CHAPTER 156
COMPUTERIZATION OF CAMPAIGN FINANCING
STATEMENTS AND DATA

      Sec. 9-675. (Formerly Sec. 9-348ee). Filing of campaign finance statements in electronic form. (a) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall (1) create a software program or programs for the preparation of financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608, and (2) prescribe the standard reporting format and specifications for other software programs created by vendors for such purpose. No software program created by a vendor may be used for the electronic submission of such financial disclosure statements, until the commission determines that the program provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed under subdivision (2) of this subsection for vendor software programs. The commission shall provide training in the use of the software program or programs created by the commission.

      (b) The campaign treasurer of the candidate committee for each candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State who raises or spends two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more during an election campaign shall file in electronic form all financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608 by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the State Elections Enforcement Commission or transmitting the statements on-line to said commission. Each such campaign treasurer shall use either (1) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements, or (2) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements. The commission shall accept any statement that uses any such software program. Once any such candidate committee has raised or spent two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more during an election campaign, all previously filed statements required by said section 9-608, which were not filed in electronic form shall be refiled in such form, using such a software program, not later than the date on which the campaign treasurer of the committee is required to file the next regular statement under said section 9-608.

      (c) (1) The campaign treasurer of the candidate committee for any other candidate, as defined in section 9-601, who is required to file the financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608 with the commission, and (2) the campaign treasurer of any political committee or party committee, may file in electronic form any financial disclosure statements required by said section 9-608. Such filings may be made by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the proper authority under section 9-603 or transmitting the statements on-line to such proper authority. Each such campaign treasurer shall use either (A) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form, or (B) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form. The proper authority under section 9-603 shall accept any statement that uses any such software program.

      (June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5, S. 1, 19; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 44.)

      History: June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5 effective July 1, 1997 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (b) the second occurrence of the word "or" in the phrase "or (2) or another ..." was deleted editorially by the Revisors for grammatical accuracy); Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 changed "Secretary of the State" to "State Elections Enforcement Commission", made conforming and technical changes and deleted obsolete dates, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-348ee transferred to Sec. 9-675 in 2007.

      Sec. 9-676. (Formerly Sec. 9-348ff). Conversion of data from paper format to electronic format. The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall, within available appropriations, convert all data in statements required by section 9-608 that are filed in paper format on and after such date, to an electronic format and be authorized to use a portion of the funds for oversight of such conversion.

      (June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5, S. 2, 19; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1, S. 8, 51; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 45.)

      History: June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5 effective July 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1 required that conversion be within available appropriations, rather than to the extent feasible, and authorized use of a portion of funds for conversion oversight, effective July 1, 1999; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 changed "Secretary of the State" to "State Elections Enforcement Commission" and deleted an obsolete date, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-348ff transferred to Sec. 9-676 in 2007.

      Sec. 9-677. (Formerly Sec. 9-348gg). Public access to computerized data from campaign finance statements. The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall make all computerized data from statements required by section 9-608 available to the public through (1) computer terminals at the commission and, if feasible, at remote access locations, and (2) the Internet or any other generally available on-line computer network.

      (June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5, S. 3, 19; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1, S. 9, 51; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 46.)

      History: June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-5 effective July 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1 changed data availability date from January 1, 1999, to January 1, 2000, effective July 1, 1999; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 changed "Secretary of the State" to "State Elections Enforcement Commission" and deleted an obsolete date, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-348gg transferred to Sec. 9-677 in 2007.

      Secs. 9-678 to 9-699. Reserved for future use.