If you want to find out how much money politicians or Super PACs have raised, the Federal Election Commission has all that information on file. The problem is, the current FEC website really, really sucks.
Look What One Reader Found on Donald Trump in the FEC’s Swanky New Website
It’s a lot simpler now.
Luchiano / Thinkstock
Today, the FEC launched a version of a new website, BetaFEC, that makes it much easier to dig up candidates’ information. Check it out at beta.fec.gov.
The traditional website is wonky and difficult to navigate if you don’t know much about election filings; there are all sorts of different reports pegged to different time periods, representing complex strands of data that are difficult to parse if you’re a novice. The new beta website has a simple search bar, and it synthesizes the information into tidy graphics and simple figures.
Below is an example of what turns up when you search for Bernie Sanders using the new site. If you find anything interesting, or have fun ideas for what this money could be compared to, shoot me an email at noah@recode.net.
Update: Reader Simon Charlow found some truly amazing results when he searched for “trump” on the new website. See what happened below:
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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