Sources & method

Where the numbers come from

The figures come from reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). After Citizens United collects those filings, checks them and publishes them with a link to each source record.

This site embeds After Citizens United’s evidence cards rather than copying the numbers, so each card shows the current publication.

Outside spending. A group can report spending money on communications (ads, mail, digital messages) that support or oppose a federal candidate, without coordinating with the campaign. These independent expenditures are reported to the FEC. The candidate does not receive this money.

Three dates

What “supports” and “opposes” mean

Each independent expenditure report says whether the communication supported or opposed the named candidate. “Supports” and “Opposes” repeat what the filer reported; they are not this site’s judgement.

This bulletin marks them as ▶ For (supports) and ◁ Against (opposes): a word, an arrow and a solid or hatched fill, so the label never depends on colour alone. Party is shown as plain text.

Spending is not receiving

Three different things:

The roles stay separate:

• SpenderThe group that paid and reported.
• CandidateThe subject of the communication.
• VendorThe payee that made or placed it.
• RecipientFor contributions: the committee that received the money.

No record is not zero

No record found within current coverage means no filing was found in the period After Citizens United has collected. It is not the same as $0.

Filings submitted after the collection date, or not yet processed, will not appear.

What this guide leaves out

• Communications that do not have to be reported to the FEC (such as many issue ads).
• State and local races.
• Lobbying.
• Spending reported after the collection date.

Individual donors are not profiled.

Glossary

Contribution

Money given to a candidate’s campaign committee. A contribution to a committee is not necessarily a payment to the person.

Independent expenditure (outside spending)

Money a group reports spending on communications (ads, mail, digital messages) that support or oppose a federal candidate, without coordinating with the campaign. It is reported to the FEC. The candidate does not receive this money.

Supports / Opposes

Whether the filer reported that a communication supported or opposed the named candidate (shown here as For / Against). The labels repeat the filer’s report; they are not this site’s judgement.

Spender

The group that paid for an independent expenditure and reported it.

Vendor (payee)

The media buyer, printer or consultant a spender paid to make or place a communication. The vendor is the payee, not the subject of the ad.

Recipient

For contributions, the campaign committee that received the money.

Coverage

The period of filings After Citizens United has collected. “No record found within current coverage” means no filing was found in that period; it is not the same as $0.

Reporting period

The dates a filer’s report covers.

Publication

The dataset After Citizens United published, and the date it published it. Evidence cards on this site show the current publication.

Candidate (subject)

The candidate a communication is about. Being the subject of an ad does not mean receiving money.

About this guide

Ohio Money Trail is a bulletin from After Citizens United. An independent public-interest guide. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or funded by the State of Ohio or any government agency.

This guide connects readers to reported federal campaign-finance evidence from After Citizens United. Coverage is partial and changes with the publication.