Derek Willis

News Applications Developer

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Derek Willis was a news applications developer at ProPublica, focusing on politics and elections. He previously worked as a developer and reporter at The New York Times, a database editor at The Washington Post, and at the Center for Public Integrity and Congressional Quarterly. He began his journalism career at The Palm Beach Post. He is a co-founder of OpenElections, a project to collect and publish election results from all 50 states.

Record Registration

Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines

Voting Has Started, and Electionland Is on the Case

Much of the country will vote before Election Day. Starting this week, our Electionland project has begun looking for problems that prevent people from voting.

Election DataBot

This new tool, updated every 15 minutes, collects huge amounts of election data and reports the most interesting details, in real time, about campaign finance filings, congressional votes, polls, forecasts, Google search trends, and more.

Seeing the Real Campaign With ProPublica’s Election DataBot

There are a thousand stories in every political campaign. Here’s how to find the ones you’re missing.

Update: FEC Looking at Super PAC That Hyped Penny Stock

Officers of ‘Voters for Hillary,’ which raised money but reported no political expenditures, had close ties to a Las Vegas firm that the PAC purportedly hired to run a call center.

‘On Like Donkey Kong’: How a Dubious Super PAC Boosted a Questionable Penny Stock

The U.S. government’s loose supervision has spawned many problems with super PACs, but helping to tout shares worth a fraction of a cent would be a new one.

Represent: Browse Lawmakers, Votes and Bills

You can browse the latest votes and bills, see how often lawmakers vote against their parties and compare voting records.

A New Way to Keep an Eye on Who Represents You in Congress

We’re launching a new interactive database that you can use to track congressional votes, bills and members.

Following the Money is Now Easier with FEC Itemizer

Today we’re announcing changes to our FEC Itemizer database that will help you stay informed about who is spending that money and where they are spending it.

Upgrading FEC Itemizer for the 2016 Campaign

We're making our interactive database of campaign finance filings more stable and adding new features.

IRS Grants Nonprofit Status to ‘Dark Money’ Group Founded by Karl Rove

Crossroads GPS gets declared a nonprofit five years after applying, meaning that its donor list can remain private.

Meet the New ProPublica Campaign Finance API, Same as the Old API

We’re launching an API that programmers can use to work with election fundraising and expenditure data.

Campaign Donations Reflect the Sharp Split in Congress Among Republicans

A ProPublica analysis of political fundraising shows conservative House Republicans have less and less in common with their party’s leaders, whose donors sometimes more closely resemble those of Democrats.

How to Vet Nonprofits Before You Give

Using ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer and a charity’s own documents, you can make a more informed giving decision.

The Dog Ate My Vote: How Congress Explains Its Absences

It’s customary for members of the House of Representatives to file an explanation when they miss a vote. These Personal Explanations are a glimpse into the pace and trade-offs inherent in modern government.

Personal Explanations

When Members of Congress Miss Votes, and Why

How Senate Hopefuls Keep Donors Secret From Voters Until It's Too Late

U.S. Senate campaign finance disclosures are still slow-walked on paper through a 40-year-old system. Is getting it fixed worth trading away another lid on political money?

FEC Itemizer: Browse Federal Campaign Finance Filings

Itemizer allows you to browse electronic campaign finance filings from the Federal Election Commission and to see individual contributions and expenditures reported by committees raising money for federal elections.

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