http://maplight.org/MAPLight.org, a groundbreaking public database,
illuminates the connection between campaign donations and legislative
votes in unprecedented ways. Elected officials collect large sums of
money to run their campaigns, and they often pay back campaign
contributors with special access and favorable laws.
This common
practice is contrary to the public interest, yet legal. MAPLight.org
makes money/vote connections transparent, to help citizens hold their
legislators accountable.
The Database
MAPLight.org combines three data sets:
- Bill texts and legislative voting records
- Supporting and opposing interests for each bill
- Campaign contribution data from the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics
Combining this data makes visible key information that could never before be determined easily. For example:
- Contributions given by interests supporting and opposing each bill
- Average donations given to legislators voting Yes and No on each bill
- Timeline of contributions and votes for each bill, graphically
identifying when legislators received large donations before or after
their vote.
--
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805
https://gcrc.carleton.ca/confluence/display/GCRCWEB/Lauriault
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