Type a name into the search bar — a politician, company, PAC, lobbyist, or bill number. Pick a result to add it to the map as a node.
Click a node to open its details in the side panel. The Connections tab lists everything that node links to, with a filter for each kind of entity; add the ones you're interested in with Add.
Click the line connecting two nodes to see the relationship behind it — a contribution amount, a lobbying position on a bill, a vote, a business officer record, and so on. Where money is involved, you'll see totals and, if there's more than one transaction, a breakdown.
As you add more nodes to the map, click Refresh in the card at the top left of the map to check for any relationships between the entities now on screen that haven't been drawn yet.
Click Find path, then click two entities on the map. The side panel shows the shortest chain of public records between them, step by step.
The legend at the bottom left lists the kinds of entity on your map and what the line styles mean: votes, loans, expanded lobbying chains, and anything the map's author added.
Select a node and open Customize on this map to change its ring color, size or label, or add a badge. These changes, along with your whole layout, are saved automatically in your browser so the map is there when you come back — see the Privacy Policy for details on what that means.
Use Clear to wipe your current map and start a fresh search.