Dear Concerned Citizen,

Welcome to Open Book, a searchable database of state contracts and campaign contributions. This website combines information from the Comptroller's accounting system with official semi-annual campaign finance disclosure reports filed by political committees with the Illinois State Board of Elections. The data is presented in a format that allows users to enter the name or partial name of an entity that conducts business with the State of Illinois and compare that entity's State contracts with political contributions it made.

I believe that government should be an open book and that all public officials are accountable to the citizens they serve. As such, we all have an obligation to lead by example and to conduct business in an open and honest manner. I hope this site enhances public confidence in state government by increasing the public's ability to "follow the money."

I would like to thank the State Board of Elections for making its database available for this important project. I would also like to thank the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Better Government Association, and Kent Redfield, a professor of Political Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield and Director of the Sunshine Project, a campaign finance research project funded by the Joyce Foundation, for not only reviewing this site, but for their unwavering advocacy for stronger ethics and transparency in government. User comments regarding additional site improvements are always welcome and can be sent to openbook@mail.ioc.state.il.us.

Sincerely,

Dan Hynes
Illinois State Comptroller