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The
State of Disclosure in Virginia
Virginia earned a B+ and a top five ranking
in 2008, up from a B and 7th in 2007 and a
D+ and 22nd in 2003. Virginia improved from
a B- in 2007 to a B in the usability category
as the result of a stronger usability test
performance this year.
Virginia’s strong disclosure law earned
an A- again in 2008 and ranked 4th in this
area of the assessment. Candidates must disclose
detailed information about donors giving over
$100, including occupation and employer data
and the cumulative amount given by a single
contributor. Expenditure disclosure is also
strong and candidates must report subvendor
details and accrued expenditures. Independent
expenditures must be reported within 24 hours,
including those made in the last days of a
campaign. All statewide candidates in Virginia
are required to file disclosure reports electronically;
while electronic filing is voluntary for legislative
candidates, an impressive 98 percent chose
this option in the last election. The program
likely enjoys this level of success thanks
to the State Board of Elections’ innovative “Electronic
Filing Trendsetter Program”, which establishes
an electronic filing database for each candidate,
provides one-on-one support, and awards certificates
for mastering the electronic filing process.
Virginia
maintained a B and ranked 20th in the accessibility
category in 2008. The State Board of Elections’ web
site features a searchable database of contributions
and expenditures that contains both electronically-filed
reports and paper-filed reports that have been
data-entered by agency staff. Users can search
for itemized transactions by the name and zip
code of a donor or payee, or by the date or
amount of specific transactions. As noted in
previous studies, database users seeking to
conduct extensive research may find it difficult
to access itemized search results because such
results are not directly displayed; rather,
users are provided with links to the individual
reports where the search results were originally
disclosed, which can make the research process
cumbersome.
A
stronger performance on the usability test
earned Virginia a B in the web site usability
category in 2008, up from a B- in 2007. Virginia
was one of seven states to achieve the highest
possible rating on the 2008 test and all testers
expressed confidence in the data they found
on the site. The State Board of Elections’ site
offers a clear description of the data available,
detailed lists of candidates, and both original
and clearly-labeled amended reports. The site
could be improved by adding overviews of the
totals raised and spent by candidates for each
office, and instructions for using the searchable
database.
→ 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: The State Board
of Elections’ web site uses clear
language and graphics that make navigation
very easy. View image
 Disclosure Agency: State Board of Elections
Disclosure
Web Site: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms
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