Grading State Disclosure 2008 Logo Graphic

W i s c o n s i n

Grade
Rank
C
29

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Subcategories
Grade
Rank
Campaign Disclosure Law
B
16
Electronic Filing Program
A
18
Disclosure Content Accessibility
F
40
Online Contextual & Technical Usability
B
11

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

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The State of Disclosure in Wisconsin

Wisconsin improved from a C- in 2007 to a C in 2008 due to a stronger performance on the web site usability test this year, which also boosted the state from a D- and 34th in 2007 to a B and 11th in the Online Contextual and Technical Usability category in 2008.

Wisconsin’s disclosure law earned a B and ranked 16th in the 2008 assessment. Candidates are required to disclose detailed information about contributors giving over $20, including occupation and employer data for those giving over $100. Candidates must disclose expenditures over $20, though subvendor details are not reported. Wisconsin requires both last-minute contributions and last-minute independent expenditures to be reported prior to Election Day. Wisconsin earned an A again in the Electronic Filing Program category as both statewide and legislative candidates raising $20,000 or more are required to file disclosure reports electronically. The Government Accountability Board is working to create an improved filing and disclosure system that would make filing easier for candidates and also improve online access to disclosure records.

Wisconsin has received an F in the Disclosure Content Accessibility category in each of the five Grading State Disclosure assessments. The lack of searchable campaign finance databases represents the main drawback of the disclosure site. Itemized data from electronically-filed disclosure reports is available online; however, for paper-filed reports only summary information is available. Data from electronically-filed reports is available online within 48 hours of receipt and can be downloaded in a spreadsheet format; paper-filed summary information is entered online by agency staff within 24 hours. If Wisconsin’s plan for developing a new disclosure system is successful, voters in the future will have access to searchable campaign finance databases, which would greatly improve public access to campaign data.

Wisconsin improved significantly (from a D- to a B) in the web site usability category in 2008 due to a much stronger usability test performance than in 2007. Testers were able to complete their tasks more quickly in 2008 than last year, and reported higher levels of understanding of the site while also rating their experiences much more favorably than testers did in 2007. The disclosure site features a good amount of contextual information, such as overviews of the totals raised and spent by candidate in each reporting period, descriptions of the data available online, and detailed lists of candidates.

Quick Fix: Add the starting and ending date for each reporting period within the index of a candidate’s reports.

Editor’s Pick: Contribution limits for state candidates are clearly described in a chart that is easily located on the disclosure web site. View image

Disclosure Agency: Government Accountability Board
Disclosure Web Site:
http://elections.state.wi.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.