AmericaBipartisan cooperation, nonpartisan practice, and cross-partisan participation describe different things. Use the label that matches the actual activity.
Name what is being described
In ordinary civic usage, bipartisan describes participation or support from two parties. Nonpartisan describes work not aligned with a party. Cross-partisan can describe collaboration across a broader set of political viewpoints, including people without a party.
None is a guarantee of accuracy, public support, or good outcomes. A bill with sponsors from two parties can still be controversial. A resource with no endorsements can still contain errors.
Evidence should match the label
For a bipartisan claim about legislation, show the actual sponsors or votes and identify the decision. For a claim about public opinion, show the survey question, methods, and subgroup results. For a cross-partisan project, describe the participants and the scope of agreement.
Do not use an independent identity as proof that someone is neutral or moderate. Likewise, a nonpartisan information service should make its selection and evidence standards inspectable rather than relying on the label.
Make neutrality operational
Apply the same questions to comparable candidates or proposals. Separate reporting from endorsement. Publish sources and corrections. State a mission plainly without implying that every participant supports the entire mission.
For America.co’s public guides, that means helping readers investigate mechanisms and evidence, not assigning partisan scores. Readers should be able to use the tools without being asked to adopt a party identity.
Make it useful
Your next steps
- Describe whether the label concerns people, evidence, or process.
- Show the support or participation behind the claim.
- Use consistent standards and separate information from endorsement.
Take it into practice
A starting template you can adapt—not a form submitted to America.co.
We describe this activity as ____ because ____. The participants or support evidence are ____. The scope of agreement is ____. Our information standards are ____.
Common questions
Does bipartisan mean all voters support something?
No. Cooperation among party members is different from measured public opinion.
Does nonpartisan mean having no values?
No. A civic resource can value transparency and accuracy while avoiding party alignment.
Follow the source trail
Source pages consulted October 4, 2026. Original worksheets and evaluation questions are America.co guidance; they are not government instructions.
- U.S. Senate — Votes ↗Official voting records
- AAPOR — Disclosure standards ↗Primary professional standards
This guide uses AI-assisted drafting and links the underlying sources. It has not been presented as expert-reviewed advice. Read our editorial approach. Send a correction with the source and passage.