COLUMBIA, S.C. - Political parties began filing the first financial reports Monday that reflect changes in state campaign finance laws intended to shed more light on soft money contributions.

"This is a long time coming for the voters of South Carolina," said Gov. Mark Sanford's spokesman Will Folks.

The state Republican Party filed reports with the State Ethics Commission that show contributions and spending from an operating account that for years has operated out of public view and helped shaped the outcome of elections.

The Democratic Party has a similar account, but executive director Nu Wexler says the party may not file its report for a few days. He could not immediately disclose details of what would be filed.

The GOP report shows that the party raised $462,086 in its regular campaign account for November South Carolina elections. That accounts cash and spending have long been disclosed.

However, the party also reported it raised $702,181 for those elections through its operating account - money that previously went undisclosed. Along with that report were details of donors and how money flowing through the account was spent.

For instance, Ed Sellers, chairman of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, gave $10,000 to the operating account and the Senate Republican Caucus gave two donations of $10,400 each.

The report also shows that the GOP spent most of that on wages and taxes, including biweekly checks of $2,309 to Luke Byars, the party's executive director.

The reports don't detail donations or expenditures before the election. The new disclosure law took effect after the election.

"It really doesn't change the way we do business at the Republican Party," Byars said.

The Legislature debated those changes for years. Along the way, some in state politics worried that disclosure would cause donors to shut their wallets.

Byars says that didn't happen. Many of the contributions come from the "same donors that give to us time and time again," Byars said. "There's not some secret group out there," Byars said.

More disclosure should be coming, Folks said. Sanford's executive budget puts $318,000 into the Ethics Commission for technology needed to put campaign finance reports on the Internet.

"We think that everybody ought to see who's trying to influence their vote," Folks said.