FEC bulk downloader

All of this data is available, in some form, on the FEC's website through the old, clunky fec.gov or the slick new beta.fec.gov. However, the online interface frequently limits searches to a single campaign cycle so searching for (and, by extension, exporting CSVs for) a single contributor across multiple decades is time-consuming.

This downloader CLI aims to solve that for bulk queries that are commonly-requested by reporters using the excellent FEC API.

Requirements

• Python 3

From Github

1. Install directly from Github using pipenv or pip:

   $ pipenv install -e "git+git@github.com/DallasMorningNews/fec-downloader.git#egg=fecdownloader"

Locally (more advanced)

Using this option you'll have the fec command line tool and you'll be able to alter the tool's code.

1. Clone the repository to your machine and step into the directory.

2. Install (preferably in a virtual environment) using the included setup.py:

   $ pipenv install -e .

   Or using pip:

   $ pip install .

Usage

You'll need to get an API key at https://api.data.gov/signup/ to do much of the below.

The --help command provides a list of available commands and all query parameters for individual commands are documented at the command line (fec sub-command --help). In general, though, there are a few common behaviors across all of the below:

• all commands write to STDOUT, but can just as easily write to a file with the -o flag
• both CSV and JSON are available with the -f flag
• API responses are nested, so CSV outputs are flattened to fit in a tabular format; __ indicate nested JSON fields that have been flattened into a single row in the CSV

See below for detailed instructions on individual commands.

Schedule A - individual contributions

• API documentation for /schedules/schedule_a/
• Data dictionary for source file

Usage

$ fec contribs --help

Download itemized individual contributions.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --debug               toggle debug output
  --quiet               suppress all output
  -n CONTRIB_NAME, --name CONTRIB_NAME
                        Contributor name to seach for. Ex: "Tillerson"
  -s CONTRIB_STATE, --state CONTRIB_STATE
                        Limit search to contributors in a specific state.
                        Separate multiple states with a comma. Ex: "TX"
  -e CONTRIB_EMPLOYER, --employer CONTRIB_EMPLOYER
                        Search by the contributor's employer. Ex: "Exxon"
  -t TO_COMMITTEE, --to-committee TO_COMMITTEE
                        The destination(s) for the contribution by committee
                        ID. Ex: "C00573634"
  -f FMT, --format FMT  Format to export. Either "json" or "csv". Defaults to
                        "csv".
  -o OUT_FILE, --out-file OUT_FILE
                        Path to an output file. Writes to STDOUT by default.
                        Ex: "contribs.csv"

Examples

Get all contributions from Xerox employees:

$ fec contribs -e xerox

Get all contributions (in JSON this time) from anyone with the last name "Decherd" in Texas:

$ fec contribs -n decherd

Get all contributions to any of Rick Perry's presidential committees:

$ fec contribs --to-committee C00500587,C00573634,C00580092,C00580969

Schedule B - disbursements

• API documentation for /schedules/schedule_b/
• Data dictionary for source file

Usage

$ fec committee-disbursements --help

Download all disbursements for a committee.

positional arguments:
  COMMITTEE_ID          Committee ID(s) to search for. Ex: "C00121368"

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --debug               toggle debug output
  --quiet               suppress all output
  -p PURPOSE, --purpose PURPOSE
                        The purpose(s) of disbursement to downloads. Ex:
                        "contribution"
  -m, --include-memos   Include memo-ed transactions (unsuitable for
                        calculating subtotals).
  -f FMT, --format FMT  Format to export. Either "json" or "csv". Defaults to
                        "csv".
  -o OUT_FILE, --out-file OUT_FILE
                        Path to an output file. Writes to STDOUT by default.
                        Ex: "contribs.csv"

Examples

Get all disbursements from Exxon-Mobil's two PACs:

$ fec committee-disbursements C00095406,C00121368 --purpose=contributions