Tutorial Video Aids Public To Track Campaign Finances

Keeping track of money in political campaigns helps make sure there is no undue influence on candidates.  

The last campaign finance deadline before the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 7. Funds raised, and spent, in the final month, won’t be available until January.  

The Campaign Finance Reporting System (CFRS) through the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office is available to the public online.  

The third-quarter campaign finance reporting deadline applies to all pre-candidates, candidates, and political committees. All open accounts, even those that have no activity to report, must file by the deadline to avoid statutory late fees. 

To help West Virginians make sense of what can be a confusing set of rules, Secretary of State Kris Warner released Tuesday an educational video demonstrating how to use the reporting system to make it easier to navigate.  

The approximately 10-minute video guides users through the online tool, showing how to search finance reports and track contributions and expenditures made to support or oppose political candidates and committees. 

“Campaign Finance reporting is essential to transparent elections,” Warner said. “I encourage voters, candidates, and committee members to explore this resource to better understand contributions and expenditures for campaigns across the state.” 

The video is divided into six sections:  

1. Find campaign finance reports; 

2. See who has donated to a candidate or committee; 

3. See which candidates and committees a person has donated to; 

4. Search for a candidate by office and district; 

5. Look up independent expenditures; and 

6. Look up late filers.