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The State of Disclosure in Montana
Montana earned it first passing grade in Grading
State Disclosure 2008 and became the
most improved state since 2007 by posting
campaign finance data to the web for the
first time. The state also launched an electronic
filing program and improved to a passing
grade in the web site usability category
in 2008.
Montana
performed best in the Campaign Disclosure
Law category, earning a B+ and a top ten ranking
again in 2008. Candidates must itemize contributions
over $35, and reports include donors’ occupation
and employer data. Last-minute contributions
are reported prior to Election Day, but last-minute
independent expenditures are not. Expenditure
disclosure includes the name of the vendor
and transaction date, but not subvendor details.
Other strengths in Montana’s law include
the filing schedule, reporting of loan details,
and enforcement provisions that include both
civil and criminal penalties. Montana debuted
a voluntary electronic filing program this
year as part of a new online disclosure program,
improving the state’s ranking in the
electronic filing category in 2008. Candidates
can now register their campaigns online and
will be able to begin filing disclosure reports
electronically later this year.
While
Montana earned an F again in the area of
accessibility, the office of the Commissioner
of Political Practices has greatly improved
online access to campaign finance data in the
state by posting disclosure data to the Internet
for the first time in 2008. Montana publishes
scanned copies of campaign finance reports
on the Commissioner’s web site, and is
working to further enhance access with searchable
electronic data. Along with the new scanned
copies of disclosure reports online, the Commissioner’s
office makes paper copies of campaign reports
available to the public at $.10 per page.
Montana
improved from an F to a D- in the Online
Contextual and Technical Usability category
with the debut of disclosure records on the
Commissioner’s newly improved web site.
The 2008 usability test was conducted before
the debut of disclosure data on the site, but
Montana did perform better in 2008 than in
2007 as testers expressed better understanding
of the site’s terminology. The site is
easy to navigate and the homepage now offers “Featured
Links” and “Featured Online Services” that
direct visitors to election information and
disclosure reports. The site features clear
instructions for accessing disclosure records,
and both amended and original reports are presented
within the index of a candidate’s reports.
The site could be further improved with a clear
description of what data is available online,
and a simple overview of the totals raised
and spent by candidates for each office.
→ Quick
Fix: Add information describing
which candidates have reports online,
what data is included, and what
time periods are covered to give
site visitors a better sense of
the scope of data available on
the disclosure site.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The homepage of
the Commissioner of Political Practices’ web
site is cleanly designed and provides
easy links to campaign disclosure
reports, contribution limits, and
other important contextual information. View
image
 Disclosure Agency: Commissioner of Political Practices
Disclosure
Web Site: http://politicalpractices.mt.gov
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