You will notice that some categories are marked "DO NOT USE" or "CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING". This is because these categories have either fallen into disuse or are broad judgments, respectively. Consult your supervisor for more information.
Abortion
Relating to the abortion procedure and access to it. Includes issues such as the circumstances in which abortion is legal, parental consent, ultrasound requirements, and public funding of abortions.See: Reproductive Issues
Abortion and Reproductive
Includes issues relating to the human reproductive system, such as abortion, contraception, and sex education.See: Abortion
Agriculture and Food
Relating to farming, livestock, produce, and/or ranching. Also includes issues relating to food processing and sales.See: Food Processing and Sales
Animals and Wildlife
Relating to pets, fish and game, endangered species, or other wildlife related issues.Arts, Entertainment and History
Relating to sports or the arts, as well as funding for them. Also includes issues relating to tourism and issues of cultural or historical significance, such as the dedication of buildings or parks.Budget, Spending and Taxes CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to tax changes, or else focused on the budget, spending, or appropriationsSee: Government Budget and Spending, Taxes
Business and Consumers
Includes issues such as changes in business regulations and taxes placed on businesses. This category also includes issues dealing with consumer protections, such as product safety, credit, and manufacturer liability.See: Trade
Business, Consumers and Employees CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Includes issues of taxation and regulation, consumer protections, employment standards and unemployment issuesSee: Business and Consumers, Employment and Affirmative Action
Campaign Finance
Relating to regulations on campaign finance such as Super PACs, public funding of elections, and the laws related to them.Elections
Includes issues such as changes to election laws, requirements to run for office, voting requirements, election dates, and regulations on campaign finances.See: Campaign Finance
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Relating to the freedoms ensured by the Bill of Rights, personal freedoms, and individuals' means of participating in society, such as voting rights.Conservative CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to advancing the principles of conservatism. Includes interest groups that classify themselves as representing conservative perspectives on multiple issues and ratings that evaluate candidates and officials on how conservative they are.See: Socially Conservative, Fiscally Conservative
Constitution
Includes amendments to federal and state constitutions and constitutional conventions.See: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Crime
Relating to domestic crime, law enforcement, and/or corrections. Excludes terrorism.See: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, Death Penalty, Drugs, Guns, Legal, National Security
Death Penalty
Includes issues such as official procedures for executions and prohibiting execution by the state.Defense
Relating to the defense of the United States, including defense spending and policy, as well as actions of the military.Drugs
Includes issues relating to illegal drugs, legalizing drugs and the abuse of drugs.See: Marijuana
See: Health and Health Care for issues relating to prescription health care
Economy and Fiscal
Relating to taxation, government budgeting or spending, and business regulations. Only use for the most general economic issues.See: Budget, Spending and Taxes; and Business, Consumers and Employees
Education
Relating to educational standards, policies, and funding.See: K-12 education, Higher Education
Employment and Affirmative Action
Includes issues relating to employment standards and practices, such as hiring, termination, compensation, and workplace safety.See: Labor Unions
Energy
Includes issues such as utility regulations, natural resource exploration, incentives for cleaner energy, and emissions standards.See: Oil and Gas
Entitlements and the Safety Net
Relating to government-administered social programs, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and food stamps. Includes public pensions.Environment
Includes issues such as emissions standards, conservation, wilderness preservation, water and air quality regulations, and water supplies.Executive Branch
Includes issues relating to the Executive Branch, such as confirmation, impeachment, and administrative authority.Federal, State, and Local Relations
Relating to conflicts or changes of jurisdiction between the federal, state, and local levels of government.Finance and Banking
Relating to banks and other financial institutions. Includes issues such as credit, loans, insurance, and securities.Fiscally Conservative CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to advancing the principles of conservatism in fiscal matters.Fiscally Liberal CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to advancing the principles of liberalism in fiscal matters.Food Processing and Sales
Relating to the treatment, manufacture, and processing of food and beverages and food and beverage sales. Includes issues relating to food inspection, regulations, mandatory ingredients, restrictions on consumption, etc.Foreign Affairs
Relating to the United States' relations and policies with foreign nations.See: Defense, Foreign Aid, Immigration, Military, National Security, Trade
Foreign Aid
Relating to monetary aid, military aid, or humanitarian aid given to foreign nations or groups, generally through the State Department.Gambling and Gaming
Relating to legalizing, licensing, regulating, restricting, or banning any form of gambling or gaming.Government Budget and Spending
Relating to government spending or appropriations. Includes budget bills.See: Entitlements, Foreign Aid, Infrastructure
Government Operations
Relating to the role, structure, or practices of government.See: Budget, Spending, and Taxes, Campaign Finance and Elections, Constitution, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch, Federal, State and Local Relations
Guns
Relating to purchasing, registering, carrying, and/or using firearms.Health and Health Care
Includes issues relating to public health, health insurance, prescription drugs, government healthcare programs, and medical malpracticeSee: Abortion and Reproductive, Food Processing and Sales, Drugs, Environment, Health Insurance, Stem Cell Research
Health Insurance
Relating to private health insurance and/or healthcare programs administered by the governmentSee: Abortion and Reproductive, Food Processing and Sales, Drugs, Environment, Health Insurance, Stem Cell Research
High Priority DO NOT USE
Relating to the stated priorities of an official or candidateHigher Education
Relating to issues of higher education, such as college admissions, post-secondary education, and student loans.Housing and Property
Includes issues such as the transfer of land, eminent domain, building standards, affordable housing, and property taxes.Ideology DO NOT USE
