Revision history for ResearchCandidateCoverage
Additions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites following the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Make sure not to duplicate any of the statements. If there are any differences whatsoever, add a new speech_id. If they are exactly the same do not create duplicates. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate's issue positions.
Deletions:
Additions:
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will suggest and review StandardizedEvidenceforVoteEasy issue position research in collaboration with the Political Courage Test Department. They will consider the standardized research in terms of comprehensiveness, whether it is appropriate to suggest an issue position, the relative strength of each each piece of evidence, and whether the piece of evidence can act as a sole determinator for a candidate's position.
Deletions:
Additions:
==Contact Info and Bios==
==Public Statements and Position Papers==
==Evaluations of Candidates==
==Researched Photos==
==Campaign Finance ==
==Public Statements and Position Papers==
==Evaluations of Candidates==
==Researched Photos==
==Campaign Finance ==
Deletions:
==Public Statements and Position Papers (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Researched Photos (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Katy)==
Additions:
see: [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/PCTProcessesOverview#hn_Scope_of_Candidate_Coverage Scope of Candidate Coverage]]
Deletions:
|=||=|U.S. Congress|=|Federal/Gub Special Elections|=|Governor|=|Lieutenant Governor and Statewide Offices|=|State Judicial|=|State Legislature|=|President|=|
|=|Election info and Contact info on Candidate List and Campaign Website||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
|=|Researched Bios||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Mailed Out Bio Forms||G||G||G||G||G||G||G||
|=|Administer PCT||P/G||possibly G||G||G or N/A ||N/A ||G||P/G||
|=|Vote Easy ||G||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||P/G for majors||
|=|Position Papers||P/G||P/G||P/G||P (if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Speeches from Campaign Website||G||G||G|| || || ||P/G for majors||
|=|Candidate Ratings and Evaluations (if available)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||possibly||
|=|Endorsements||P (if time)/G||G||G||G||G||G||P/G||
|=|Researched Photos||P (if time)/G||P (if time) G||P (if time)/G||P (if time)/G||G (if time) || G ||P/G for majors||
|=|Campaign Finance Information (if available from CRP/NIMSP)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
Additions:
==Vote Easy==
Deletions:
Additions:
==VoteEasy==
Any display changes, including:
Updated data for each election, done by associations (see: http://mantis.votesmart.org/view.php?id=6369 for templates):
- ratings- the SIG IDs that will be associated with each question and answer, and their rankings
Any display changes, including:
Updated data for each election, done by associations (see: http://mantis.votesmart.org/view.php?id=6369 for templates):
- ratings- the SIG IDs that will be associated with each question and answer, and their rankings
Deletions:
- ratings- the SIG IDs that will be associated with each question and answer
Additions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites following the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Make sure not to duplicate any of the statements. If there are any differences what so ever, add a new speech_id. If they are exactly the same do not create duplicates. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate's issue positions.
Candidates typically have an "Issues" portion of their website. Content for these portions of the website are directed at particular topics that they are passionate about or topics that are highly contested. Research interns will collect these issue positions for each candidate that provides the issue positions (not regular media links like news articles etc.). Make sure to follow the [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/FieldBoxes regulations]].
Candidates typically have an "Issues" portion of their website. Content for these portions of the website are directed at particular topics that they are passionate about or topics that are highly contested. Research interns will collect these issue positions for each candidate that provides the issue positions (not regular media links like news articles etc.). Make sure to follow the [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/FieldBoxes regulations]].
Deletions:
Candidates typically have an "Issues" portion of their website. Content for these portions of the website are directed at particular topics that they are passionate about or topics that are highly contested. Research interns will collect these issue positions for each candidate that provides the issue positions (not regular media links like news articles etc.). Make sure to follow the [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/FieldBoxes regulations]]
Additions:
Candidates typically have an "Issues" portion of their website. Content for these portions of the website are directed at particular topics that they are passionate about or topics that are highly contested. Research interns will collect these issue positions for each candidate that provides the issue positions (not regular media links like news articles etc.). Make sure to follow the [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/FieldBoxes regulations]]
Deletions:
Issue Positions are statements that candidates publish, announcing their positions on contentious issues. The field boxes are as follows:
Date: 01/01/(year retrieved), unless otherwise listed
Location: Unknown, unless otherwise listed.
