Associated Press: Old tech has third of Kansas lawmakers’ disclosures offline

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — People who want to learn about Kansas legislators’ financial interests have about a 32% chance of not finding the information online, according to a review of records by The Associated Press.

To see a report that’s not online, a resident must visit or call the secretary of state’s office in Topeka and request a copy at 50 cents a page.

Roughly a third of lawmakers file the disclosures on paper rather than online, and Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s office said outdated equipment prevents staff from uploading the forms to the computer system that can be quickly accessed by voters. …

Beth Rotman, national director of the government watchdog group Common Cause’s ethics and money in politics project, said the forms should be disclosed in a way that average voters are able to see, and online data is quickly accessible and searchable.

“The public should have timely access to complete, searchable statements of their lawmakers’ financial disclosure statements so the public can evaluate any potential conflicts or red flags in real time,” Rotman said. “In many cases, delayed disclosure will equate to non-disclosure if the public lacks access to the information when they are evaluating whether their representatives appear to be acting in the best interest of their members — those every day Americans they represent — or their own pocket.”