VPAP

Dec. 3: Post-Election Disclosures

Lobbyist Registrations

VPAP posted 41 lobbyist registrations received from the Secretary of the Commonwealth since last Thursday, November 12. Of the registrations published today, there were:

13 new lobbyist-client relationships.
28 renewals of existing client-lobbyist relationships

Governor Results for House/Senate Districts

The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project has calculated the 2009 gubernatorial election results in each state House and Senate district, based on unofficial election returns from the State Board of Elections.

The analysis shows Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell carried 75 of 100 House districts and 29 of 40 Senate Districts.

Map of House District Results

Map of Senate District Results

You can click on any district, which will take you to a page showing how that district voted in the November 2009 elections for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General.

Inaugural Committees Formed

Governor-elect Bob McDonnell and Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli have registered Inaugural committees with the State Board of Elections. These committees will raise money for the Inaugural festivities taking place on January 16, 2010.

These committees will not have to file their first campaign finance report until March 15, 2010.

Results of 2009 User Survey

A recent survey found the overwhelming majority of users think is VPAP a trusted, timely, and unbiased source of information about money in Virginia politics.

The 621 people who completed the online survey between October 5-22 also put forward more than 200 suggestions on how to improve the site.

"Some of these suggestions are real head-slappers -- 'Why didn't we think of that before?'" said David Poole, VPAP's executive director. "The survey is like having hundreds of human "bots" scour the site and telling us what we could do better and what else they'd like to see."

VPAP has implemented several suggestions (including making links to legislative district maps more prominent) and is preparing a punch list of further action.

In addition, VPAP staff is following up with smart-phone users to see how VPAP.org might work better on hand-held devices and contacting dissatisfied users to find out what VPAP can do to improve their experience.

Below is a summary of the survey results:

Geographical Breakdown - Virginia Visitors

Central Virginia	167	29%
Northern Virginia	160	28%
Hampton Roads	189	15%
Piedmont	67	12%
Valley of Virginia	52	9%
Southside Virginia	22	4%
Southwest Virginia	20	3%

How Long Have You Been Coming to VPAP?

More than 3 Years	218	35%
1-3 Years	191	31%
A Few Months	73	12%
This is my first visit!	139	22%

VPAP.org is:	Agree	Disagree
Timely	97%	3%
Accurate	97%	3%
Fair and Unbiased	99%	1%
Easy to Navigate	96%	4%
Well Documented	97%	3%
My First Choice for Campaign Finance	96%	4%

Please rank the following new services that VPAP might provide:

Donors to Congressional Candidates	878
Total Giving by Company/Employees	975
More Local Elections	992
Information About Smaller PACs that Disclose on Paper	1221
Easier Way to Print Pages	1454
Easier to Read on Handheld Devices	1529

Note: Lowest Aggregate Score indicates Highest Priority

Do you access the internet on your cell phone?

Yes	38%
No	62%

New PAC Registrations

VPAP has posted information on four new PACs that have registered with the State Board of Elections:

Aqua America (Federal PAC)
Friends of McKinley Price for Mayor (Leadership Committee - McKinley Price for Newport News Mayor)
Progressive Victory Fund (Leadership Committee - Jeanette Rishell)
Women's Campaign Forum (Federal PAC)

Lobbyist Disclosures

2008-09 Lobbyist Spending Reports

VPAP has posted the first batch of lobbyist spending reports for activity between May 2008 and April 2009.

This initial list includes the 151 clients who reported the most spending during 2008-09. In the weeks ahead, VPAP will continue to post additional clients in descending order of reported expenses.

When it comes to lobbying, Virginia is a disclosure-based state. Unlike many states, Virginia places few restrictions on the interaction between registered lobbyists and officials from executive and legislative branches. Once a year, lobbyists are required to disclose their activities and itemize certain types of expenses.

Top Spenders

Note: Allowable differences in the way lobbyists report compensation and event expenses can make an "apple-to-apple" comparison difficult. For instance, some lobbyists report all of their compensation, while others prorate compensation based on the amount of time spent in direct lobbying.

Entertainment Expenses

Lobbyists are required to fill out a disclosure form each time they spend more than $50 entertaining legislative and executive branch officials. If the cost per person is more than $50, the lobbyist is required to list officials' names.

Lobbyist Registrations

VPAP posted 67 lobbyist registrations received from the Secretary of the Commonwealth since October 29. Of the registrations published today, there were:

18 new lobbyist-client relationships.
49 renewals of existing client-lobbyist relationships

Local Elections Results

The Virginia Public Access Project has posted the results of elections in the 10 localities tracked by VPAP:

Independent Expenditures

The State Board of Elections provided VPAP with the latest expense by groups -- working without coordination or authorization of candidates -- that are mobilizing to influence the outcome of yesterday's elections:

10/30: GOPAC Virginia reported spending $10,000 in Website/Communication Services to benefit three Republican House candidates: Barbara Comstock, Dave Albo and Ron Villanueva. Details
11/2: People First PAC reported spending $1,016 to support the Democratic statewide ticket and one local Norfolk candidate Details

VPAP

Dec. 3: Post-Election Disclosures

Lobbyist Registrations

13 new lobbyist-client relationships.

28 renewals of existing client-lobbyist relationships

Governor Results for House/Senate Districts

Inaugural Committees Formed

Results of 2009 User Survey

New PAC Registrations

Lobbyist Disclosures

Top Spenders

Entertainment Expenses

Lobbyist Registrations

18 new lobbyist-client relationships.

49 renewals of existing client-lobbyist relationships

Local Elections Results

Independent Expenditures

View All Independent Expenditures