Type: Issue Position
URL: Copy URL from webpage
Title: Issue Position: (Title)
Additions:
==Issue Positions (questions can be directed to Katy)==
Issue Positions are statements that candidates publish, announcing their positions on contentious issues. The field boxes are as follows:
Date: 01/01/(year retrieved), unless otherwise listed
Location: Unknown, unless otherwise listed.
Type: Issue Position
URL: Copy URL from webpage
Title: Issue Position: (Title)
Issue Positions are statements that candidates publish, announcing their positions on contentious issues. The field boxes are as follows:
Date: 01/01/(year retrieved), unless otherwise listed
Location: Unknown, unless otherwise listed.
Type: Issue Position
URL: Copy URL from webpage
Title: Issue Position: (Title)
Additions:
**If it specifically states that the candidate provided the information to the website then we can use the bio information on our website. We would not include bio information from that party website if we were unsure of where the information came from. It's very important that we use bio information from an official approved source by that candidate.**
Deletions:
Additions:
**If it specifically states that the candidate provided the information to the website then we can use the bio information on our website. We would not include bio information from that party website if we were unsure of where the information came from. It's very important that we use bio information from an official approved source by that candidate.
Additions:
If you get confused on whether a national group rates state specific or vice versa, visit [[http://wiki.votesmart.org/ResearchDeptFAQ Research FAQ Page]]
Deletions:
Additions:
3) A simple google search is a great way to find endorsements we missed and new SIGs. "NJ endorsements 2013" "VA Governor endorsements" are examples of the searches. Feel free to expand your search to include key words that you think would be associated with SIGs and endorsements. "Scorecards" "endorse" "rate" "attorney general" "house of delegates" etc. If the search results include SIGs that we do not have in our database, ask the ratings department to include that SIG in our database and add the endorsement.
When you find a new endorsement you will (1) add that to admin and (2) print to pdf of the press release or primary source. You will right click and choose print. 'Print to File', change the name of the file to include specifics about the image. "2013VAStateLeg" or "2012SWGubCong" (anything that helps describe the file). You will save it at research/research divisions/profile coverage/Elections/YEARof election/YEAR Endorsements/National OR state specific SIGs/choose the correct SIG folder.
If you get confused on whether a national group rates state specific or vice versa, visit[[http://wiki.votesmart.org/ResearchDeptFAQ Research FAQ Page]]
4) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
When you find a new endorsement you will (1) add that to admin and (2) print to pdf of the press release or primary source. You will right click and choose print. 'Print to File', change the name of the file to include specifics about the image. "2013VAStateLeg" or "2012SWGubCong" (anything that helps describe the file). You will save it at research/research divisions/profile coverage/Elections/YEARof election/YEAR Endorsements/National OR state specific SIGs/choose the correct SIG folder.
If you get confused on whether a national group rates state specific or vice versa, visit[[http://wiki.votesmart.org/ResearchDeptFAQ Research FAQ Page]]
4) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
Deletions:
Additions:
For the 2014 election cycle, PCT is largely responsible for handling anything submitted by the candidate, while Research is handling researched bios, position papers, and photos. Research will also cover speeches for congressional and gubernatorial challengers once primary elections have taken place in a given state.
