Following the money: How to research local campaign finances

When election season arrives, voters face important decisions about who will represent them on the school board, assembly, council, and other local offices. While candidates share their views at forums and in advertisements, you can sometimes glean their bias or leanings by looking at their campaign money.

Candidates running for local office in Alaska report how much money they raise and spend during their campaign unless they sign a waiver that they will spend under $5,000 total. This information tells a story about who supports a candidate and what their priorities might be.

A misunderstanding people often have is that those records are not kept by Division of Elections. Instead, the Alaska Public Offices Commission, also known as APOC, is the state agency that collects and stores all campaign finance reports. Think of APOC as the keeper of records for political money in Alaska. Candidate file reports showing who gave them money, how much they received, and what they spent it on. At the end of the year, those numbers must balance out to ensure nobody pockets leftovers. These reports are public records.

To find this information, start by visiting the APOC website at alaska.gov/apoc. Once there, look for the section called "Campaign Disclosure" or "Public Records." The website has a search tool that lets you look up specific candidates by name. You can also search by election year or office type if you want to compare multiple candidates.

When you search for a candidate, you'll find several types of reports. The most important ones show contributions, which is money people and organizations gave to the campaign, and expenditures, which is how the candidate spent that money. Some reports cover specific time periods, while others show the entire campaign from start to finish.

Looking at contributions can reveal interesting patterns. You might see donations from local business owners, unions, political groups, or individual citizens. Large donations often come from people or organizations that have strong opinions about local issues. Small donations usually come from regular citizens who support the candidate. Pay attention to where most of the money comes from and whether donors live in your community or somewhere else.

The expenditure reports show how candidates spend their campaign money. Common expenses include signs, advertisements, printing costs, and event expenses. Some candidates spend heavily on professional consultants or expensive advertising, while others run simpler, less costly campaigns. These spending patterns can give you clues about a candidate's approach to managing resources.

If you find the APOC website difficult to use, don't give up. The Mat-Su Borough Clerk's office can also help you access campaign finance information for local races. You can call them or visit their office in Palmer. Local newspapers like the Frontiersman sometimes publish stories about campaign finances during election season, especially if there are unusual or noteworthy patterns in the reports.

Understanding campaign finance reports takes some practice, but the basic information is straightforward. Look for the total amount raised and spent, the biggest donors, and any patterns that seem important. Remember that having more money doesn't make a candidate better or worse, but it does show you something about their support network and campaign style.

Some candidates might receive most of their money from a few large donors, while others might raise smaller amounts from many different people. Neither approach is right or wrong, but each tells you something different about how the candidate builds support in the community.

This information, combined with candidates' positions on issues and their experience, gives you a fuller picture of who you're choosing to represent you. In local elections, being an informed voter makes a real difference in your community's future.

Christian M. Hartley is a 40-year Alaskan resident with over 25 years of public safety experience and public service. He runs a freelance business, Big Lake Writer, from home in Big Lake that he shares with his wife of 19 years and their three teenage sons.