HOW TO RESEARCH YOUR CANDIDATES
You don't need a poli-sci degree. You need twenty minutes and the willingness to sit with what you find — even when it's inconvenient.
Four things to check, at every level: attendance (did they show up to vote), voting record (how they voted when they did), committee work (where the real legislative labor happens), and bills introduced (what they tried to make happen, not just react to).
FEDERAL — U.S. House & Senate
ProPublica Represent — missed votes, vote history, party comparisons.
GovTrack.us — attendance percentage plotted against the chamber's historical average.
Congress.gov — the primary source. Committee assignments and sponsored/cosponsored bills live on each member's page.
STATE — Legislature
LegiScan and Open States cover all 50 states. Your state legislature's own site usually has roll-call votes too — search "[your state] legislature roll call votes."
LOCAL — City & County
Check your city/county government site for meeting minutes — they list attendance and how each member voted on agenda items. If nothing's posted, call the clerk's office. Meeting minutes are public record.
Challengers with no voting record
You're researching something different: campaign platform, public statements, and who's funding them. See "The Biggest PACs" below for how to check that last one.
The point: write down the number and the source link, not just your impression. If it looks bad, look for the explanation first. If it looks good, look for what it isn't telling you. Six months from now you should know who represents you and how you know it — not because someone told you, because you checked.