|
The State of Disclosure in Wyoming
Wyoming has earned an F and the lowest overall
ranking again in 2007, ranking in the bottom
ten in each area of the assessment.
Wyoming
law requires candidates to disclose the name
and address of contributors giving over $25,
but occupation, employer and a donor’s
cumulative contributions are not reported.
Last-minute contributions are not reported
until after Election Day. Campaign expenditures
are not reported until after an election, and
do not include subvendor details. Independent
expenditure disclosure is not required, and
the law’s enforcement provisions are
also lacking. Electronic filing is still not
an option for candidates in Wyoming, though
legislation has been drafted for review in
the 2008 legislative session that would mandate
electronic filing for all candidates starting
in 2010.
As
one of just two states that do not currently
post campaign disclosure data online, Wyoming
received an F and ranks last in the Disclosure
Content Accessibility category. Access to campaign
finance records in Wyoming is limited to requesting
paper copies of reports (at $.15 per page)
or traveling to the Secretary of State’s
office to browse the records. The electronic
filing legislation, if enacted, could be an
important step toward greater access to disclosure
records because it would also require the Secretary
of State’s office to maintain an online,
searchable database of electronically-filed
reports.
Despite
not posting any campaign finance data online,
Wyoming tied for 45th and ranked higher in
the Online Contextual and Technical Usability
category than three states that do provide
online access to data. The Secretary of State’s
web site is easy to navigate and offers good
contextual information regarding campaign finance
rules and disclosure requirements. The public
is also able to view complete, detailed lists
of candidates that include the name, office
sought, party affiliation as well as candidates’ contact
and web site information.
→ Quick
Fix: Post some campaign
finance data on the Internet, such
as summary totals of amounts raised
and spent by gubernatorial or other
high-profile candidates.
♦ Editor’s
Pick: The Secretary
of State’s web site features
detailed lists of candidates going
back to 1998. View image
 Disclosure Agency: Secretary of State
Disclosure Web Site: http://soswy.state.wy.us
|
