Understand your ballot before you cast it.
Voting decisions deserve thoughtful preparation. Our Ballot Review Guide is designed to help you make informed decisions through conversation, evidence, and structured reasoning rather than endorsements, ratings and headlines.
Our goal is to help your understanding of the contents on your ballot rather than endorse candidates and positions on issues. The guide helps organize evidence instead of replacing judgment.
Our guide will help you create a Personalized Voting Guide that reflects your concerns, helping you decide what is best for you rather than accepting someone else's recommendations.
A guided workflow for ballot preparation
1. Gather your ballot
Use your vote-by-mail ballot, an official sample ballot, or another official source that lists the contests you'll be voting on. A photo, PDF, or digital copy works just as well as text.
2. Copy the Ballot Review Guide
Copy the guide so your preferred AI assistant conducts a consistent, evidence-based review of your ballot.
The Ballot Review Guide is published openly. You're encouraged to read it, understand it, and suggest improvements if you wish. Transparency is an important part of building trust in AI-assisted civic research tools.
3. Paste both into your preferred AI assistant
Paste both into a new conversation. The assistant will use your ballot to identify the contests and the guide to conduct the review.
4. Explore the contests through conversation
Discuss each contest, ask questions, and explore the issues that matter to you. The assistant adapts the conversation to your concerns while grounding answers in available evidence.
5. Receive a personalized Voting Guide
Receive a personalized Voting Guide that summarizes each contest, compares the candidates on the issues you explored, and preserves the evidence behind those conclusions for reference when you vote.
6. Continue the conversation
Your Personalized Voting Guide is a snapshot of what you learned. Return to the conversation anytime to explore new questions, revisit a contest, or update your guide as new information becomes available.
How do I get my ballot?
You can use your vote-by-mail ballot, an official sample ballot, a voter information guide, or another official source that lists the contests you'll be voting on. A photo, PDF, or digital copy works just as well as text.
Do I need to type my ballot?
No. Most AI assistants can work directly from a photo, PDF, or digital copy of your ballot or voter guide.
Which AI assistants work?
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other general-purpose assistants should be able to use the guide, as long as they can work through ballot material step by step.
What if there isn't much information about a candidate?
The review identifies where evidence is strong and where public information is limited. Limited information is treated as uncertainty rather than filled with guesses.
Does this tell me who to vote for?
No. The purpose is understanding rather than endorsement. The guide helps organize evidence and comparisons so you can make your own decisions.
How long does the review take?
That depends on ballot length and how deeply you explore each contest. Short ballots may move quickly, while longer ballots or additional questions will take more time.
Is my information stored?
The conversation takes place in the AI assistant you choose. This Ballot Review workflow does not send or store that private conversation on ARC.
What if I do not know what concerns matter to me?
That's part of the process. Early in the conversation the assistant helps you identify the issues that matter most to you before comparing candidates or ballot measures.
Can I continue the conversation later?
Yes. Most AI assistants let you return to the same conversation, ask additional questions, and update your Personalized Voting Guide as you learn more.