Sep 26, 2006 -- Reform Groups Urge Senate to Require Electronic Filing of Senate Campaign Finance Reports

Dear Senator:

Our organizations strongly support S. 1508, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, and urge that the legislation be enacted by this Congress. S. 1508 would require electronic filing of the campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the Senate under federal campaign finance laws.

This is non-controversial disclosure legislation with strong bipartisan support. The sponsors of the bill include Senators Russell Feingold (D-WI), John McCain (R-AZ), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dick Lugar (R-IN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).

Currently, all federal candidates, party committees and federal PACs are required to file their campaign finance disclosure reports electronically — with the sole exception of Senate candidates who are still filing paper reports. This exception for Senate candidates has no rational basis, makes no sense and is not defensible.

Most importantly, the Senate filing exception deprives the public of meaningful and timely disclosure of the campaign finance activities by Senate candidates during the critical period close to the election. That is because the paper reports filed by Senate candidates require weeks to be transferred by the FEC into a searchable electronic database that can then be used by the public and media.

According to a 2003 survey conducted by the Campaign Finance Institute, furthermore, 98 out of 99 Senators who participated in the survey were already engaged in computerizing their campaign finance information. Instead of simply providing this electronic information to the Senate, however, Senators were proceeding to print and submit hard copies, thereby depriving the public and the media of meaningful and timely access to this information. This practice by Senators is seriously undermining the campaign finance disclosure laws at a critical stage of Senate elections.

We strongly urge you to support S. 1508 and ensure that citizens have the access to campaign finance information about Senate candidates that they are entitled to receive.

Campaign Legal Center

Common Cause

Democracy 21

League of Women Voters

Public Citizen

U.S. PIRG