How to Compare Candidates Using Public Records

Compare candidates by putting the same kinds of information side by side: the office, dated statements, official actions and campaign finances. Keep missing information visible instead of filling gaps with assumptions.

Confirm who you are comparing

Use a sample ballot to identify the elections, candidates and ballot measures on your ballot. A voter guide serves a different purpose: it provides background information, including candidates’ experience and goals (USAGov).

For congressional offices, start with Modern Action’s representative lookup. Enter your ZIP code to find your representatives in Congress and review available voting records and bill activity. Use your sample ballot for the candidate list; a lookup of sitting representatives does not establish complete challenger or ballot coverage.

Keep statements and actions separate

For a campaign statement, record the date, speaker, subject, wording and source. For an official action, record what the officeholder did, when it happened and where the record can be checked. Put these in separate columns so a campaign promise does not become an entry in a voting record.

If you cannot find a statement on an issue, mark the position unknown. Do not treat the missing statement as opposition.

Read the vote question

Before using a vote in your comparison, copy the question members were asked to decide. Avoid turning the bill’s title into a description of the vote without checking that question.

The Senate explains that the Congressional Record lists recorded floor votes under “yea,” “nay” and “not voting,” with totals for each category. Voice and division votes do not identify each member’s vote by name (U.S. Senate).

Keep a “not voting” entry separate from a yes or no vote. When the record does not identify an individual member’s vote, leave that vote unknown rather than assigning a position.

Keep financial records in their categories

Federal campaign records include documents filed by candidates and authorized committees, receipts, disbursements, contributions, cash on hand and debts. The FEC’s research checklist also distinguishes reports by other committees, including PAC or party contributions, independent expenditures and communication costs (Federal Election Commission).

For each figure, note the committee, reporting period and category. Keep candidate fundraising separate from outside spending rather than adding them into one candidate total.

Describe what a filing reports. Do not write that a contribution bought a vote unless you have separate evidence for that claim.

Build your comparison

Use the same fields and date range for each candidate. This table is a suggested way to organize your notes:

| Category | What to record | |---|---| | Election | Office, election and sample-ballot source | | Statements | Date, issue, wording and source | | Official actions | Question or action, date, recorded result and source | | Campaign finance | Committee, filing period, category, amount and filing | | Unknowns | Information you could not establish |

Keep the source beside each entry so you can return to it. A gap in the table is a reason to seek more information, not a reason to invent a position.