Starting this week, campaign finance reports for the fourth quarter of 2005 and going forward will be available online at https://ssl.sc.gov/Ethics/ or through the state Web portal. Currently, users can search for donations by candidate name, political office sought or contributor name for all the state's candidates for constitutional office. An upgraded system, tentatively scheduled for launch in early 2007, will include additional disclosures, allow candidates to enter their financial information online, and provide further reporting capabilities.
"Putting this information on the Internet for every South Carolinian to see is an incredibly important step toward creating a more open and accountable government," Gov. Sanford said. "We've said from day one that sunlight is the ultimate disinfectant in the political process, and the people of this state have a right to know who's trying to influence their votes."
In 2003, Gov. Sanford signed legislation mandating the creation of the online reporting system, legislation vetoed by his predecessor.
Earlier this year the Governor's Office began working with the state Chief Information Officer and S.C. Interactive -- the company hired to create the state's Web portal -- to identify an existing state contract for the system. The Governor's Office says this not only allowed immediate implementation of the system, but has saved the state at least $200,000 in the process.