Deletions:
Additions:
P= Primary Candidates(tasks done pre-primary), G=General Election Candidates (tasks done post-primary/pre-general)
|=||=|U.S. Congress|=|Federal/Gub Special Elections|=|Governor|=|Lieutenant Governor and Statewide Offices|=|State Judicial|=|State Legislature|=|President|=|
|=|Election info and Contact info on Candidate List and Campaign Website||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
|=|Researched Bios||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Mailed Out Bio Forms||G||G||G||G||G||G||G||
|=|Administer PCT||P/G||possibly G||G||G or N/A ||N/A ||G||P/G||
|=|Vote Easy ||G||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||P/G for majors||
|=|Position Papers||P/G||P/G||P/G||P (if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Speeches from Campaign Website||G||G||G|| || || ||P/G for majors||
|=|Candidate Ratings and Evaluations (if available)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||possibly||
|=|Endorsements||P (if time)/G||G||G||G||G||G||P/G||
|=|Researched Photos||P (if time)/G||P (if time) G||P (if time)/G||P (if time)/G||G (if time) || G ||P/G for majors||
|=|Campaign Finance Information (if available from CRP/NIMSP)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
|=||=|U.S. Congress|=|Federal/Gub Special Elections|=|Governor|=|Lieutenant Governor and Statewide Offices|=|State Judicial|=|State Legislature|=|President|=|
|=|Election info and Contact info on Candidate List and Campaign Website||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
|=|Researched Bios||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Mailed Out Bio Forms||G||G||G||G||G||G||G||
|=|Administer PCT||P/G||possibly G||G||G or N/A ||N/A ||G||P/G||
|=|Vote Easy ||G||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A||P/G for majors||
|=|Position Papers||P/G||P/G||P/G||P (if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P(if time)/G||P/G||
|=|Speeches from Campaign Website||G||G||G|| || || ||P/G for majors||
|=|Candidate Ratings and Evaluations (if available)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||possibly||
|=|Endorsements||P (if time)/G||G||G||G||G||G||P/G||
|=|Researched Photos||P (if time)/G||P (if time) G||P (if time)/G||P (if time)/G||G (if time) || G ||P/G for majors||
|=|Campaign Finance Information (if available from CRP/NIMSP)||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||P/G||
Additions:
3) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
Deletions:
3) simple google search. "NJ endorsements 2013" "VA Governor endorsements". If the search results include SIGs that we do not have in our database, ask the ratings department to include that SIG in our database and add the endorsement.
4) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
Additions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites following the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate's issue positions.
Deletions:
Additions:
- A lot of third party candidates do not have funds to create their own campaign websites. When this happens, the candidates tend to use their party affiliated websites. For the **general election ONLY**, we can use the specific candidate's page from these third party websites for biographical and campaign website information. We use it for the general election because there are too many primary third party candidates to include minimal information from a third party website.
Deletions:
Additions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate's issue positions.
We only **collect endorsements for the general election**, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don't have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group's website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Before a state is released onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
We only **collect endorsements for the general election**, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don't have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group's website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Before a state is released onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
Deletions:
We only **collect endorsements for the general election**, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don�t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group�s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Before a state�s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
Additions:
- A lot of third party candidates do not have funds to create their own campaign websites. When this happens, the candidates tend to use their party affiliated websites. For the *general election ONLY*, we can use the specific candidate's page from these third party websites for biographical and campaign website information. We use it for the general election because there are too many primary third party candidates to include minimal information from a third party website.
Additions:
We only **collect endorsements for the general election**, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don�t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
Search national and state specific branches
2) other special interest groups in our database that have not necessarily endorsed in the past
Search national and state specific branches
3) simple google search. "NJ endorsements 2013" "VA Governor endorsements". If the search results include SIGs that we do not have in our database, ask the ratings department to include that SIG in our database and add the endorsement.
4) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
Search national and state specific branches
2) other special interest groups in our database that have not necessarily endorsed in the past
Search national and state specific branches
3) simple google search. "NJ endorsements 2013" "VA Governor endorsements". If the search results include SIGs that we do not have in our database, ask the ratings department to include that SIG in our database and add the endorsement.
4) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press. If a candidate lists an endorsement on their campaign website, you should check the SIG website that endorsed them for other endorsements.
Deletions:
2) other special interest groups in our database
3) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
Additions:
==Researched Photos (questions can be directed to Katy)==
Deletions:
Additions:
- Campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously. If there is a third party candidate and all they have is the third party website with their information on it (because they can not afford a personal campaign website or because they want to be affiliated with that party website), we can include that third party website as a Campaign website.
Deletions:
Additions:
----
CategoryResearch
CategoryResearch
Additions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate�s issue positions.
We only collect endorsements for the general election, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don�t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group�s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Each department will be responsible for the categories of data under their purview and will need to verify that individual candidate's data is displaying as intended and without issues. This means, for example, that before a release of a state's content to VoteEasy, all candidates in that state should have photos, campaign finance IDs, endorsements done, bios done, and interest group ratings up-to-date.
