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The content management system (CMS) for the new Federal Election Commission website.
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Draft updated methodology for snapshot #4748

Open JonellaCulmer opened 3 years ago

JonellaCulmer commented 3 years ago

What we're after: Based on usability testing, we need to make adjustments to the methodology to make it more clear to end users.

Draft/current methodology: https://github.com/fecgov/fec-cms/issues/4670#issuecomment-865125232

Testing takeaways:

Completion criteria:

Future work https://github.com/fecgov/fec-cms/issues/4819

JonellaCulmer commented 3 years ago

@bmathesonFEC @PaulClark2

Items 1 and 3: What's the LOE on adding a specific committees line numbers/data to the methodology? If it's a couple hours work it seems like a valuable addition to the MVP.

Item 2: Draft: Depending on the committee type and their activity, the following transactions may be included in this percentage. The snapshot displays which activity they had.

bmathesonFEC commented 3 years ago

@JonellaCulmer , @PaulClark2 This draft reorganizes the methodology to add clarifying language about the dynamic labeling depending on the committee type/activity and it also adds a bullet to each section where the committee's data will be inserted to show the calculation. An example of the filled in totals is at the bottom of this comment.

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Receipts

Percentage raised in individual contributions:

Percentage contributions from party committees, PACs, and other political committees:

Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committee, IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included

Individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

I'm meeting Thursday, 8/5, afternoon with stakeholders. I will update this ticket after that meeting, moving to 15.5.

RyanLanz commented 3 years ago

The new draft methodology for disbursements needs to be revised slightly since it doesn't account for the fact that Line 23 is not strictly contributions to candidates, but other political committees as well. We may even want to spell out that other political committees can include PACs and party committees. It should read:

Percentage candidate and other political committee contributions, IEs, & party coordinated expenditures:

bmathesonFEC commented 3 years ago

Good point, @RyanLanz. I updated the language in my comment draft above to reflect the missing information (draft).

I think that looks good, but we could go with one of these version too:

  1. short: Percentage contributions to federal political committee, IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:
  2. long: Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committee (including PACs and parties), IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:
RyanLanz commented 3 years ago

@bmathesonFEC I like option #2, and I would assume Debbie would too. I think we want to ensure candidates is mentioned since this represents direct candidate/committee support. Also, I think adding federal is a good idea since Debbie has stated in the past that we should let folks know it doesn't include non-federal contributions.

RyanLanz commented 3 years ago

@PaulClark2 @bmathesonFEC Per Debbie: "Thank you both! I like option #2 as well. The only changes I would propose is to change “party coordinated expenditures” to “coordinated party expenditures” since that’s how the regulations reference this activity, and to also spell out independent expenditures. Thanks!"

So Option 2 should read: "Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committees (including PACs and parties), independent expenditures, and coordinated party expenditures divided by total disbursements."

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

So the revised version looks like this:

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Receipts

Percentage raised in individual contributions:

Percentage contributions from party committees, PACs, and other political committees:

Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committees (including PACs and parties), independent expenditures, and coordinated party expenditures divided by total disbursements:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included

Individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

RyanLanz commented 3 years ago

@PaulClark2 @bmathesonFEC Sorry, one last revision for the first bullet point under the disbursements methodology.

Should read: "Total contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committees plus independent expenditures plus coordinated party expenditures divided by total disbursements"

JonellaCulmer commented 3 years ago

@PaulClark2 @bmathesonFEC Instead of saying Receipts and disbursements for the section headers, can we say "Money raised" and "Money spent" or "Money raised or Receipts" and "Money spent or Disbursements"

I'd like to better tie those sections to what they see in the feature.

RyanLanz commented 3 years ago

@JonellaCulmer @PaulClark2 @bmathesonFEC Debbie's preference is “Money raised or Receipts" and "Money spent or Disbursements.”

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

@JonellaCulmer that makes sense to me. @RyanLanz I have no objections to Money raised or Receipts and Money spent or Disbursements.

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Money raised or Receipts

Percentage raised in individual contributions:

Percentage contributions from party committees, PACs, and other political committees:

Money spent or Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committees (including PACs and parties), independent expenditures, and coordinated party expenditures divided by total disbursements:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included

Individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

JonellaCulmer commented 3 years ago

@PaulClark2 @bmathesonFEC Following your meeting on 8/5 is there anything else that needs to be updated or changed with the methodology? Or is the latest version you posted good to go?

cc: @rfultz

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

@JonellaCulmer The version the post above is the most up-to-date version we have. I will have another meeting with stakeholders in a few weeks that might change this.

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

Methodology for Hybrid PACs

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Receipts

Percent raised in contributions

Percent raised in other federal receipts including receipts to a non-contribution account

Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committee, IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included [Note: We round on the website display we should probably round here, too, or explain we round the percentages on the website.]

Individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

Methodology for SSFs

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Receipts

Percent raised from itemized individual contributions

Percent raised from unitemized individual contributions

Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committee, IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included [Note: We round on the website display we should probably round here, too, or explain we round the percentages on the website.]

Itemized individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

PaulClark2 commented 3 years ago

Methodology for Super PACs and other nonconnected PACs except Hybrid PACs

Methodology

The committee snapshot presents data depending on the committee type and the committee’s activity during the covered period. For each of the percentages that are displayed, the calculations and the accompanying descriptions are presented based on transaction types made or received by the committee. Financial total for the selected committee are included in each methodology section.

Receipts

Percent raised from individuals and partnerships

Percent raised in contributions from parties and other federal political committees

Disbursements

Percentage contributions to federal candidates and other federal political committee, IEs, and party coordinated expenditures:

Percentage operating expenditures:

Example of the calculation section with data included [Note: We round on the website display we should probably round here, too, or explain we round the percentages on the website.]

Total individual contribution:

Contributions + IEs + Coordinated Expenditures

dorothyyeager commented 2 years ago

Moving to the backlog; we are not proceeding with this work at this time.