GULFPORT -- There has not been a large cry from the public or media for campaign finance reform in recent years, said Sen. Deborah Dawkins, D-Pass Christian, who has filed several reform bills with little success.
"It just doesn't seem to be a sexy topic that people want to campaign on or want to hear about," Dawkins said. "It's kind of like the plumbing. People want it to work, or they want it to be fixed if you ask them, but mostly they don't think about it. Everybody is just one crisis away from becoming an advocate for public accountability, but it's hard to get a groundswell."
Mississippi candidates are required to report details, including occupation and employer data, about contributors giving in excess of $200. But the state does not regularly audit reports and the laws are seldom enforced. Mississippi lacks an electronic filing program, and online access to campaign disclosure records is limited to scanned documents, making locating specific contributions difficult and sorting or downloading data into a spreadsheet is not possible. The site - www.sos.state.ms.us - does not provide information about the total amounts raised and spent by candidates for a particular office. Some of the reports online are handwritten by candidates or their campaigns, making them difficult to read.
Louisiana disclosure laws are considered among of the best in the country, with strong expenditure disclosure and enforcement provisions. Electronic filing is required of statewide candidates raising at least $50,000, but is voluntary for legislative candidates. Louisiana publishes databases of both contributions and expenditures that offer many search, sort and download options. The public can now obtain campaign data on discs.
Arkansas' disclosure laws are among the worst, but the state has begun to make significant improvements, including the implementation of voluntary electronic filing in 2007. The quality of online access to some reports is poor, due to quality of scanning and the legibility of handwritten reports. The state requires monthly filing of reports during election years.
Tennessee enacted the "Comprehensive Governmental Ethics Reform Act of 2006" following the governor's formation of a citizen advisory group on ethics and the formation of a new legislative ethics committee. The law expands candidate disclosure requirements and makes electronic filing mandatory for all candidates who raise or spend $1,000 for an election. The state's Web site has been improved. It provides a searchable database for contributions, but not expenditures.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@