FEC moves to 18-digit image indexing system
On June 29, 2015, the Commission plans to begin using 18-digit codes to identify the scanned images of FEC reports available on the agency’s website. Most users should not notice any difference, but some who write computer code to access FEC reports and data may need to modify their scripts.
The new 18-digit codes will appear in the web address for all future committee filing images. Images coded prior to June 29, will retain the 11-digit code the Commission had previously used. The seven additional characters allow the Commission to accommodate longer reports, and eliminate the need for continuation reports. The new code also includes a four-digit year, thereby helping the agency avoid a potential Y2K-type issue later this century.
The Commission released a “Notice for transitioning links on FEC.Gov” last year to help website users navigate similar changes.
Crack the code:
11-digit image number format
YYOORRRFFFF
YY - scanning year
OO - office (01 - House, 02 - Senate, 03 - FEC Paper, 9x - FEC Electronic)
RRR - reel number
FFFF- frame number
New 18-digit image number format
YYYYMMDDSSPPPPPPPP
YYYY - scanning year
MM - scanning month
DD - scanning day
SS - source (02 - Senate, 03 - FEC Paper, 9x - FEC Electronic)
PPPPPPPP - page (reset to zero every year on January 1)