About & Methodology
How We Track AI Policy Positions
AI on the Ballot is a nonpartisan transparency resource that documents the publicly available AI governance positions of U.S. congressional candidates. We exist to make this information accessible, structured, and comparable.
What This Is
AI on the Ballot documents the publicly available AI governance positions of U.S. congressional candidates. We track what candidates have said, how they have voted, and what legislation they have sponsored or cosponsored on key AI policy issues.
Methodology
How Positions Are Sourced
We collect public statements and records from four source categories:
Campaign websites
Official policy pages, press releases, and issue statements
Social media
Public posts on major platforms where candidates discuss AI policy
Web search
News interviews, op-eds, debate transcripts, and public remarks
Congressional record
Sponsored/cosponsored bills, committee hearing statements, floor votes
How Stances Are Coded
Each candidate’s position on each tracked issue is coded into one of five categories:
- Support
- Candidate has clearly expressed support for the policy area or approach.
- Oppose
- Candidate has clearly expressed opposition to the policy area or approach.
- Mixed
- Candidate has expressed both supportive and opposing views, or supports some aspects while opposing others.
- Unclear
- Candidate has addressed the topic but their position cannot be confidently categorized.
- No Mention
- No public record of the candidate addressing this topic was found in our research.
How Confidence Is Assigned
Each coded stance includes a confidence level reflecting the strength of the underlying evidence:
- High
- Based on direct, unambiguous statements or legislative actions — e.g., a sponsored bill, explicit policy page, or floor vote.
- Medium
- Based on clear but indirect evidence — e.g., social media posts, interview remarks, or cosponsorship of a related bill.
- Low
- Based on inferred or tangential evidence — e.g., a brief remark in a broader context, or a position extrapolated from related statements.
Tracked Issue Categories
We track candidate positions across six AI governance issue areas:
Export Control & Compute Governance
Positions on restricting chip exports, controlling access to advanced compute, and semiconductor policy.
Military & National Security AI
Positions on AI use in defense, autonomous weapons, intelligence applications, and national security frameworks.
AI Regulation Philosophy
Positions on how (or whether) to regulate AI — covering licensing, liability, open-source, and federal agency roles.
AI Companions & Companion Chatbots
Positions on AI companions, romantic or emotional companion chatbots, and their psychological effects on users.
Data Centers
Positions on data center permitting, energy consumption, federal support, and environmental impact.
Children's Online Safety
Positions on AI-driven content moderation for minors, age verification, and algorithmic protections for children.
Candidate Inclusion Criteria
Candidates must meet FEC filing and fundraising thresholds to be included:
Senate
FEC Form 1 (Statement of Candidacy) filed + $100,000 or more raised
House
FEC Form 1 filed + $15,000 raised (initial), $50,000 raised (ongoing)
Thresholds are re-evaluated at each FEC quarterly filing deadline. Candidates who fall below the ongoing threshold may be removed from active tracking.
Updates & Corrections
The candidate dataset is updated on the FEC quarterly schedule: April 15, July 15, and October 15. Position coding is reviewed monthly between quarterly updates.
Team
AI on the Ballot is an independent research project. Team credits will be published here as the project develops.
For press inquiries, partnership questions, or general feedback, contact us at contact@aiontheballot.com.