Ash Fellow Launches New Campaign Finance Data Tool

May 23, 2016
Solomon Kahn

Cambridge MA -- Solomon Kahn, a Technology and Democracy Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School today launched Explore Campaign Finance, a new free and publicly accessible web platform housing decades worth of campaign finance data.

Explore Campaign Finance is an open source tool, which compiles the last 25 years of campaign finance data and puts it online in a new user friendly format. Kahn’s tool, developed in part during his Ash fellowship, allows the public to better understand where contributions to federal office holders come from with more context than ever before. By aggregating campaign finance data from a variety of sources including the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org, Kahn is able to provide a uniquely detailed perspective of individual politician’s campaign donations.  

Kahn worked to give users a highly sophisticated visualization of campaign finance data.  Specifically, Explore Campaign Finance allows the public a greater ability to slice through reams of data on campaign contributions and view contributions by individuals, political action committees, and corporations as well as by election cycle.

"I think Explore Campaign Finance could have a big impact on people's understanding of money in politics,” said Kahn. “It was amazing to work on this project as a fellow at the Ash Center, an organization at the forefront of how technology can help us create a better democracy and better society."

About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence and innovation in governance and public policy through research, education, and public discussion. Three major programs support our mission: the Program on Democratic Governance, the Innovations in Government Program, and the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia. For more information, visit ash.harvard.edu

Contact Information:
Daniel Harsha
Associate Director for Communications
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Harvard Kennedy School
Daniel_Harsha@hks.harvard.edu
617-495-4347