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The State of Disclosure in Vermont
Vermont
improved slightly in the rankings, though
still earned an overall F in the 2007
assessment. Vermont’s law grade
improved from an F to a C-, but those gains
were offset by a weaker performance in
the Online Contextual and Technical Usability
category.
In
2005, Vermont enacted Senate Bill 16,
strengthening the state’s disclosure
law. While Vermont’s contribution
and expenditure limits were struck down
by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006, the
disclosure provisions of the law remain
intact. The state now requires candidates
to report large, last-minute contributions
within 24 hours of receipt before Election
Day. Vermont also added a new section to
the law regarding electioneering communications;
in the month before an election, individuals
or groups making independent mass media
expenditures over $500 must report the
date, amount and beneficiary of expenditures
within 24 hours. Vermont’s law could
be further enhanced by requiring occupation
and employer disclosure of campaign donors,
as well as requiring candidates to report
subvendor payments. Vermont is one of just
ten states that do not offer candidates
the option of filing disclosure reports
electronically.
Vermont
again received an F in the Disclosure
Content Accessibility category in 2007.
The Secretary of State’s office scans
all state-level candidates’ campaign
finance reports and posts them online as
TIFF files, but the files display poorly
and can be difficult to view on a computer
screen. The agency also offers searchable
text files of statewide candidates’ filings,
and the records contained in these files
can be downloaded and exported for offline
research. Vermont is among the best in
the country in terms of providing access
to paper copies of disclosure reports.
After
having improved from an F to a C- in
2005, Vermont’s usability grade
slipped to a D- in 2007. Usability testers
again rated the disclosure site as below
average, and most found it to be somewhat
confusing. The lack of current campaign
finance analyses is the primary reason
why Vermont’s grade dropped to a
D- in the usability category. The Secretary
of State’s office produced in-depth
analyses of campaign finance trends for
the 2000, 2002 and 2004 election cycles;
however, such reports will not be available
for 2006 or future cycles as the legislature
eliminated the mandate requiring these
reports to be produced. Vermont has distinguished
itself by providing the most historical
information on any state disclosure web
site. Users have the ability to look up
the amounts raised and spent by candidates
for statewide office dating back to 1916.
→ Quick
Fix: Allow users to select
more than one candidate at a time
through the site’s “Historical
Campaign Finance Database”.
This step would allow users
to more easily compare campaign
finance activity between candidates.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The comprehensive,
2006 “Guide to Vermont’s
Campaign Finance Law” contains
a wealth of information explaining
changes to the state’s law,
including legislative changes made
in 2005 as well as the effects of
the Supreme Court’s 2006 ruling
on contribution and expenditure limits. View
image
 Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site: http://www.sec.state.vt.us
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