Start with a subject.
Follow the connections.
Twelve guides to the institutions, records and ideas behind public life. Each one opens a path into the underlying sources.
Elections & ballots
Who can appear on a ballot, and what a race actually decides.
Read the guide 02People & public office
Understand the difference between a person, a candidacy and a seat.
Read the guide 03Campaign money
A practical way to read receipts, spending, cash and reporting periods.
Read the guide 04Committees & PACs
Identify the organization before comparing its financial activity.
Read the guide 05Local government
Cities, counties, districts and the institutions closest to daily life.
Read the guide 06Courts & judges
Court structure, official biographies and judicial ballot questions.
Read the guide 07Bills & recorded votes
Connect a legislative proposal to the exact question put to members.
Read the guide 08Election results
Read totals, turnout, margins and the status of a result.
Read the guide 09Political parties
Party identity, candidate affiliation and institutional records.
Read the guide 10Polls & prediction markets
Two different ways to observe uncertainty about elections.
Read the guide 11Financial disclosures
Read reported assets and transactions without inventing precision.
Read the guide 12Researching public records
A repeatable method for checking a claim against its evidence.
Read the guide