During the 2008 presidential race a number of sites, like FiveThirtyEight.com and OpenSecrets.org, looked at the data behind election results and political contributions. The answer is always to follow the money and other projects are now building on those sites’ pioneering work.

In New York City, the politics site Gotham Gazette is launching Councilpedia. Founder Gail Robinson discusses the project on MediaShift’s Idea Lab:

Councilpedia will provide information about New York’s 51 City Council members and two citywide elected officials, including their campaign finance information, the bills they introduced, and the groups they gave “member items” — the parlance here for pork or earmarks. (Our third citywide elected official — the mayor — only takes contributions from one person: his billionaire self.)

Our main source for much of the raw data will be the New York Campaign Finance Board. By most accounts, the city has a model campaign finance law, and the board gets as much information into the hands of the public as it can. That said, the lists of donors often seem to be little more than an undifferentiated list of unfamiliar names.

Councilpedia is a recipient of support from the Knight News Challenge, which funds innovative ideas in journalism.

Statistician Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.com is building on its 2008 work by ranking the most contested Senate races in the country by aggregating polling data. The latest rankings are quite preliminary since many candidates have not yet filed, so fundraising data hasn’t yet been added in.

WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show today spoke with Micah Sifry of Tech President, a blog covering how politicians are using the Web. He’s currently leading an effort to increase transparency in government called Demand Question Time.

To go more in-depth on these issues, join OpenSecrets.org on Thursday, 3/4 for an online chat to address the issue of money in politics and whether or not it’s been affected by the recession.