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About MAPLight.org

MAPLight.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, provides citizens and journalists the transparency tools to shine a light on the influence of money on politics.

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. MAPLight.org is nonprofit and nonpartisan.

We currently track money and influence in the U.S. Congress and the California legislature, with more states to come.

The Database

MAPLight.org combines three data sets:

  • Legislators' voting records on bills
  • 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 reveals connections between money and influence that could never before be easily seen. This video shows how it works.

 Awards