{"action":"created","issue":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/1","repository_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid","labels_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/1/labels{/name}","comments_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/1/comments","events_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/1/events","html_url":"https://github.com/datamade/nmid/issues/1","id":163927560,"number":1,"title":"Data questions (and some answers)","user":{"login":"evz","id":551491,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/551491?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz","html_url":"https://github.com/evz","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/evz/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"labels":[],"state":"open","locked":false,"assignee":null,"assignees":[],"milestone":null,"comments":7,"created_at":"2016-07-05T19:31:19Z","updated_at":"2016-07-06T18:24:18Z","closed_at":null,"body":"* **Are there unique identifiers for candidates or committees?**\r\n\r\n* **Are there unique identifiers for transactions?**\r\n\r\n* **Is there candidate committee information?** (the contributions appear to be just made directly to candidates but if you look at the more detailed reports, it's clear that, at least sometimes, they are actually going through a committee) (Answer from @sandrafish: **i think there are committee names but they list the candidate stuff by candidates - some candidates also have PACs, which are listed under PAC filings**)\r\n\r\n* **What about inter-committee transfers?**\r\n\r\n* **If a candidate makes a mistake and files an amended report, how is that reflected in the data?** (Answer from @sandrafish: **we should double check with them, but my understanding is that the old data is replaced with the new - there is no indication on what they’re giving us**) Discovery from @evz It appears that corrected entries are just appended to the listing of transactions. This means that, if the update is made to a field that we are using to figure out if a record is unique, we'll end up with a duplicate entry. The way this was handled in Illinois is that the entire filing was repeated even if a single correction was made someplace. This added a lot of records that we basically duplicates but it made finding corrections a bit more straightforward. \r\n\r\n* **Is there a notion of \"filing period\" reflected in the data but no notion of a filing with things like beginning and ending balance, debts, investments, etc.** (Answer from @sandrafish We need to ask if they could include that in a separate download - it IS included on individual PDFs, but the cash on hand is only available there that i can tell - and the totals that are listed on pages like this one are often incorrect - they sometimes appear not to include in-kind, for example)\r\n\r\n* **What about committee officers and other information about committees** (address, supported candidate(s), etc)? (Answer from @sandrafish i believe they fill out paper forms to create the committee, tho they could be digital - they are not located only. the PDFs include info about committee treasurers)\r\n\r\n* **Is additional information about candidates downloadable?** (address, political party, office sought, election cycle, incumbent status, committees, etc) \r\n\r\n* **When an individual runs for more than on office in their lifetime, is there any way of telling if they are the same person from the data?**"},"comment":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/comments/230861007","html_url":"https://github.com/datamade/nmid/issues/1#issuecomment-230861007","issue_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/datamade/nmid/issues/1","id":230861007,"user":{"login":"sandrafish","id":3887552,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/3887552?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish","html_url":"https://github.com/sandrafish","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/sandrafish/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"created_at":"2016-07-06T18:24:18Z","updated_at":"2016-07-06T18:24:18Z","body":"So i'm took a quick look at these PACs in a couple of different ways.\r\n\r\nIf you go [here](https://www.cfis.state.nm.us/media/PAcMain.aspx) and download their results as a spreadsheet, i get this for top 20 PACS contributions:\r\n\r\n![image](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/3887552/16628882/cb110622-4370-11e6-9c5d-c2122c71da6f.png)\r\n\r\nAnd this for top 20 PACs spending: \r\n\r\n![image](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/3887552/16629761/564daf9e-4374-11e6-870c-9514ec29257c.png)\r\n\r\n\r\nWhen i download all the data for PACs from [here](https://www.cfis.state.nm.us/media/CFIS_Data_Download.aspx), i get vastly different results raised: \r\n\r\n![image](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/3887552/16628990/443ed0a6-4371-11e6-80bf-32313e36b53c.png)\r\n\r\nAnd spent: \r\n![image](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/3887552/16628996/4eb2f86e-4371-11e6-9bcc-d6f5ce507701.png)\r\n\r\nAnd i took a specific look at the [Republican Campaign Committee](https://www.cfis.state.nm.us/media/PACReport.aspx?se=0&p=198), coming up with 2,750,985.66 raised and 2,694,747.16 spent... \r\n\r\nso something is off for them and a couple of others there... but the full download was way off - and appears to include duplicates of some reports potentially.\r\n\r\nThen there's Act Blue, which i despise, because they are a conduit for individual donations and have the potential for tons of double-reporting.\r\n\r\nOne thing i'm wondering about is whether we could filter these lists by cycle? That would be super helpful - as would filtering individual candidates by cycles.\r\n\r\nOn your second list of things....\r\n\r\nYes, we should ask on our call tomorrow if they identify transfers, but i don't think that they do...\r\n\r\nWhen they file to create a committee it's a paper thing - i've got a few PDF examples... And yes, you're right that some of these PACs are created by lawmakers... but i fear this info is all on paper...\r\n\r\nYou are correct that the cash on hand is entered electronically - and hoping we can get them to include this somehow... \r\n\r\ni don't think they store info about committee offices - we should ask... but it also appears to me that they keep the same id for candidates when folks move on to run for higher office.\r\n\r\nLet me know what other questions you have."}}
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