Campaign finance

Reporters are not geniuses. Editorial writers aren’t either. Some may be, but most are not.

You have likely read how reporters track campaign finances in races and report about where a candidate’s money comes from. Well, you can easily do that yourself. Here is our brief primer for state races. Candidates for federal office use a different system.

For the state candidates, go to this website: tinyurl.com/ORLookitup.Click on “search by name.”

Type in the candidate’s name. Make sure you type it in the right box. It is not the “filer” box. Tick the box next to it that says candidate and voila. You are in.

You can see what individuals and groups are contributing money to a candidate. And you can also see where the candidate is making payments, including for advertising.

We looked up the three candidates that are still effectively in the race for the current Deschutes County Commission spot, Phil Chang, Rob Imhoff and Judy Trego.

They have each raised thousands of dollars from a broad range of contributors.

And now you have the tools to check that out or to check it out for other state candidates.