LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — A taxpayer-funded effort to modernize Michigan’s campaign finance disclosure system has backfired, rendering the state’s transparency portal unusable for weeks and blocking public access to political donation data.

The website overhaul, branded the “Michigan Transparency Network,” was meant to streamline donor and campaign finance tracking online. Instead, users can no longer search fundraising reports by donor name, employer, or amount, according to The Detroit News.

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“You can pretty much get away with anything,” political consultant Jason Watts said. “The public can’t see what you filed.”

The $8.8 million contract behind the project was awarded to Tyler Technologies, a Texas-based firm with a controversial track record in other states. Michigan added over half a million dollars to the contract in subsequent years to include financial disclosures for lawmakers, following a 2022 ballot initiative demanding more transparency.

But the result has been the opposite.

As of April 30th, campaign reports are effectively hidden from the public, despite a state law requiring disclosure online. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office says the data transfer is taking longer than expected, pushing the site’s full functionality to June or July. Meanwhile, the first major filing deadline using the new system is set for July 25.

Critics, such as State Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), say the rollout should never have launched in its current state.

 “When I was secretary of state, we always tested things a lot before rolling them out,” Johnson said. “There’s always bugs to work out, you don’t launch it to the public until it’s working.”

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The House Oversight Committee is expected to review the matter in coming weeks.