Under the California Online Disclosure Act of 1997, most campaigns, committees and candidates for state office and many major donors are required to submit financial disclosure statements and reports electronically and on paper. The paper version, however, is recognized as the official filing for auditing purposes. Several hundred thousand pages of paper campaign finance reports are filed with the Secretary of State's Political Reform Division each year.
The law gives Secretary of State Debra Bowen, in consultation with the FPPC, the authority to end the paper-filing requirement if she determines that "the online and electronic disclosure systems are operating effectively."
The Online Disclosure Act required the Secretary of State to create an online searchable database to give the public access to state campaign finance information. The database, known as CAL-ACCESS (California Automated Lobbying and Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Search System), debuted in 2000.
