Methodology · v0.1-draft
How every grade is built
One formula, published in full, applied to every official and every party. If it changes, the change is dated below. Nothing is weighted in secret and nothing is decided by a black box.
Draft. This is the first version, taken from the scorecard mockup. The weights and benchmark below should be reviewed — ideally by someone outside the project — before any real official is graded. Until then, grades appear only on fictional sample data. Real officials show plain counts from the record.
The three components
| Component | Weight | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | 33.3% | Roll calls with a recorded position ÷ roll calls held in the official's chamber while they served. An abstention counts as present; an absence does not. |
| Sponsorship activity | 33.3% | Bills the official is listed as a sponsor of ÷ 3, capped at 100. The benchmark is the same for every chamber and party. |
| Statement consistency | 33.3% | Public statements whose recorded vote matches the position the statement committed to ÷ statements compared. Missing the vote counts as not matching. Needs at least 2 compared statements. |
When the record is thin
A component without enough record is shown as “not enough record” and left out. The remaining components are re-weighted proportionally. We never fill a gap with an estimate.
Matching a statement to a vote
- The statement must be public and sourced: a speech, release, post, mailer or floor remarks, with a date and a link.
- A reviewer links it to one specific roll call and records which vote would be consistent with it.
- Both pieces of evidence are shown side by side, so anyone can disagree with the match and say why.
- The same rules apply to every official. The shovel cuts both ways.
Grade bands
A+ 97+ · A 93+ · A- 90+ · B+ 87+ · B 83+ · B- 80+ · C+ 77+ · C 73+ · C- 70+ · D+ 67+ · D 63+ · D- 60+ · F below 60
Where the record comes from
| Jurisdiction | Votes & bills | Donations |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Maryland General Assembly | Maryland State Board of Elections |
| Virginia | Virginia Legislative Information System | Virginia Department of Elections |
| District of Columbia | DC Council Legislative Information | DC Office of Campaign Finance |
Plain-language bill summaries are a convenience written on top of the record. The official text is always one click away and is what counts.
What a grade is not
A grade measures participation and consistency with one's own words. It does not judge whether a vote was right, and donations are shown as public records, not as proof of motive.
Changelog
v0.1-draft· Oct 26, 2026 — First draft, taken from the scorecard mockup: three components weighted equally. Not yet reviewed.