{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
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    "title" : "Introducing the Federal Election Commission’s First API |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Introducing the Federal Election Commission’s First API",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/09/introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Introducing the Federal Election Commission’s First API","summary" : "The Federal Election Commission (FEC) empowers citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their democracy. Since opening its doors in the ‘70s, the FEC has evolved to better serve the public with that information. As the","date" : "2015-07-09T10:59:02-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"lindsay-young" : "Lindsay Young"},"topics" : {
        
            "application-programming-interface" : "Application programming interface"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-07-09-introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/07/2015-07-09-introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/07/2015-07-09-introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/07/2015-07-09-introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api.md","slug" : "introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/09/introducing-the-federal-election-commissions-first-api/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/07/600-x-250-openfec-banner.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Federal Election Commission (FEC) OpenFEC banner for exploring campaign finance data\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Election Commission (FEC) empowers citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their democracy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince opening its doors in the ‘70s, the FEC has evolved to better serve the public with that information. As the years progressed, records have gone from paper to microfilm and eventually to the web. Today marks the launch of the \u003ca href=\"https://api.open.fec.gov/developers\"\u003eFEC’s first API\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith that API, searching for candidates and committees will be easier and more interactive. Information is organized around concepts like candidates, which are more welcoming than navigating buckets of information based on forms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFEC staff scanning compliance forms, 1982 FEC staff scanning compliance forms, 1982. Image from the FEC.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/07/250-x-225-FEC-staff-scanning-compliance-forms-1982-IT004.jpg\"\n    alt=\"FEC staff scanning compliance forms, 1982\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\nAll of these features are supported by our \u003ca href=\"http://api.open.fec.gov/developers\"\u003epublic API\u003c/a\u003e so those outside of government can directly benefit from this technology, by making or using their own apps. For example, we created an endpoint that accepts partial names in queries, so you can make your own type-ahead search.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe API is the backbone of \u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/dashboard/project/openfec/\"\u003eOpenFEC\u003c/a\u003e—the FEC’s next digital evolution. It’s also the first public release from our partnership. Be on the lookout for a new app and an eventual site redesign. As with all our projects, looking modern isn’t just an aesthetic choice, it comes from smart design and asking actual website users what they want. Take a look at our \u003ca href=\"https://api.open.fec.gov/developers\"\u003einteractive API documentation\u003c/a\u003e. It not only has a fresh look, but it’s driven by modern technology underneath the hood.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReleasing the API before it’s complete allows 18F and FEC to get public feedback and ensure the project will continue to grow and adjust to better serve the people.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis first round of data focuses on essential information about candidates and the committees that spend money in elections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"api-endpoints\"\u003eAPI endpoints\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"candidates\"\u003eCandidates\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSee important details about candidates\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eView candidate history over time\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFind the committees that fundraise for a candidate\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"committees\"\u003eCommittees\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSee important information about groups that raise and spend money in elections\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLook up how those groups change over time\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"financial\"\u003eFinancial\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLook up total spending and fundraising\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSee major filing reports\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"search\"\u003eSearch\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eData is organized by ID, so search endpoints can help you find the data you want about the candidate or committee you are looking for.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"api-improvements-in-the-works\"\u003eAPI improvements in the works\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"filings\"\u003eFilings\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrowse reports and other document data\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"schedules\"\u003eSchedules\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndividual donations (Schedule A)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGranular spending data (Schedule B)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubtotals for Schedule A by state and zip code\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"and-more\"\u003eAnd more!\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpenFEC is the most recent step toward a new website and the latest tool helping the FEC make campaign finance more accessible for journalists, academics, developers, and other transparency-seekers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut don’t just read about the API, \u003ca href=\"https://api.data.gov/signup/\"\u003esign up for an API key\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http://api.open.fec.gov/developers\"\u003etry it out yourself\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis post was originally published on the \u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/blog/\"\u003e18F blog\u003c/a\u003e by Lindsay Young, an 18F team member.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}