About Florida's Electronic Filing System (EFS)
Electronic filing of campaign finance reports is now mandatory for any candidate or committee filing with the Florida Secretary of State - Division of Elections. Campaign ToolBox creates the electronic filing data file that is then uploaded to the state using the state EFS system. When Campaign ToolBox creates the file and puts it on your hard drive, its task is complete. From that point on, getting it to the state is entirely a function of the state system.
Campaign ToolBox also creates the printed hard copy that must be filed with your county Supervisor of Elections for all campaigns other than state-wide campaigns. Using the state system, you're on your own when it comes to creating the printed report.
The state has a system in place where campaigns can directly enter their transactions on-line and file their reports. There is no direct financial cost involved in using that system. The cost involved in time and complexity and the use of your data is another matter. For some very small campaigns though, the state EFS system is probably a good choice. As much as I would like to sell Campaign ToolBox to everyone who files, there will be some for whom it makes sense to use the state system.
Based on the very large volume of phone calls I get from people trying to use their system, and the number of new customers who tried the state system and gave up in frustration, I am not worried about competing against a "free" system. If you're not sure about where you fit in with all this, then by all means, try out their system for yourself. Perhaps it is the right choice for your campaign. Most campaigns however, will find that at only $10 per month (Campaign ToolBox sells for $120 per year), the benefits of using Campaign ToolBox far outweighs the cost. For many customers, simply knowing that they can call at any time and talk to the one who wrote the program is all the reason they need.
Your report file is located in C:\ReportFile_FL
Confirming that you are ready to file your report
If you have a problem uploading your file using the EFS system, you will want to confirm that everything is correct on your system before calling the EFS Help Desk (
850-245-6280
). To do this, please refer to the tech support document titled Reports and the EFS File System. By following the simple steps shown there, you can be confident that any problems lie either with the EFS system or with your internet connection.
You will also want to make sure your internet connection is working by downloading a test file. You might want to try downloading this .ZIP file containing tech support #030 as a test. It is a very small file and should download quickly. Although this not the same as uploading, it demonstrates that your internet connection is able to transfer files successfully.
Other Issues affecting file uploading to the Division of Elections
It appears that the EFS system does not work with some browsers - specifically Mozilla. If you are having trouble connecting with their system and uploading your file, please make sure you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer.
If you need to use a different computer to upload your file (due to not having a working Internet connection or browser or some other reason), try copying the report file from C:\ReportFile_FL onto a USB drive or some other media. Take that media to another computer and try uploading it from there. Keep in mind that you do NOT need Campaign ToolBox on that system - at this point, Campaign ToolBox is finished with its work.
Getting Help with the Florida Electronic Filing System (EFS)
EFS Help Desk: 850-245-6280
The phone number for the EFS Help Desk is 850-245-6280
. During the filing period, you will probably find it difficult to reach someone, so if possible, you should try to upload your report as early as possible.
