Grading State Disclosure 2008 Logo Graphic

M i s s i s s i p p i

Grade
Rank
F
44

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Subcategories
Grade
Rank
Campaign Disclosure Law
C-
37
Electronic Filing Program
F
43
Disclosure Content Accessibility
F
46
Online Contextual & Technical Usability
D
40

Grading Process green cube Subcategory Weighting green cube Methodology green cube Glossary

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The State of Disclosure in Mississippi

Mississippi has failed each of the five Grading State Disclosure assessments conducted since 2003, and ranked 44th in 2008. On a positive note, Mississippi is developing an electronic filing program and the state rebounded from an F to a D in the usability category in 2008 due to a stronger usability test performance.

Mississippi’s disclosure law earned a C- and ranked 37th again in 2008. Candidates must itemize contributions over $200, including occupation and employer data, and last-minute contributions must be reported before Election Day. Candidates must disclose campaign expenses by date and vendor, but reports do not include descriptions of the expenses, subvendor payments, or accrued expenditures. Independent expenditures are reported in Mississippi, but those made at the last minute are not reported until after Election Day. Mississippi does not currently offer an electronic filing option to candidates, but a program is in development and will improve the state’s overall disclosure program if these new filings will be searchable online as planned.

Mississippi earned an F in the Disclosure Content Accessibility category for the fifth time in 2008. At present, the state’s online disclosure program is limited to scanned copies of disclosure reports presented in a static PDF format. The site does not feature searchable databases of campaign contributions or expenditures, and itemized data cannot be sorted online or downloaded into a spreadsheet for offline analysis. The Secretary of State’s office posts scanned files online within a day of receipt and reports are available online as far back as 1995. While the current state of online disclosure in Mississippi is lacking, the introduction of searchable electronic reports will be of great benefit to the public.

Mississippi improved to a passing grade in the Online Contextual and Technical Usability category in 2008 with a stronger performance on the usability test and easier navigation from the state’s homepage to the disclosure site than last year. However, while testers were able to complete the test more quickly than in 2007, most still rated their experience on the site negatively and all testers reported confusion with the site. The Secretary of State’s web site provides a good amount of contextual information to the public, including candidate listings, descriptions of which reports are online, and details about reporting requirements and restrictions. The site does not provide information about the total amounts raised and spent by candidates for a particular office.

Quick Fix: Allow the public to search for disclosure reports by office sought, in addition to candidate name, election date, and reporting period.

Editor’s Pick: A simple, informative “2008 Campaign Finance Reporting Schedule” is easily found on the site. View image

Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site:
http://www.sos.state.ms.us

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First published September 17, 2008
| Last updated September 17 2008
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Campaign Disclosure Project. All rights reserved.