Before a state�s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
We only collect endorsements for the general election, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don�t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group�s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Each department will be responsible for the categories of data under their purview and will need to verify that individual candidate's data is displaying as intended and without issues. This means, for example, that before a release of a state's content to VoteEasy, all candidates in that state should have photos, campaign finance IDs, endorsements done, bios done, and interest group ratings up-to-date.
Before a state�s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
Deletions:
We only collect endorsements for the general election, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don’t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group’s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
Each department will be responsible for the categories of data under their purview and will need to verify that individual candidate's data is displaying as intended and without issues.
Before a state’s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
Additions:
==Contact Info and Bios (questions about researched bios can be directed to Katy)==
Deletions:
Additions:
==Public Statements and Position Papers (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==VoteEasy (issues dealing with data referenced below can be directed to Katy)==
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Katy)==
==VoteEasy (issues dealing with data referenced below can be directed to Katy)==
Deletions:
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==VoteEasy (issues dealing with data referenced below can be directed to Chris)==
Additions:
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will also need to suggest, review, and continuously update the standard list of data being used to populate the other areas of content on VoteEasy profiles besides issue positions (candidate bios, candidate interest group ratings, candidate endorsements, key votes, campaign finance). This should be started well before the release of the first election data to the tool for the year and periodically reevaluated during election season. For each office, you will need to verify and communicate to IT the following:
- bios- the categories of biographical information to display
- campaign finance- the years and categories of campaign finance information to display, ensuring there is a data source that will be providing this content in the appropriate format
- ratings- the SIG IDs that will be associated with each question and answer
- endorsements- the SIG categories (ranked) that will be associated with each question and answer
- key votes- the CSIDs spanning as many years as possible up to present that will be related to each category of questions
Each department will be responsible for the categories of data under their purview and will need to verify that individual candidate's data is displaying as intended and without issues.
- bios- the categories of biographical information to display
- campaign finance- the years and categories of campaign finance information to display, ensuring there is a data source that will be providing this content in the appropriate format
- ratings- the SIG IDs that will be associated with each question and answer
- endorsements- the SIG categories (ranked) that will be associated with each question and answer
- key votes- the CSIDs spanning as many years as possible up to present that will be related to each category of questions
Each department will be responsible for the categories of data under their purview and will need to verify that individual candidate's data is displaying as intended and without issues.
Deletions:
Additions:
Planning and Infrastructure:
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will suggest and review standardized research for VoteEasy issue position research in collaboration with the Political Courage Test Department. They will consider the standardized research in terms of comprehensiveness, whether it is appropriate to suggest an issue position, the relative strength of each each piece of evidence, and whether the piece of evidence can act as a sole determinator for a candidate's position.
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will also need to suggest, review, and continuously update the standard list of data being used to populate the other areas of content on VoteEasy profiles besides issue positions (candidate bios, candidate interest group ratings, candidate endorsements, key votes, campaign finance).
In addition, the Research Department should set up a plan in collaboration with PCT for notifying PCT of updates to candidate position papers, pledges, endorsements, and any other key data that might help VoteEasy researchers assign a candidate an issue position.
Release of Data to the Public:
The PCT department will give the Research department a calendar of release dates for VoteEasy by state, and update the Research Department with any changes to the calendar.
Before a state’s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
-make sure we have endorsements for the given issue categories/states if available. The issue categories to focus on would be the most recent list of categories matched to VoteEasy categories for the display of endorsements. This could be found from state or federal groups, as long as they endorse Congressional candidates. It would help if we also did endorsements for other issue categories and offices, but these are less priority.
-Make sure the current year's NRA ratings are released for that state, as well as any other rating that includes both incumbents and challengers
-Make sure everyone that will be displaying has campaign finance IDs
-Make sure bios are done and checked for that state and office, particularly focusing on newly-added candidates
-Make sure photos are imported and are all look okay in the dimension being displayed on VoteEasy
-Fix mission statements for all endorsement and rating groups we are using
Once data is released onto VoteEasy, and throughout the election season, the Research Department will be responsible for verifying that all data normally collected by the Research Department is displaying accurately and appropriately.
