Discovering how frequently a businessman or political activist donated money to which Dallas City Council candidates used to require hours of rifling through hundreds, even thousands of often hand-written campaign finance disclosure forms.

No longer, as Dallas' new Internet-based campaign finance system, approved by the City Council in April after years of discussion, is now operational ahead of the city's semiannual financial information filing deadline at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The public may now access most every detail about candidates' contributions, expenditures, loans and credits with the click of a mouse, defying some city leaders' earlier predictions that electronic filing would prove cumbersome.

"We have just not had any major problems," said Dallas City Secretary Deborah Watkins, whose office collaborated with the city's communication and information services department to create it. "It provides enhancements for the candidates and officeholders. They don't have to bring in or mail their reports. They can do it from home."

Dallas is among the last of the largest U.S. cities, and the largest in Texas, to mandate that candidates file their finances electronically.

This week, Linda Koop of District 11 became the first City Council member to file her report exclusively over the Internet. She reported raising $17,225, spending $2,314 and carrying more than $50,000 cash on hand through Dallas' latest reporting period: July 1 through Dec. 31.

"It's going to work just fine going forward. It went really smoothly," said Koop, who noticed a few minor glitches – ultimately resolved – when she first worked with the system last year. "It adds a layer of transparency that you need in government."

District 8 council member Tennell Atkins, who's in the midst of filing his report, concurred.

"It's transparent, and it's easy to use," Atkins said. "It ended up being a good idea."

Once candidates file through the system, they receive an immediate on-screen confirmation of their filing.

By law, candidates may petition to instead file on paper, but Ms. Watkins said none have done so.