Quick and dirty python command line tool to get FEC records from the FEC's API for analyzing Federal campaign finances.
- Clone repo and
cdinto it - Start virtual environment
- Install dependencies with
pip install -r requirements.txtorpipenv install
First, you'll need an API key from the FEC and stored as an environment variable as FEC_API_KEY.
Then, run
python parseFEC.py <COMMITTEE_ID> <FILING_TYPE>
The script will create a folder in 'data/' named after the committee's ID.
Filing types
| Type | Description | Use option |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule A filings | Itemized recipts given to a committee. Use this to find individual contributors. This does not include contributions less than $200, so use the 'Summary reports' option to get the total for unitemized contributions. | receipts |
| Schedule B filings | Itemized disbursements, or how the committees are spending their money. | disbursements |
| Independant Expenditures (Schedule E filings) | An expenditure for a communication “expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate that is not made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate’s authorized committee, or their agents, or a political party or its agents.” | ie |
| Summary reports | Summarized information about a committees finances, included total money raised and spent per filing period. | reports |
| Filings list | A list of reports filed by the committee to the FEC. | filings |
Committee IDs
Get this from the FEC. IDs typically start with a "C" and some zeros.
Example committee IDs
- NRA Political Victory PAC - C00053553
- Giffords PAC - C000540443
- RICK SCOTT FOR FLORIDA - C00676965
- RICK SCOTT VICTORY FUND - C00676957
- EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY ACTION FUND - C90015025
More info on the FEC's API can be found here: https://api.open.fec.gov/developers/