Data sources and methodology
Where electED gets its records, how they are presented, and what the available data can establish.
Congressional records
Bill identifiers include the Congress, measure type, and number. Congress.gov and the Government Publishing Office provide legislative metadata, actions, summaries, and text. A summary can refer to an earlier text version. The linked official record is the place to check amendments and current wording.
Record overviews
Congress overviews use the stored summary, selected headings or passages from the available official text, and the latest recorded legislative stage. Headings and excerpts are labeled as selected material, not a complete account of every provision. The overview does not infer a budget estimate, an affected population, or a legal outcome that the stored sources do not establish.
Presidential actions
Presidential-action records link to White House or Federal Register documents. Text excerpts are drawn from available operative sections. Matching source URLs and identical dated source text are used to identify duplicate imports while retaining older record links.
Elections and candidate filings
Federal election dates and candidate registrations come from FEC records. Registrations do not establish ballot qualification, nomination, withdrawal, or election results. State election offices are the authority for ballot and voting information.
Campaign finance
FEC candidate and committee identifiers distinguish financial records. Figures are shown with their reporting cycle and coverage date when available. The FEC publishes processed summaries on its own schedule; a recent site check does not make the underlying report newer. Missing reports and verified zero values are treated differently.
OpenSecrets organization data
OpenSecrets provides a separate view of contributions associated with organizations and industries. The public pages may restrict automated access. When that happens, source links and previously available data can remain visible. Organization-associated totals should not be read as proof that an organization itself directly gave every dollar shown.
Refresh dates and corrections
A local record update indicates when electED refreshed or enriched its stored record. An action date, summary version, financial coverage date, and source-file date describe different events. Failed refreshes retain previously stored information where available.
News and community content
The News page is a monitor of publisher headlines with links to the original reporting. Community contributions are separate from government records. Neither is presented as an official source for election certification or bill enactment.