Grading State Disclosure 2005 Logo Graphic

Campaign Finance Disclosure in the States: An Overview

golden bar divider

State Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws

Number of states that require a contributor’s occupation and employer to be disclosed: 31
Number that require a contributor’s occupation to be disclosed, but not employer: 7
Number of states that do not require contributor occupation or employer information: 12
Number of states that require timely reporting of last-minute contributions: 36
Number of states that require independent expenditures to be disclosed: 42
Number of these 42 states that require reporting of which candidate will benefit from the expenditure: 36
Number of states that require last-minute independent expenditures to be disclosed: 26
Number of state disclosure agencies required by law to review or conduct field audits of campaign finance reports:  33
Number of states that require both forms of review:  9
Number of states that are not required by law to conduct at least one of these forms of review: 17

Electronic Filing of Campaign Finance Reports

Number of states that provide a program for the electronic filing of campaign disclosure reports: 40
Number of states that require candidates to electronically file campaign disclosure reports: 30
Number of these 30 states that require electronic filing by both legislative and statewide candidates: 23
Number of states with a completely voluntary electronic filing program: 10
Average percentage of statewide candidates filing electronically in these ten states:  47
Average percentage of legislative candidates filing electronically in these ten states:  34
Number of states with no electronic filing program: 10

Disclosure Data - Access and Usability

Number of state disclosure agencies that post campaign finance data on the Internet: 48
Number of state disclosure web sites that provide both itemized contribution and expenditure data online: 46
Number of states that post campaign finance reports online within a week:  48
Number that post campaign finance reports online within 48 hours:   33
Number of states whose sites feature lists of total amounts raised and spent by candidates in recent elections:  19
Number of state disclosure web sites with online, searchable databases of contributions:  36
Number of state disclosure web sites with online, searchable databases of expenditures: 24
Percentage of states with mandatory electronic filing that also publish online, searchable campaign finance databases:  90

Percentage of states without electronic filing programs that publish online, searchable campaign finance databases: 

40
Number of states in which data can be sorted online or downloaded from the disclosure agency’s web site: 33
Percentage of these 33 states that operate an electronic filing programs: 91

Thanks to Harper's magazine for permission to use its "index" format.

Back to Performance Comparison Chart Next to Grade Distribution in 2003 - 2007

Back to the Grading State Disclosure home page


First published October 16, 2007
| Last updated October 17, 2007
copyright ©
Campaign Disclosure Project. All rights reserved.