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The State of Disclosure in Connecticut
Connecticut moved up from a D in 2007 to a
D+ and was one of the three most improved states
in the Online Contextual and Technical Usability
category in 2008. Despite dropping from a D
to an F in the accessibility category in 2008,
Connecticut is currently in the process of
transitioning to an improved disclosure system
that will enhance online access to disclosure
data by the end of the year.
Connecticut’s
disclosure law earned a C+ and ranked 24th
in 2008. Campaigns must provide details
about contributors of $50 or more, and occupation
and employer data for those giving $100 or
more. Campaign expenses, including subvendor
data, are disclosed, as are independent expenditures.
Connecticut law requires electronic filing
only for statewide candidates raising $250,000,
by far the highest threshold in place in
any state and one that applied to just half
of the statewide candidates in 2006. Legislation
supported by the State Elections Enforcement
Commission (SEEC) to reduce the electronic
filing threshold to $5,000 and expand the
mandate to legislative candidates failed
to become law for the second straight year
in 2008. The SEEC debuted a new electronic
Campaign Reporting Information System (eCRIS)
in 2008 that has been well received by filers.
The new system alerts users of upcoming filing
dates and also notifies filers of errors and
violations, features that enable more accurate
and timely public disclosure.
While Connecticut received a failing grade
in the Disclosure Content Accessibility category
in 2008, it should be noted that the process
of enhancing the public access component of
the eCRIS disclosure system is not complete.
The public can currently browse electronically-filed
reports and scanned copies of paper-filed reports
on the disclosure site. SEEC staff also data-enters
the paper records into eCRIS so that all records
will be contained in the searchable database
of campaign finances that will debut later
this year. Electronic reports are accessible
immediately upon filing and paper reports are
accessible online within 24 hours of receipt.
Connecticut
was one of the most improved states in the
web site usability category in 2008, climbing
15 places in the rankings and moving from
an F to a D+ since the 2007 assessment. A
greatly improved usability test performance
contributed to the passing grade, as testers
were able to navigate the site more quickly
and reported greater confidence in the data
on the site than testers did in 2007. Features
of the new filing system also contributed to
the higher grade, with clearer descriptions
of the data available and a “Help” link
that provides instructions for accessing disclosure
reports. The SEEC’s web site could be
further enhanced by providing overviews of
the totals raised and spent by competing candidates.
→ Quick
Fix: Provide a simple comparison
of the totals raised and spent by candidates
for each office in the most recent election.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: While searching
for reports to browse, site visitors
can limit the returned list of documents
to either originals or amendments. View
image
 Disclosure Agency: State Elections Enforcement Commission
Disclosure
Web Site: http://www.ct.gov/seec
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