I'm excited to announce that OrangePolitics is a partner in the effort by the Raleigh Public Record to create an accessible statewide database of campaign finance information. Please read more about it and comment on the Knight News Challenge site.
North Carolina Open Elections Project: Campaigning in the age of open data
1. What do you propose to do?
Collect campaign finance data from all 100 counties in NC and state and create a unified website and searchable database.
2. How will your project make data more useful?
Web front-end to search, visualize, play with data. Much of the data kept in flat PDFs or paper across state. Bring it all together to search across counties and in state filings. Make it public. Work with partners to create a replicable model for states around the country.
3. How is your project different from what already exists?
Comprehensive database for state-wide campaign finance filings in NC does not exist. Project would give North Carolinians an invaluable tool for knowing who funds elected representatives and how elections work.
4. Why will it work?
This will create fundamental change in public access across NC. Data is out there, just needs to be brought together in a unified format. Crowd source file collection for county-level documents. Scrape state page. Work with partners, students, volunteers to build a network of people across NC to collect, monitor data from their counties. We have the capacity and the partners to activate and engage people across NC to build a comprehensive database. Database will be a great tool for reporters, academics and voters. Build widget for local sites to localize data.
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