Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection - Ballotpedia

At Ballotpedia, we believe that everyone deserves meaningful, reliable, trustworthy information about their candidates. We also know that good information—especially at the local level—is hard to find. That's why Ballotpedia created Candidate Connection.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Our survey allows voters to really access their candidates and get the information they need to feel confident they're picking the best candidate for the role.

Questions vary depending on the office the candidate is running for, and candidates can, for the most part, decide which and how many questions to answer. Two questions we do require of every candidate:

• Who are you? Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
• What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

We believe that these are two of the best questions to illustrate why a candidate is running and what they hope to achieve in office.

To view a sampling of candidates' responses to the survey, use the arrows with the tool below to scroll through real responses we've received. Click the orange "Choose Another Candidate Question" button in the tool to select a different question.

Adam Dudziak

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

"I look up to people who stand for what is right. The people who have impacted me the most are those who sacrifice their own comfort and/or life to help others in need. It's not always easy to do what is right but some actively decide to give everything so that someone else can succeed. I highl ...expand full answer."

The survey contains over 30 questions, and candidates can choose the ones they feel will best represent their views to voters. When a candidate has completed the survey, a box with their questions and answers will display on their Ballotpedia profile:

We also use survey responses to populate the information that appears in our mobile app, My Vote Ballotpedia:

Voters can browse the information, consider the responses, and make a decision that aligns with their values. Through these questionnaires, candidates from all across the country at all levels of government speak to voters in their own words.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit candidate survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked as such to the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org.

Want to know more about who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey? Take a look at our annual reports from previous years:

Want to see Candidate Connection continue to grow in future elections? Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey. Share your favorite responses with family and friends. Donate to Ballotpedia, or simply spread the word on Twitter and Facebook.

Ballotpedia appreciates how important it is that voters everywhere have access to the best information to make an informed decision. By supporting our work, you'll become an instrument for the spread of knowledge and understanding in political discourse.

See also