Maplight uses Tableau Public to illuminate campaign contributions

Knowing the people and organizations that carry your politicians in their pocket can be the first step in making an informed voting decision. The tireless citizens at Maplight.org are using the visualization below to help Californians see more clearly into their politicians IOU's. Click on a category you find interesting (like Democrats/Labor Unions) to compare individuals.

It is readily apparent that businesses make up the largest portion of campaign finance in California. However, if you click on businesses (to filter the detailed list), you will see that the distribution is very wide. There are plenty of candidates who receive almost nothing from businesses and (conversely) plenty that receive almost all of their contributions from businesses. Sam Aanestad seems to be leading that charge, with a whopping 87% of his contributions sourced from businesses.

Guided analytics: As you view the visualization from top to bottom, the detail becomes finer. To facilitate analysis, the top views filter the bottom view and guide the user to a meaningful conclusion.