In this week’s show, you’ll hear Gene talk about our campaign finance map for the state senate races. It’s been a painstaking process, but we’ve finally assembled the data necessary to make reviewing these public records a more pleasant process.

Here’s what we mean: the New Mexico Secretary of State is responsible for compiling campaign finance data. Their system is designed both for the public and for those who have to file reports. That system is searchable, but often users are required to page through PDF-style reports to find data. It works for filing and compiling, but can be a bit clumsy otherwise. Clearly, the secretary of state has plenty to keep that office and the good people who work there very busy.

We took the data and built it into a map form. By clicking the link above, you’ll land on our election maps page. After a moment, a state map will load with a bunch of colors in the shape of the new (after redistricting) state senate districts. It’s a Google Maps interface, so you can zoom and drag – all that familiar stuff. Click on a district and you’ll see the names of candidates pop up. Click on the name you’re looking for and you’ll be taken to a page that has all the campaign finance data for this election cycle. You can pick your report by clicking the tabs near the top. The most recent report (2nd General Election) is on the right side.

We’ll have the state house of representatives up soon. Let us know what else you’d like to see and we’ll add it to the list. One note: you won’t find total amounts raised and spent yet. We’re still working on a system that totals up all our expenditures and contributions. Still, there’s great data available to you if you want to know who’s paying and getting paid in your state senate district campaigns. And, most important, it’s easy to use. Check it out!

Tags: Campaign Finance, Money, State Senate

This entry was posted on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 1:07 pm and is filed under 2012 Elections, New Mexico, nmif, roundhouse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.