Across the political spectrum, Americans on the left and right agree that disclosure is critical to accountability and the health of our democracy. FollowTheMoney.org fills the information gaps at the local elections level, empowering citizens to track the flow of corporate, union, special interest, and individual donor donations into state and local campaigns.

As a voter in Oregon, a state which regularly features a half dozen or more ballot measures during election cycles, I use FollowTheMoney.org to see who has given to specific ballot measures. The data on judicial elections is also helpful — especially for voters who want to know where the surge of outside spending is coming from. When a special interest intervenes in a low profile race, most voters don’t know who is behind the ads; the NIMSP combs through publicly available data to bring needed transparency to the electoral process.