GA FastMoney is a project dedicated to making Georgia's campaign finance data more accessible, understandable, and insightful for journalists, activists, and the general public. My goal is to shine a light on how money flows through Georgia politics, who the key players are, and what patterns emerge from the data. The site was designed, architected, and developed by me, Aaron Baker.

Where Does the Data Come From?

All of the data presented on this site is sourced directly from the Georgia State Ethics Commission. I regularly pull the latest campaign contribution reports to ensure the information is as up-to-date as possible.

Currently, the site only has data from 2023-2025.

The data covers contributions made to candidates and committees related to the Georgia state legislature. Sadly, the site does not currently have municipal data.

How Does It Work?

I process hundreds of thousands of individual contribution records. Here's a simplified overview of my process:

1. Data Collection: I download the raw data files from the state's official source.
2. Cleaning and Standardization: I clean up inconsistencies in names, addresses, and employer information to group contributions more accurately. For example, "1-800 Contacts" and "1 800 Contacts, Inc." are treated as the same entity. There are still some bugs in the standardization and sometimes you can find mulitple entries for the same organization. The source data is full of errors.
3. Categorization: I categorize contributors into industries (e.g., Healthcare, Real Estate, Legal) and types (e.g., Individual, PAC, Lobbyist). This helps to identify which sectors are most active in political giving.
4. AI-Powered Analysis: On individual recipient pages, I use a Large Language Model (LLM) to provide an automated analysis of a candidate's funding profile. This AI assistant looks for interesting patterns, significant contributors, and potential stories within the data. Please note: This analysis is automated and can make mistakes. It's intended as a starting point for your own research, not a definitive conclusion.
5. Visualization: I create the charts, tables, and narrative stories you see on the site to make the complex data easier to digest.

Why Is This Important?

Understanding campaign finance is crucial for a healthy democracy. By following the money, you can better understand:

• Which industries hold the most influence over politicians.
• The different fundraising strategies of political parties.
• The balance between grassroots support (small, individual donations) and institutional funding (large corporate or PAC donations).
• Potential conflicts of interest when legislation is being debated.

I hope this tool empowers you to ask better questions and hold elected officials accountable.