Manatee elections office makes it easy to follow the campaign money

Want to know who is contributing how much money to which Manatee County commission candidate?

And how they are spending that money?

The Manatee County elections office makes it easy to track right from your computer.

With a few clicks of a mouse, you'll find a list of donors, amounts contributed, what they do for a living and how the candidates are spending the money to get elected.

That's how we compiled the numbers that served as the basis for the Page 1 story Sunday on contributions so far to candidates seeking one of three seats on the Manatee County commission in this year's election.

As of March 31 -- the end of the most recent quarterly reporting period -- eight candidates had raised a total of more than $225,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. (The total also includes loans some of the candidates have made to their respective campaigns.)

With a limit of $500 per contribution, the total given represents the political preferences of scores of local residents and businesses, as well as the support of interests from outside Manatee.

As for possible connections between the contribution and how the candidate will govern if they win, that's for you, the voter, to conclude.