Derek Willis is a news applications developer at ProPublica, focusing on politics and elections. He previously worked as a developer and reporter at The New York Times, a database editor at The Washington Post, and at the Center for Public Integrity and Congressional Quarterly. He began his journalism career at The Palm Beach Post. He is a co-founder of OpenElections, a project to collect and publish election results from all 50 states.
Articles
March 14, 8:05 p.m.
Today we’re announcing changes to our FEC Itemizer database that will help you stay informed about who is spending that money and where they are spending it.
Feb. 11, 12:21 p.m.
We're making our interactive database of campaign finance filings more stable and adding new features.
Feb. 9, 5:48 p.m.
Crossroads GPS gets declared a nonprofit five years after applying, meaning that its donor list can remain private.
Jan. 28, 11:30 a.m.
We’re launching an API that programmers can use to work with election fundraising and expenditure data.
Jan. 22, 6 a.m.
A ProPublica analysis of political fundraising shows conservative House Republicans have less and less in common with their party’s leaders, whose donors sometimes more closely resemble those of Democrats.
Dec. 1, 2015, 1:52 p.m.
Using ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer and a charity’s own documents, you can make a more informed giving decision.
Nov. 10, 2015, Noon
It’s customary for members of the House of Representatives to file an explanation when they miss a vote. These Personal Explanations are a glimpse into the pace and trade-offs inherent in modern government.
Nov. 10, 2015, Noon
Voting is one of the most important duties of a lawmaker, and they do it a thousand times a year or more. How does the House’s voting system work?
Nov. 10, 2015, 11:59 a.m.
When Members of Congress Miss Votes, and Why
Sep. 18, 2015, 8 a.m.
U.S. Senate campaign finance disclosures are still slow-walked on paper through a 40-year-old system. Is getting it fixed worth trading away another lid on political money?
Aug. 12, 2015, 6:02 p.m.
Today we’re launching a new interactive database that makes it easier to get detailed federal campaign finance data.
Aug. 12, 2015, 5:41 p.m.
Itemizer allows you to browse electronic campaign finance filings from the Federal Election Commission and to see individual contributions and expenditures reported by committees raising money for federal elections.