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will suggest and review standardized research for VoteEasy issue position research in collaboration with the Political Courage Test Department. They will consider the standardized research in terms of comprehensiveness, whether it is appropriate to suggest an issue position, the relative strength of each each piece of evidence, and whether the piece of evidence can act as a sole determinator for a candidate's position.
The Research Department and Key Votes Department will also need to suggest, review, and continuously update the standard list of data being used to populate the other areas of content on VoteEasy profiles besides issue positions (candidate bios, candidate interest group ratings, candidate endorsements, key votes, campaign finance).
In addition, the Research Department should set up a plan in collaboration with PCT for notifying PCT of updates to candidate position papers, pledges, endorsements, and any other key data that might help VoteEasy researchers assign a candidate an issue position.
Release of Data to the Public:
The PCT department will give the Research department a calendar of release dates for VoteEasy by state, and update the Research Department with any changes to the calendar.
Before a state’s release onto VoteEasy, Research will need to complete and check the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers:
-make sure we have endorsements for the given issue categories/states if available. The issue categories to focus on would be the most recent list of categories matched to VoteEasy categories for the display of endorsements. This could be found from state or federal groups, as long as they endorse Congressional candidates. It would help if we also did endorsements for other issue categories and offices, but these are less priority.
-Make sure the current year's NRA ratings are released for that state, as well as any other rating that includes both incumbents and challengers
-Make sure everyone that will be displaying has campaign finance IDs
-Make sure bios are done and checked for that state and office, particularly focusing on newly-added candidates
-Make sure photos are imported and are all look okay in the dimension being displayed on VoteEasy
-Fix mission statements for all endorsement and rating groups we are using
Once data is released onto VoteEasy, and throughout the election season, the Research Department will be responsible for verifying that all data normally collected by the Research Department is displaying accurately and appropriately.
Deletions:
-make sure we have endorsements for the states if available, in the all of the issue categories we gave to periscopic for endorsements. This could be found from state or federal groups, as long as they endorse Congressional candidates. It would help if we also did endorsements for other issue categories and offices, but these are less priority.
-Make sure that year's candidate NRA ratings are released for that state
-Make sure everyone has campaign finance IDs
-Make sure bios are done and checked
-Make sure photos are imported and are all look okay in the 125x128 dimension
-Fix mission statements for all endorsement and rating groups we are using
-make sure parties are showing up properly
Additions:
==Contact Info and Bios (questions about researched bios can be directed to Chris)==
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==Researched Photos (questions can be directed to Mark)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==VoteEasy (issues dealing with data referenced below can be directed to Chris)==
==Evaluations of Candidates (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==Researched Photos (questions can be directed to Mark)==
==Campaign Finance (questions can be directed to Chris)==
==VoteEasy (issues dealing with data referenced below can be directed to Chris)==
Deletions:
==Evaluations of Candidates==
==Researched Photos==
==Campaign Finance==
==VoteEasy==
Additions:
==Public Statements and Position Papers (questions can be directed to Chris)==
Deletions:
Additions:
For the 2012 election cycle, PCT is largely responsible for handling anything submitted by the candidate, while Research is handling researched bios, position papers, and photos. Research will also cover speeches for congressional and gubernatorial challengers once primary elections have taken place in a given state.
Contact info and Bios are a collaborative effort between the PCT and Research departments. While primarily under the jurisdiction of PCT, Research provides assistance as needed, as both departments are familiar with research and formatting standards.
- Campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously
- Current office websites
- District websites
- Candidate run social media accounts
- Newspaper/magazine articles
- Information submitted by the candidate (handled by PCT). While we do send out forms along with the PCT, candidates can update their biographical information at any time
"Biographical information" is basically a candidate's resume, and includes such information as educational background, family information, professional background, organizational membership, political experience, and committee assignments. Our policy is generally to get as much information as possible about a candidate, but we don't always have the time to do it for all candidates, and not all candidates have websites. That being said, all candidates have the opportunity to submit biographical information to us.
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
We collect both interest group ratings and endorsements of candidates, though ratings of challengers are hard to come by. One of our major goals for this year is to add more candidate ratings, even if they are in unconventional formats, since our content for challengers is so limited.
2) other special interest groups in our database
3) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for the VoteEasy, we absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate. Photos are retrieved from one of three sources: their campaign website, their office website, or submitted by the candidate.
