Political Backgrounding
- Elizabeth Clemons
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Tip Sheet
Research Foundations
Some tips for building transparency into your daily coverage
Financial Disclosures
Federal financial disclosures & ethics disclosures:
OpenSecrets Personal Finances Breakdown
Digging into Financial Disclosures: Property Records
County tax assessors & recorders of deeds
Recorder of deeds
Google Earth Pro (desktop app is better than web access) and Google Maps Street View
Real estate websites: Realtyhop, Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, etc.
Digging into Financial Disclosures: Assets
Personal property and tangible assets
State DMVs
Aircraft photo websites
Aircraft tracking websites
Vessel tracking websites: MarineTraffic
Business and financial assets
Google Patents Search worldwide
Trademark Search USPTO
UCC Filings
Business personal property records
Search for “business personal property” to identify the declared value of property within company offices. Gives you ideas about the value of assets that a company has.
BBB property record search: Find property records in the state where the company operates.
Digging into Financial Disclosures: Business Records
General
OpenCorporates: search for businesses both in the U.S. and internationally. Can search by either company name or officer name.
Links to all Secretary of State business searches: Always search in the state where the individual does business and lives, and in the following:
SEC EDGAR
How-to: Search the SEC EDGAR for nonprofits, private companies and individuals.
How-to: Where to start? SEC Filings
Check out this demo to learn the six SEC forms to start with.
Look at the company’s website and previous versions of its website, using resources such as Wayback Machine.
Gov.UK: Check for US companies in the UK
This can show you information on connected people and companies and finances.
Database for UCC Filings
Federal Audit Clearinghouse (government contractor audits)
Crunchbase (investors are often listed under the “Financials” tab of a company’s profile)
BlackBookOnline: links to Secretary of State offices for each state to find incorporation filings, and…
Business & Government Search Tool IntelTechniques
Documents Search Tool from IntelTechniques
ProPublica: Tracking PPP
Online Databases of Contracts with US State Governments Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics
BrokerCheck by FINRA: Search for brokerage firms
Investment Adviser Public Disclosure: Search for investment advisor firms
Nonprofit
990s
Local charity oversight per state
For example, in California, it’s the Attorney General’s Office
Misconduct
OSHA: State agency investigations, search the state and then the agency, ie: California OSHA
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints: Search this to find see complaints of workplace discrimination.
Regulations.gov: Search for criminal actions, petitions written to federal agencies, federal-related claims, rulings, etc.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): Search this database to find complaints by private sector employees of violations of employee rights.
Legislative Digging
Mapping their Career
Sunlight Research Center's Timeline & Source List
Legislative Action
Federal
Legislator Misconduct Database
Sign up to receive email updates on a legislator in the House or Senate.
Use OpenSecrets to look for an official’s interactions with lobbyists, donors, industries, and more.
Can monitor federal legislation, track voting records, see committee assignments for each member, and follow activities of US Congress.
Sign up for alerts to receive updates on certain lawmakers to stay informed on legislative performance and priorities.
Has a record of all congressional activities, including bills, resolutions, committee reports, and voting records.
Has tools to track legislative activities.
Provides access to official federal government publications and documents, including bills, resolutions, committee reports, and Congressional records.
Use this source to find information on elected officials, including their backgrounds, committee assignments, key votes, and election results.
Plural Policy's Open Data & Democracy Tools
Free with premium options
Can track legislation at the state and federal levels
State
NCSL Bill Tracking and Subscription Services on Legislative Websites (for tracking bills at the state level)
2025 State Legislative Session Calendar (interactive map to see which legislative sessions have started and when they will start)
Free with premium options
Can track legislative activities across all 50 states and Congress
Questions or comments about Sunlight's workshops and resources? Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@sunlightresearch.net.