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Election 2004: Campaign Finance These websites are primarily concerned with issues related to campaign finance: candidate finance information, donor information, federal elections finance data, state elections finance data, disclosure policies, campaign funding by industry/lobbying groups/"special interests," legal issues/court decisions.

Comprehensive, broad-based sites for all aspects of U.S. elections may also have components which are concerned with campaign finance.

Campaign Disclosure Project (CDP)
• "A project of the UCLA School of Law, the Center for Governmental Studies, and the California Voter Foundation, supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts"
• "Bringing sunlight to political money in the fifty states," the CDP "... is designed to bring greater transparency and accountability to the role of money in state and federal campaigns"
• "Grading State Disclosure 2003" grades each state on the following subcategories:
"Campaign Disclosure Law," "Electronic Filing Program," "Disclosure Content Accessibility," "Online Contextual & Technical Usability"; also includes commentary on a state's progress in complying with disclosure issues and suggestions for future improvement (Rhode Island ranks 11th overall)
• "Index of State Disclosure Agencies" provides contact information for a state's primary agency (usually secretary of state's office, state board of elections)
• Includes information on CDP's initiatives/programs, advisory board, announcements, news
• "Related Studies & Resources" link to related reports, surveys
• One of the best sites for accessing campaign disclosure information in one place

Campaign Finance
• Sponsored by the Hoover Institution (Stanford University)
• Examines campaign finance issues from a variety of perspectives/sources, including history, "current structure" (on both federal and state levels), Supreme Court decisions, legislation, reform proposals
• "Who's Giving to Whom" gives an excellent analysis (accompanied by links) of the activities and structure of the campaign finance issue as it stands now
• Not extensive, but an excellent, clear overview of campaign finance issues

Campaign Finance Information Center (CFIC)
• Maintained by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Missouri School of Journalism
• "The Campaign Finance Information Center is dedicated to helping journalists follow the campaign money trail – on the national, state and local levels"
• Funded by grants from the Joyce Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Florence and John Schumann Foundation
• "State Campaign Finance Search" links to each state's official source for campaign finance oversight (public disclosure commissions, secretary of states' offices, state election divisions, state ethics commissions)
• "Resources" links to campaign finance news, "background reading," and a variety of "Useful Links" (other campaign finance sites, professional/research organizations, academic resources)
• "Federal Contracts Database" and "Power Search" ("Track cash flow across the nation") are additional resources which are accessible only members of IRE
• Includes information on IRE's conferences, initiatives, membership, programs, publications
• Even though some resources are available to "members only," this site is a very good source for news/general information; "Useful Links" are excellent for an introduction to researching "the basics"

Follow the Money
• Sponsored by the Institute on Money in State Politics, "a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to accurate, comprehensive and unbiased documentation and research on campaign finance at the state level"
• Provides contribution information by candidate/donor/"special issues groups"
• Responsible for creating and expanding disclosure of campaign funding for all 50 states
• Data compiled from records of government monitoring agencies for each state
• Availability of data varies by state
• Campaign finance information from 1996 to the present
• Publishes studies and helps "... reporters, academic researchers and state groups that work on campaign finance issues"
• Online tutorial provided
• One of the oldest and best sites of its kind for campaign finance information on the state level

National Voting Rights Institute (NVRI)
• The NVRI "... aims to redefine the issue of private money in public elections as the nation's newest voting rights barrier, and to vindicate the constitutional right of all citizens, regardless of their economic status, to participate in the electoral process on an equal and meaningful basis"
• Provides information on Institute activities, including the "Legal Library," which links to pending and concluded court cases dealing with the "Wealth Primary," the undue influence of personal wealth on the electoral process
• Also links to the Institute's legal efforts on behalf of other reforms, including donor disclosure and the public funding of elections
• Links to public interest advocacy organizations, academic/policy research institutes, federal agencies, regional associations
• This is one of the best sites for information on disclosure and reform issues; its links are superb

Opensecrets.org – Money in Politics Data
• Sponsored by the Center of Responsive Politics, "... a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and its effect on elections and public policy"
• "Aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government"
• Funded by individual contributions and foundation grants; no business or labor union funding
• Provides data on a variety of issues dealing with campaign finance: contribution information by candidate/donor, disclosure, "special interests" (PACs, "soft money," lobbying)
• "The Big Picture" offers comprehensive statistics on 30 campaign finance issues from the 2002 election; "you may ... find answers to questions you never thought to ask"
• "Who Gets" links to Congressional and Presidential information, including total money raised and spent, in-state vs. out-of-state contributions, "Quality of Disclosure" (full, partial, none), past/present funding sources, personal financial information
• "Who Gives" profiles 122 industry sectors involved in donating to political campaigns, including donation histories from 1990 to the present; includes "Top Contributors," "Top Recipients"
• "Get Local" tracks contributions by state; also allows searching by zipcode
• "News & Issues" provides short reports which analyze/comment on the campaign finance ramifications of issues including Iraq contracts, media ownership, energy, prescription drugs, et. al.
• Outstanding; one of the best - if not the best - sites for comprehensive data on candidates/elected officials and their campaign funding; this site is mandatory for anyone interested in an in-depth look at these issues

Soft Money Laundromat
• This site, sponsored by Common Cause, is "... a searchable database of special interest soft money contributions to the Democratic and Republican national party committees"
• Searchable by donor name, location, industry
• Includes FAQ feature
• Also links to "Top Soft Money Donors" (1995 to the present), "Mystery Donors," "Campaign Finance Studies"
• One of the first sites to cover campaign finance issues; still does an excellent job

Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh 4/04

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