How we do this
How we do this
Where the facts come from
What a measure does, what it costs and who pays come from the official voter guide and the state’s or city’s fiscal analysis. Each organization’s recommendations come from its own published guide or slate card. Arguments for and against are summaries of the official ballot arguments, labeled as arguments. “Checked” is the date we last looked at a source.
How we label perspectives
Guides are listed alphabetically, and every perspective gets the same weight. We show the basis for every label. Labels come from the group’s own words, party affiliation, stated focus, or clearly attributed reporting:
- Self-described: the group uses the word itself, such as a “progressive voter guide” or a nonpartisan League of Women Voters.
- Party label: party groups are labeled by party. Democratic groups are Liberal, Republican and Conservative Party groups are Conservative, Green groups are Progressive, and Libertarian groups are Libertarian.
- Stated focus: groups built around one issue, like housing, the environment or taxes, are Single-issue.
- Reported description: when a self-description is unavailable, consistent descriptions from at least two independent news organizations, with both sources linked on the guide’s page. Self-description takes priority when available. These are identified as reported descriptions, not self-descriptions. Local political terms may differ from national labels.
- No label: if none of those apply, such as a newspaper editorial board or a labor council, we leave it unlabeled and explain why on its page. Compare its picks with guides you know and decide for yourself.
These are labels for browsing, not ratings, and we don’t score anyone. Nonpartisan means not aligned with a political party; it does not necessarily mean moderate. We aim to include the full political spectrum wherever researched guides are available. If you know how a group describes itself, tell us.
Which areas we cover
We publish an area only when it has at least 7 guides, including at least one progressive or liberal, one conservative, and one moderate or nonpartisan guide. Areas that don’t meet that bar stay unpublished while research continues. See the coverage page for the areas currently available.
What the positions mean
Yes, No, Neutral, No position and Not covered all mean different things. “Not covered” means we don’t have a record for that guide, not that the guide has no view. Ranked picks and co-endorsements keep their published meaning. If a candidate withdraws, we keep the guide’s published pick and flag the withdrawal.
How we count money
Contributions, campaign spending and independent spending are kept separate and never added together. Transfers between committees aren’t counted twice. Missing data isn’t zero. A donation shows who gave money, not why.
Agreement counts
Counts cover only the guides you picked, and always show how many that is. A majority of your guides isn’t a verdict.