AmericaUse the same questions and evidence standards for every candidate. Compare what the office can actually do, not just the appeal of a slogan.
Start with the powers of the office
A legislator, mayor, school-board member, and executive have different authority. First identify the decisions this office controls. Then separate a candidate’s own proposal from a promise that depends on other bodies, a budget vote, or a change in law.
Write down three issues that matter to you and the concrete outcome you want to understand. Keep those questions constant across candidates rather than choosing a new test for each person.
Make an evidence table
Use columns for the candidate’s own statement, the proposed mechanism, a dated source, estimated cost if available, prior actions, and unanswered questions. Official voting records and public campaign-finance disclosures are useful inputs, not complete judgments of a person.
Leave an empty cell empty when evidence is missing. A campaign’s silence is different from an explicit position, and a donation does not by itself establish a corrupt relationship.
U.S. Senate — Votes ↗ · FEC — Browse campaign finance data ↗
Compare trade-offs and delivery
Ask what the proposal would replace, who would implement it, how success would be measured, and what could go wrong. Look for a timeline and a path from election to action. A promise with a responsible institution and a measurable outcome is easier to revisit later.
Your final choice can reflect your values. The comparison should still let another reader see the evidence, recognize uncertainty, and reach a different conclusion without needing a different set of facts.
Make it useful
Your next steps
- Choose the office and three specific questions.
- Collect equivalent primary evidence for every candidate.
- Record missing answers and revisit commitments after the election.
Take it into practice
A starting template you can adapt—not a form submitted to America.co.
Candidate: ____. Office authority: ____. Proposed action: ____. Source/date: ____. Cost and trade-off: ____. Delivery milestone: ____. Question still unanswered: ____.
Common questions
Should I ignore party entirely?
No label has to be ignored. The point is to add direct evidence so a label is not your only information.
Does this guide recommend a candidate?
No. It offers a consistent comparison process, not a partisan ranking.
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
- FEC — Browse campaign finance data ↗Official disclosure records
- GAO — Performance measurement and evaluation ↗Official methodological guide; May 2011
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.