COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Gov. Mark Sanford on Thursday asked the State Ethics Commission to speed up adoption of an electronic campaign finance disclosure system.

Since 2000, the Ethics Commission has asked the Legislature for an electronic filing system, but lawmakers did not approve the money for one until May.

The Ethics Commission would make the reports available on the Internet, making it easier for people to analyze campaign fund-raising and spending. As it stands now, people have to go to the Ethics Commission and pay 50 cents a page for copies of financial reports.

Last month, Herb Hayden, the commission's executive director, said it was unlikely the system would be operating for the 2006 elections because it would take so much time for public bids and implementation.

On Thursday, Sanford said he asked the Ethics Commission's members to bypass that by using an existing state contract with NIC Inc.'s South Carolina Interactive subsidiary.

"I've said from day one that sunlight is the ultimate disinfectant in the political process and that the people of this state have a right to know who's trying to influence their votes," Sanford said in a prepared statement.

Sanford's news release was the first Hayden had heard about the opportunity to get a system running sooner. "Nobody from the governor's office bothered to notify us about it," Hayden said.

Hayden says his agency has been working on the online filing system since March with the state department that handles technology purchases. No one ever discussed the possibility of using South Carolina Interactive, he said.

In April, NIC, headquartered in Olathe, Kan., contracted with South Carolina to redesign the state's Web site and handle online payments for a variety of services. It also handles campaign finance reporting systems in 10 states, Sanford's office said.

Jeff McCartney, who runs South Carolina Interactive, said campaign finance reports could be available on the Internet by January. There would be no charge for filing the reports or reviewing them, McCartney said.

At a minimum, the system would allow people to search for candidates and review their filings as well as type in the names of donors to see whose campaigns are getting their contributions.