Indiana
performs best in the Disclosure Content Accessibility
category, earning a B+ in 2007. The Secretary
of State’s web site offers
well-designed, searchable databases of contributions
and expenditures that include both electronically-
and paper-filed disclosure records. The databases
also offer users the ability to sort and download
their results. The only field missing from
the searchable database is contributor’s
employer, which is not required to be disclosed.
Indiana could improve the timeliness of online
access to campaign data; with just 20 percent
of legislative candidates filing electronically,
manually entering and posting campaign data
currently takes one to two weeks.
Indiana’s performance in the web site usability
test dropped again in 2007, causing the state’s
grade in the Online Contextual and Technical
Usability category to drop from a C- to a D+.
While testers rated their overall experience
on the site as average, most found the site to
be somewhat confusing. The site does not provide
overviews of campaign finance activity that would
allow the public to easily compare candidates’ financing.
Some of the beneficial features of the site include
thorough information about exactly which records
are available online, and a well-designed report
index. Additionally, database search results
contain a helpful note about the number and cumulative
amount of the itemized transactions, and any
amended transactions are highlighted.
→ Quick
Fix: Compile individual candidate
summaries into a single document, making
it easier for site visitors to quickly
compare fundraising and spending between
candidates.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The index of a candidate’s
reports includes key information, such
as the reporting period and the date
the report was filed, as well as a summary
of the contents of the most recently
filed report. View
image
 Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.state.in.us/sos
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