There’s little doubt that politics is a money-driven affair in Kansas and throughout the nation. That’s why it’s so important that voters have as much information as possible about who is donating money to candidates.

Kansas voters will get all that information; unfortunately much of it will come long after they have cast their votes. Campaign reports that cover donations and expenditures from Jan. 1 to July 20 were due in the Kansas Secretary of State’s office on Monday, but reports on contributions and spending that occur in the last 11 days of the campaign won’t be filed until Oct. 30.

The Oct. 30 reports will cover July 21 through Oct. 26, but reports on contributions and expenditures that occur in the last 11 days before the Nov. 7 general election won’t be filed until Jan. 10, 2007. These deadlines apply to political action committees and party committees as well as individual candidates.

Maybe the money that comes into and goes out of campaigns during the 11 days before an election will have little impact on the outcome, but voters have a right to have the information so they can evaluate that for themselves.

Legislation that would have eliminated the 11-day reporting gap before elections was approved earlier this year but was vetoed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius who objected to some of the bill’s other provisions, including higher contribution limits and initiatives she said would make it harder to vote in the state.

Whatever negatives the bill had, however, a huge positive was a provision that would have required both candidates and political action committees to report contributions and expenditures made in the last 11 days of the campaign to the Secretary of State’s office the next day. The bill required candidates to report every contribution of $250 or more and political action committees to report all expenditures of $1,000 or more.

The bill also would have required telephone messages advocating the election or defeat of a candidate to identify who paid for the message. Such messages often are used in the last days of a campaign to disseminate questionable claims or information in an attempt to sway an election.

In recent elections, money from out-of-state donors has played a significant role in Kansas races. Some voters might be concerned about who right-to-life or pro-choice groups are backing in a statewide race or who science educators and evolution critics are supporting in the state school board elections. And if large sums of money that could influence the outcome of an election are being donated and spent during the last 11 days of a campaign, voters should know where it is coming from.

It’s unfortunate that the positive parts of the campaign reform legislation are not in effect for this year’s elections. When the Kansas Legislature convenes in January, voters should make sure legislators return this important matter to their agenda.