Our Research
Democracy Works builds the digital infrastructure that makes reliable election information accessible to every voter. Our Research team documents and verifies information about thousands of federal, state, and local elections each year.
Every Detail Matters
From registration deadlines to polling locations, our team works continuously to ensure every piece of election information we publish is accurate and up to date.
Verified Data From Official Sources
We partner directly with state and local election offices to ensure all election information — from registration deadlines to polling locations — is accurate, complete, and up to date.
Continuous Monitoring and Updates
Our team reviews election data year-round, tracking policy changes and local updates to make sure the information you see reflects the latest guidance from election officials.
Rigorous Quality Check
Before any information goes live, it’s carefully reviewed and cross-checked by our Data and Research teams to eliminate errors and maintain the highest standard of accuracy.
Our Research Process
Our research process drives the creation of effective tools that enhance voter participation and accessibility.
Creating and Updating Our Elections Calendar
Before the start of a new calendar year, we document known upcoming election dates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. This information is constantly updated as more data becomes available.
Updating Data
We make adjustments as state and local election offices release new information. We also update information in response to administrative processes like candidate filings and referendum, proposition, and amendment proposals.
Timely Guidance
The research that informs our actionable voting guidance is conducted closer to election dates. This ensures information is up-to-date and accounts for changes from administrative processes, legislation, and litigation.
Known Elections
We create a record of many upcoming elections’ dates and names when we become aware of them, but before the details required to create voting guidance are available. We refer to these records as “known elections.”
Due to the timing of our election documenting process, we discover a large portion of our known elections in the first half of the year. State procedures for scheduling elections and releasing information may also affect the number of elections we can track in our calendar. While we can’t cover every single election in the country, our ability to track them improves as they draw closer.
Determining Our Election Coverage
Once we identify known upcoming elections on our calendar, we use jurisdiction information to determine which we can research in depth.
OCD-IDs
Open Civic Data Identifiers (OCD-IDs) are the most important determinants of our election coverage. These unique identifiers allow us to determine the geographic boundaries that encompass the eligible voting population for a given election. OCD-IDs are foundational to making official election information discoverable and accessible.
Census Data
We use this data to determine jurisdiction population. While our election coverage is ultimately determined by OCD-ID availability, we usually research elections for jurisdictions with at least 5,000 voters.
Official Election Sources
All elections data comes from authoritative government sources to ensure users, partners, and voters have access to the most accurate information. We rely on:
State and Local Election Websites
These government sources provide state-specific and location-specific election administration and voting information.
State and Local Election Officials
We directly contact these election experts via email and telephone.
State Legislation and Local Code
This information is used to calculate and determine some dates, deadlines, and rules if we are still waiting to receive confirmation from state and local election officials.
Federal Legislation
Although federal legislation is less likely to address specific details of election administration, we consult it for more general information. For example, we reference the National Voter Registration Act to check requirements that apply to multiple states.
Commission and Council Meetings
We reference published notices, minutes, and other documentation from local governing bodies to confirm election information that is not readily available from other sources. These commissions and councils govern at the municipal and county levels.
Trusted Tools
We also rely on tools that gather data from authoritative government sources, including:
Civic Information API
We use this service to find the OCD-IDs that map elections to jurisdictions, which helps us determine election coverage.
LegiScan
Our Government Affairs team tracks and monitors legislation in every state using LegiScan, a nonpartisan platform that obtains its information from official government sources.
Ballotpedia
Information about what’s on your ballot, including candidates and measures, is sourced from Ballotpedia, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any campaigns or candidates for office.
Cross-Checking Information
We verify information with multiple authoritative sources to guard against errors and confirm the correct interpretation of information. This process, known as cross-checking, significantly enhances accuracy.
Mitigating Errors
Every data source can contain errors or omissions. When multiple authoritative sources are available, we can cross-check them to find and address such discrepancies.
Confirming Legislation Interpretation
We analyze legislation to verify dates and deadlines and to interpret election processes, exceptions, and processes, so our guidance reflects how elections actually operate.
Addressing Information Gaps
In instances where a single source is silent or unclear about a particular aspect of an election, cross-checking can fill the gaps.
Quality Assurance
We conduct two rounds of quality assurance to confirm election-specific dates, deadlines, rules, and practices. This rigorous review process acts as a fail-safe and reinforces the integrity of our data.
Preventing Misinformation
Elections are a critical part of our democracy, and misinformation can have severe consequences. Our quality assurance acts as a firewall against potential misinformation.
Maintaining Up-to-Date Information
Quality assurance allows us to account for any changes that may have occurred during the research period, guaranteeing the most current information. Once an election has passed through our initial process, we perform additional checks to ensure our information remains timely.
Continually Improving
Our process also helps us identify patterns in inaccuracies or areas of frequent changes, allowing us to constantly improve our research methodology and deliver even better data in the future.
Expert Review
We work with state election offices to review elections at the state level and above. Election administrators’ expertise adds an additional layer of quality assurance to our research. Their feedback helps us ensure that our information aligns with official guidance.
Filling Information Gaps
Feedback from these election administrators helps us uncover potential data gaps. Their extensive knowledge of the election landscape ensures that our information is comprehensive and accurate.
Creating Language Consistency
Expert review of our data ensures our phrasing aligns with the official state-specific language that is familiar to voters. This alignment can eliminate potential confusion.
Navigating Complexity
Election administrators also help us navigate the complexity of elections and ensure our data set accurately reflects their nuances.
Actionable Guidance
We distill complicated election procedures into clear voting guidance. This ensures voters receive clear, trustworthy guidance rooted in official sources.
Combining Expertise
Our team of researchers, writers, and translators collaborates to ensure our voting guidance is accurate and precise. Our voting guidance is researched, written, and reviewed by human experts.
Accuracy and User Experience
We organize complex information in a user-friendly interface, ensuring our content is both accessible and true to official sources. All our written content is based on the data we compile, which means voting guides, FAQs, notifications, and any other communications users receive from our partners or us reflect the quality and integrity of our research.
Our research process is designed to ensure our election data's timeliness, reliability, and accuracy.
Help Strengthen Our Democracy
Your contribution helps us provide accurate election information to empower voters across the nation.
