The Wyoming Secretary of State's office launched a new online tool for county-level campaign finance reports.

The tool will collect municipal and county campaign finance reports across Wyoming's 23 counties, storing the data in one site. It includes who's bankrolling candidates, how much money they're spending to get elected, and where the money's going, among other categories and search criteria. Much of that information is already available for candidates running for the state House and Senate.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray said the initiative is a response to what he called a "lack of information" on his office's website.

"We really believe in transparency," said Gray. "These reports should be in one place for everybody to find and to examine. That was really our thought on starting this initiative."

Gray said his team's goal is to give the public information they need to make informed decisions as they cast their ballots next week.

"I think having this centralized hub of increased transparency and functionality is really important," Gray said. "It's in line with the election code and in that call for transparency."

The deadline to file campaign finance reports was Aug. 13. As the primary election on Aug. 20 looms, users may visit www.wycampaignfinance.gov to see who's funding political campaigns across the Cowboy State.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.