Introducing C-SMART 2017: New Features for the Election Year
Public disclosure of city campaign finance information is a central piece of the CFB’s mission. In many ways, our C-SMART platform is the key tool to accomplishing that mission and the backbone of New York City’s landmark Campaign Finance Program. Candidates use C-SMART to publicly disclose their financial transactions, comply with program requirements, and, for many, qualify for public financing. First launched in 1993, C-SMART is widely regarded as the gold standard in campaign finance disclosure software.
Today, the CFB is excited to take the next step in helping candidates participate in the program with a significant update to our C-SMART software. We wanted to create a more intuitive experience that reflects how candidates and campaign treasurers interact with the platform. C-SMART now features a streamlined navigation menu that focuses on the core actions candidates perform on the site: entering transactions, uploading documentation, and submitting disclosure statements.
This C-SMART release includes these new features:
- A compliance calendar with deadline reminders and completion status so the campaign never misses a filing deadline
- A financial activity dashboard that tracks the campaign’s progress
- Enhanced web browser compatibility to ensure that C-SMART is faster and more responsive
- Tooltips and guided workflows that make common actions easier to complete and more accurate
- An “auto-complete” search that enables users to locate data more quickly
- A new step-by-step disclosure statement submission workflow, including a step for reviewing the draft statement
- A link to check the Doing Business Database from the contribution entry screen
- Compliance letter templates that print directly from the relevant transaction page
The CFB is always looking for ways to help candidates better manage their campaign finances and we are excited to provide these updates to city candidates. We believe this update will significantly enhance the C-SMART experience for candidates and treasurers. But we also know it can always be better. Let your Candidate Services liaison know what you think of the updates and what you’d like to see next.