You choose the issues that matter to you and where you stand on each. For every contest on your ballot, we compare your dials to each candidate’s or measure’s sourced positions and show the closest match, the main reason for it, and what would change it. Matching is plain arithmetic that runs in your browser. The same answers always give the same ballot.
Each dial runs from −2 to +2. For each issue you chose that a contest decides, we measure how far your dial is from the candidate’s position (0 to 4) and weight it by how much it matters to you (low 1, medium 2, high 3). The match is 100 minus the weighted average distance, scaled to 0–100.
If a candidate has no sourced position on an issue, that issue is left out of their score. We never fill it in, and the ballot tells you when this happened.
Judges can’t promise how they’ll rule, so appellate judges are matched only on opinions they’ve written, and trial judges only on sentencing records.
Each end is worded the way its own supporters would put it. The ends aren’t all lined up left to right by party. Think a label is unfair? Tell us.
| Issue | −2 end | +2 end |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & services | Keep taxes low, even if services shrink | Fund more services, even if taxes rise |
| Wages & workers | Raise the minimum wage and strengthen unions | Let employers and the market set wages |
| Trade & tariffs | Use tariffs to protect U.S. jobs and industry | Trade more freely for lower prices |
| Debt & retirement | Protect Social Security and Medicare as they are | Shrink the debt, even if benefits change |
| Housing | Grow slowly and protect neighborhood character | Build more housing and loosen zoning |
| Schools | Expand school choice and vouchers | Keep funding in district public schools |
| Getting around | Put roads and driving first | Put transit, biking and walking first |
| Policing | Put more money into police and enforcement | Put more money into prevention and alternatives |
| Criminal sentencing | More alternatives to prison for nonviolent crimes | Tougher sentences and fewer early releases |
| Immigration | Stricter enforcement and more deportations | More legal pathways and protections |
| Guns | Stricter gun laws, like universal background checks | Fewer restrictions on gun owners |
| Abortion | Protect legal access to abortion | Restrict abortion to protect unborn life |
| Gender identity in sports and schools | Rules based on sex at birth | Rules based on gender identity |
| Marijuana | Keep it illegal | Legalize and regulate it |
| Health care | Expand public coverage, like Medicare and Medicaid | More private insurance and competition |
| Energy & climate | Keep energy cheap and protect current jobs | Cut emissions faster, even if it costs more |
| Voting rules | Make voting easier: mail ballots, same-day registration | Tighten rules: stricter ID and voter-roll checks |
| How judges read the law | Follow the original meaning of the text | Apply the law in light of changing times |
All of the code, the dial wording and the researched positions are public at github.com/n8peace/plainballot. Corrections are welcome, and every change is public.