Maplight Scores Victory For California Election Financing Transparency

May 22, 2012 |

Oakland-based Maplight.org announced yesterday that California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has agreed to make campaign financing information easier to access.

This development comes in response to a letter MapLight wrote to the Bowen last month, co-signed by a coalition of media, transparency, and reform groups, asking her to provide a downloadable version of this database, which details who funds our elected officials' campaigns. 

This new transparency is a major victory for MapLight's work and for democracy in the state of California. It will help citizens hold their elected officials accountable," Maplight President Dan Newman said. "We hope that it inspires similar transparency for public data in states across the country."

The downloadable version, which the Secretary of State has promised to launch by Labor Day, will be a major improvement for transparency. Currently, it is only possible to access California campaign finance data online for one committee at a time, making it impossibly time-intensive to answer questions such as "How much has company X given to lawmakers?" 

To get bulk access to the state's campaign finance data, one currently must request a CD-ROM copy of the database, which can take up to two weeks to receive in the mail.

When millions of dollars are being raised and spent every day during election season, a downloadable version of the database, made available daily, is what Californians need and deserve in order to know who's funding public elections.