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Office of Public Records
Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20463
202-694-1120/ 800-424-9530 I FAX 202-501 -0693
Faxline 202-501-3413
http://www.fec.gov
pubrec@fec.gov

Hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday
Extended hours during reporting periods.

FEC Public Records Available to You on:

The Commission compiles nationwide statistics on federal campaigns to help researchers understand how particular candidates compare with national/state trends and rankings. For further research, indexes and computerized search systems are available.

Indexes Available To Research Candidates:

• Listing of names and addresses of Presidential, Senate and House candidates.
• Listing of names and address of candidates and their authorized committees.
• Listing of names and addresses of candidates running in the current election cycle.
• Listing of candidates with figures of their receipts, disbursements and cash on hand for the current election cycle.
• Listing of recent registrations of candidate committees.

Checklist To Research A Specific Candidate:

The Commission prepares summary financial figures on PACs, party committees and others, to provide a perspective on various groupings and rankings of the committees. Staff is also available to explain and assist in further researching a specific committee.

Indexes Available to Research Committees:

• Listing of all PACs and party committees, with addresses, treasurer names and ID numbers, arranged alphabetically or by state.
• Listing of PACs arranged alphabetically by sponsoring organization.
• Listing of PACRONYMS-the acronyms, abbreviations, initials and common names of PACs.
• Listing of PACs with figures of their receipts, disbursements and cash on hand for the current election cycle.
• Listing of PACs ranked by receipts.
• Listing of newly registered committees in the current election cycle.
• Listing of multicandidate committees with their date of qualification.
• Computer search capability for PAC names when only a key word in the title or treasurer's name is known.

Checklist To Research A Specific Committee:

• Listing of all documents filed by the committee.
• Summary financial figures on total receipts, disbursements, contributions to federal committees, cash on hand and debts and obligations owed to and by the committee.
• Itemized list of individual contributions to the committee.
• Listing of contributions made to candidates by the committee, including independent expenditures for or against candidates.
• FEC compliance actions/litigation relating to the committee.
• FEC audits of the committee.
• FEC advisory opinions issued to the committee.
• Campaign finance reports from 1972 to the present filed by the committee, itemizing receipts and disbursements.
• Listing and computer search system of persons, corporations, labor organizations and others contributing to non-federal accounts of the political committees.

The Commission maintains a data base of individuals who have made contributions to political committees. For 1977 to 1988, contributions of $500 or more were entered. For 1989 to the present, contributions of $200 or more are being entered.

Individual Contributor Search Capability:
Data on individual contributors includes the following:

- Name
- Occupation or principal place of business
- City
- State
- Zip code
- Date of transaction
- Amount of contribution
- Name of committee disclosing the contribution

The following are examples of the various types of contributor searches that may be conducted:

• Search an individual contributor by their last and/or first name.
• Search an individual contributor by their principal place of business or occupation.
• Search an individual contributor by their city, and/or state and/or zip code.
• Searches may be performed by the date of the contribution or by the amount of the contribution.
• Search for a contribution by the committee receiving the contribution.
• Individual contributor searches may be performed one at a time or in multiple combinations to narrow the actual search. Example: All contributions to a particular committee on a specific date or all contributions to a candidate from contributors who list the same principal place of business.

Restrictions on the Use of FEC Disclosure Documents Any information copied from such reports or statements may not be sold or used by any person for the purpose of soliciting contributions or for commercial purposes, other than using the name and address of any political committee to solicit contributions from such committee. 2 U.S.C. 438(a)(4).

A wide range of Commission documents can be readily reviewed or copied. These include the following:

• Sunshine notices, agendas, and agenda documents prior to the next meeting.
• Minutes, audio tapes, agendas, and agenda documents for past meetings.
• Federal Register notices, public comments on proposed rule making, public hearing documents and Explanation and Justification of Regulations.
• Advisory Opinion requests, public comments, and opinions issued.
• Files of completed compliance cases, litigation, and audit reports.
• Commission Memorandums, Bulletins, and Directives.
• FEC Record Newsletters and Annual Reports.
• FEC Press Releases

Checklist To Research Commission Actions:

• Computerized index of Completed Compliance Cases.
• Chronological listing of Completed Compliance Cases.
• Computerized index of Advisory Opinions.
• Computerized index of Open Meeting Agenda Documents.
• Year End Supplement to the FEC Record, an index of the year's articles appearing in the monthly newsletter.
• Litigation Status Report indicating recent court activity.
• Selected Court Case Abstracts, a publication summarizing the important points of court cases involving the Commission.
• Annual Report, a publication containing summaries of Commission actions, chronology of events, listing of Federal Register notices, outline of new or revised regulations, legislative recommendations, and statistics on Commission operations.
• Chronological file of selected news clips on the FEC and campaign finance. Other non-governmental reference works and studies on federal campaign financing are also available.
• Additional references and resources are available in the FEC Law Library, a federal depository library with an extensive collection of campaign finance related information.
  

How to Obtain Information
All documents in the Public Records office are open for public inspection and copying. Documents may be viewed and copied from microfilm or optical image machines. Certain documents filed in the current election cycle are also available in paper copy. Computer indexes are used to locate the reports and cross reference information. Visitors to the office are not asked to sign in or otherwise identify themselves. The office is fully accessible to all.

Cost
The fee is $.05 per page for paper copies and $.15 per page for microfilm/optical disk copies. A listing of all fees is available. Payment may be made by cash, check, money order, and Visa or Mastercard. Payment is made after all copies are made which eliminates the need for rolls of nickels or dimes. Prepayment is required when ordering documents by mail. (Mail requests are sent by first class U.S. mail. Requesters who arrange for shipment by a private delivery service will have their package placed in the office's pick-up bin.)

Researchers may also deposit $25 or more into an account with the office to draw against for future copies of documents/indexes. Please contact the office for information on establishing an account.

State Offices
Researchers may also obtain campaign finance reports from the states' records offices. Many of these offices also participate in the State Access Program which provides a computer hook-up to the Commission's data base via a terminal located in the records office. Contact the office for an address listing with phone numbers of the states' records offices.

Personal Computer
The Commission's Press Office and Data Division offer the Direct Access Program to researchers for on-line computer information. The program provides campaign finance information in formatted computer indexes and in raw data. The data is available for the current election cycle and the two previous election cycles. Contact the Press Office for more information.

The FEC website has available digital images of campaign finance reports of PACs, political parties, Presidential and House campaigns. To view the reports, go to the FEC website at http://www.fec.gov and click on "View Financial Reports Filed by Presidential and House Campaigns, Parties and PACs." Also available on the website are financial data and downloadable databases.

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