Contact info and Bios are a collaborative effort between the PCT and Research departments. While primarily under the jurisdiction of PCT, Research provides assistance as needed, as both departments are familiar with research and formatting standards.
- Campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously
- Current office websites
- District websites
- Candidate run social media accounts
- Newspaper/magazine articles
- Information submitted by the candidate (handled by PCT). While we do send out forms along with the PCT, candidates can update their biographical information at any time
"Biographical information" is basically a candidate's resume, and includes such information as educational background, family information, professional background, organizational membership, political experience, and committee assignments. Our policy is generally to get as much information as possible about a candidate, but we don't always have the time to do it for all candidates, and not all candidates have websites. That being said, all candidates have the opportunity to submit biographical information to us.
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the primary election through the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
We collect both interest group ratings and endorsements of candidates, though ratings of challengers are hard to come by. One of our major goals for this year is to add more candidate ratings, even if they are in unconventional formats, since our content for challengers is so limited.
2) other special interest groups in our database
3) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for the VoteEasy, we absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate. Photos are retrieved from one of three sources: their campaign website, their office website, or submitted by the candidate.
Deletions:
their campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously
their office websites
their district websites
information submitted by the candidate. While we do send out forms along with the PCT, candidates can update their biographical information at any time
"Biographical information" is basically that candidate's resume, and includes such information as educational backgrounds, family information, professional backgrounds, organizational memberships, political experience, and committee assignments. Our policy is generally to get as much information as possible about a candidate, but we don't always have the time to do it for all candidates, and not all candidates have websites. That being said, all candidates have the opportunity to submit biographical information to us.
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day a candidate list is acquired from (IN PROGRESS) the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
We collect both interest group ratings and endorsements of candidates, though ratings of challengers are rarely produced. One of our major goals for this year is to add more candidate ratings, even if they are in unconventional formats, since our content for challengers is so limited.
1) other special interest groups in our database
1) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for our new interactive research tool, we will absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate. Photos are retrieved from one of three sources: their campaign website, their office website, or submitted by the candidate.
Additions:
Contact info and Bios is a collaborative effort between the PCT and Research departments. For the 2012 election cycle, PCT is largely responsible for handling anything submitted by the candidate, while Research is handling researched bios, position papers, and photos. Research will also cover speeches for congressional and gubernatorial challengers once primary elections have taken place in a given state.
Biographical information is compiled from the following sources, sometimes over many years (which makes it difficult sometimes to pinpoint where a particular piece of information comes from):
their campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously
their office websites
their district websites
information submitted by the candidate. While we do send out forms along with the PCT, candidates can update their biographical information at any time
"Biographical information" is basically that candidate's resume, and includes such information as educational backgrounds, family information, professional backgrounds, organizational memberships, political experience, and committee assignments. Our policy is generally to get as much information as possible about a candidate, but we don't always have the time to do it for all candidates, and not all candidates have websites. That being said, all candidates have the opportunity to submit biographical information to us.
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day a candidate list is acquired from (IN PROGRESS) the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
Biographical information is compiled from the following sources, sometimes over many years (which makes it difficult sometimes to pinpoint where a particular piece of information comes from):
their campaign websites from any election we have covered now or previously
their office websites
their district websites
information submitted by the candidate. While we do send out forms along with the PCT, candidates can update their biographical information at any time
"Biographical information" is basically that candidate's resume, and includes such information as educational backgrounds, family information, professional backgrounds, organizational memberships, political experience, and committee assignments. Our policy is generally to get as much information as possible about a candidate, but we don't always have the time to do it for all candidates, and not all candidates have websites. That being said, all candidates have the opportunity to submit biographical information to us.
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day a candidate list is acquired from (IN PROGRESS) the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
Deletions:
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day of the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
Additions:
==VoteEasy==
Before a state’s release, we need the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers (see PCT for release calendar):
-make sure we have endorsements for the states if available, in the all of the issue categories we gave to periscopic for endorsements. This could be found from state or federal groups, as long as they endorse Congressional candidates. It would help if we also did endorsements for other issue categories and offices, but these are less priority.