Relating to the interests representedSee: Impartial\Nonpartisan, Conservative, Liberal
Immigration
Relating to immigration (legal and illegal), including requirements for immigration, border security, public benefits for illegal immigrants, defining the official language(s) of government, proof of citizenship requirements, and identification requirements.Impartial/Nonpartisan CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to advancing impartiality or nonpartisanship in matters of governanceIndigenous Peoples
Relating to the relationships between the state or federal government and Native Americans/American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Native Alaskans.Industries DO NOT USE
Relating to a specific industrySee: Agriculture and Food, Arts, Entertainment and History, Defense, Education, Energy, Finance and Banking, Gambling and Gaming, Health and Health Care, Housing and Property, Science, Technology and Communication, Transportation
Infrastructure
Relating to public services, including water, power, public property, and other basic government services such as public services funding.See: Transportation
Judicial Branch
Relating to judicial practices and procedures, including nominations, term limits, Supreme Court Cases, and other issues specific to the judicial branch.See: Legal
K-12 Education
Relating to issues of K-12 education. Includes issues such as charter schools, vouchers, teachers' pay, and the Every Student Succeeds Act.Labor Unions
Relating to trade unions and/or collective bargaining.Legal
Relating to legal processes and procedures. Includes issues relating to lawsuits and court cases before they reach the Supreme Court.Legislative Branch
Relating to the benefits and restrictions Congress or a state legislature imposes on itself, including compensation, ethics standards, and authority. This category also includes campaign regulations on Congressional and state legislative candidates.Liberal CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to advancing the principles of liberalism. Includes interest groups that classify themselves as representing liberal perspectives on multiple issues and ratings that evaluate candidates and officials on how liberal they are.See: Fiscally Liberal, Socially Liberal
Low Priority DO NOT USE
Relating to an official's or candidate's stated priorities.Marijuana
Relating to the legalization or decriminalization of Marijuana, including for medical use.Marriage
Includes issues such as the definition of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.Family
Includes issues directly affecting families, such as children's health care, childcare, and rights of minors. This category also includes definitions of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.See: Marriage, Children
Military Personnel
Relating to active enlisted personnel of the US military and their families, such as military salaries, healthcare, and education benefits.See: Defense, for issues relating to defense policy, war issues, and the actions of the military; or Veterans, for issues relating to retired or former military personnel
Minors and Children
Includes issues directly affecting children under the age of 18.Monetary Policy
Relating to currency and the supply of money. Includes interest rate manipulations, quantitative easing, currency manipulations, and issues of legal tender. Often involves actions of the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department.National Security
Includes issues relating to the Department of Homeland Security, natural disasters, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, and customs regulations. This category excludes issues such as immigration unless national security is explicitly addressed.Natural Resources
Relating to the production, acquisition, distribution, consumption or management of natural resources and energy.See: Agriculture and Food, Animals and Wildlife, Energy, Environment
Oil and Gas
Relating specifically to the production, acquisition, distribution, and consumption of oil and natural gas. Includes hydraulic fracturing.Populations DO NOT USE
Relating to groups of individualsSee: Business, Consumers and Employees, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch, Immigration, Indigenous Peoples, Family, Military Personnel, Senior Citizens, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Unemployed and Low-Income, Veterans, Women
Priorities DO NOT USE
Relating to priorities indicated by an individual candidate or official.See: High-Priority, Low-Priority
Religion
Relating directly to the practice of religion or a religious group. Includes instances of religion affecting public policy if explicitly mentioned.Science
Relating to science, including medical research and the teaching of alternative scientific theories.See: Stem Cell Research
Science, Technology and Communication CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to science, including research and education, new technology and its uses, and communications.See: Science; Technology and Communication
Senior Citizens
Includes issues such as pensions and amending social security.Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Includes issues such as civil unions and Constitutional amendments defining marriage.Social CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to the interaction between society as a whole and people's personal lives.See: Socially Conservative, Socially Liberal, Abortion and Reproductive, Animals and Wildlife, Arts, Entertainment and History, Crime, National Security, Gambling and Gaming, Immigration, Family, Religion, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Stem Cell Research.
Socially Conservative CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to what a person or a group of people believe is the preservation of traditional values.Socially Liberal CONSULT SUPERVISOR BEFORE USING
Relating to the expansion or protection of personal freedoms.Stem Cell Research
Includes issues such as the funding, restriction, or prohibition of stem cell research. This category also includes human cloning if stem cells are specifically mentioned.Taxes
Relating to tax changes. This applies to both the implementation or amending of taxes as well as the payment of taxes by individuals.Technology and Communication
Includes issues such as regulations of new types of technology and their uses, as well as regulations of communication. Frequently involves the Federal Communications Commission.Trade
Relating to interstate trade or trade between the United States and other nations.Transportation
Relating to transportation policy, including highways, shipping, vehicle standards, aviation, and fuel issues.Unemployed and Low-Income
Relating to domestic poverty or unemployment issues, including financial hardship and government assistance such as Welfare, Medicaid, and affordable housing.Veterans
Relating to veterans' healthcare and benefits.Women
Includes issues such as workplace discrimination, sexual assault, and women's health issues such as requiring human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations. Be sure to use only when the issue's impact on women is explicitly mentioned.See: Abortion and Reproductive