-Make sure that year's candidate NRA ratings are released for that state
-Make sure everyone has campaign finance IDs
-Make sure bios are done and checked
-Make sure photos are imported and are all look okay in the 125x128 dimension
-Fix mission statements for all endorsement and rating groups we are using
-make sure parties are showing up properly
Before a state’s release, we need the following for Congressional GE incumbents and challengers (see PCT for release calendar):
-make sure we have endorsements for the states if available, in the all of the issue categories we gave to periscopic for endorsements. This could be found from state or federal groups, as long as they endorse Congressional candidates. It would help if we also did endorsements for other issue categories and offices, but these are less priority.
-Make sure that year's candidate NRA ratings are released for that state
-Make sure everyone has campaign finance IDs
-Make sure bios are done and checked
-Make sure photos are imported and are all look okay in the 125x128 dimension
-Fix mission statements for all endorsement and rating groups we are using
-make sure parties are showing up properly
Additions:
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for our new interactive research tool, we will absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate. Photos are retrieved from one of three sources: their campaign website, their office website, or submitted by the candidate.
Deletions:
Additions:
==Contact Info and Bios==
Contact info and Bios is a collaborative effort between the PCT and Research departments. For an explanation of this program, see the PCT Department Candidate Coverage page
==Public Statements and Position Papers==
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day of the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
==Evaluations of Candidates==
Evaluations from special interest groups help voters to understand how well a candidate aligns with a particular interest.
We collect both interest group ratings and endorsements of candidates, though ratings of challengers are rarely produced. One of our major goals for this year is to add more candidate ratings, even if they are in unconventional formats, since our content for challengers is so limited.
We only collect endorsements for the general election, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don’t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
1) special interest groups that we have collected endorsements from in the past
1) other special interest groups in our database
1) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group’s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
==Researched Photos==
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for our new interactive research tool, we will absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate.
==Campaign Finance==
We retrieve federal campaign finance data from the Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) and state-level data from the Institute on Money in State Politics (followthemoney.org). It is our responsibility to make sure we match our candidate IDs with theirs, so that the data can be pulled. Otherwise, we just have to make sure everything is displaying properly.
Contact info and Bios is a collaborative effort between the PCT and Research departments. For an explanation of this program, see the PCT Department Candidate Coverage page
==Public Statements and Position Papers==
Speeches, Public Statements, and position papers are collected verbatim from campaign websites from the day of the primary election up until the general election. We may have other speeches attached to that person if they were previously running for an office we covered, or if they are currently in office. Sometimes, candidates will submit position papers, but we only accept these in electronic form. Our speeches database is vital to our research of candidate’s issue positions.
==Evaluations of Candidates==
Evaluations from special interest groups help voters to understand how well a candidate aligns with a particular interest.
We collect both interest group ratings and endorsements of candidates, though ratings of challengers are rarely produced. One of our major goals for this year is to add more candidate ratings, even if they are in unconventional formats, since our content for challengers is so limited.
We only collect endorsements for the general election, and only from non-media organizations (currently our system cannot properly accommodate any other kinds, and we really don’t have the resources to devote to more extensive coverage). Our goal is to get as many as possible, but sometimes we are limited by time and our ability to find the information. Generally, we get endorsements from the following sources, in order of priority:
1) special interest groups that we have collected endorsements from in the past
1) other special interest groups in our database
1) if time, those listed by candidates on their campaign websites and those receiving a lot of press
We only add something as an endorsement if the group identifies it as such, otherwise we will try to add it as a rating. Ideally, we need a print out from the group’s website or a signed letter that confirms the endorsement. When in doubt, we will call the group to verify.
==Researched Photos==
Photos are generally considered one of our lowest-priority items. Usually if we have extra time, we would prefer to devote it to updating more candidates' biographical information. However, for our new interactive research tool, we will absolutely need to have quality photos for every single general election Congressional candidate.
==Campaign Finance==
We retrieve federal campaign finance data from the Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) and state-level data from the Institute on Money in State Politics (followthemoney.org). It is our responsibility to make sure we match our candidate IDs with theirs, so that the data can be pulled. Otherwise, we just have to make sure everything is displaying properly.
Deletions:
Speeches from campaign website
candidate ratings and evaluations
endorsements
researched photos
Campaign Finance
