VetMyRep

Methodology — How We Work

Last updated: March 2026

Our Mission

VetMyRep is built on the belief that factual, nonpartisan information about elected officials should be freely and easily accessible to every American. We compile data from public records and authoritative sources into a single, organized reference.

Data Sources

We use the following primary data sources:

  • Official rosters: OpenStates API, Google Civic Information API, and official state government websites for names, roles, party affiliations, districts, contact information, and photos.
  • Voting records: OpenStates API and LegiScan for bill votes, roll calls, and bill text. Voting data is pulled on a daily schedule when legislatures are in session.
  • Campaign finance: FollowTheMoney.org, OpenSecrets, and state-specific campaign finance disclosure databases. Availability varies significantly by state.
  • Public positions: Manually researched and curated by editors from official campaign websites, press releases, official speeches, and credible news sources. All public position entries include a source attribution and date.

AI-Assisted Bill Summaries

VetMyRep uses an AI language model to generate plain-language summaries of legislation. This process works as follows:

  • After each voting record sync, bills that received a floor vote in either chamber are identified as candidates for summarization.
  • The AI model processes the full bill text and generates: (1) a plain-language summary of what the bill does, (2) a suggested issue area categorization, and (3) a flag indicating whether the bill is considered a “key bill” for a given issue area.
  • AI-generated drafts are placed in a review queue in the admin panel with a “Pending” status.
  • A human editor reviews, edits if necessary, and approves the summary. Only approved summaries are published to the public site.
  • AI-generated content is never published without human review and approval.

Editorial Standards

All content on VetMyRep — whether written by humans or reviewed from AI-generated drafts — must adhere to the following standards:

  • Strictly neutral tone: No editorializing, no conversational language, no opinion or characterization. Write as if contributing to a factual reference work.
  • Source attribution: Every piece of data has a source. Public position entries include direct source citations.
  • Last updated timestamps: All data displays a “last updated” date so users know the age of the information.
  • Graceful handling of incomplete data: Where data is unavailable or incomplete, we say so explicitly rather than leaving blank sections.

Coverage Scope

VetMyRep launched with full data for four priority states: California, Florida, Georgia, and New York. All 50 states are visible on the map and have basic information available. Full coverage for additional states is added based on user demand and available resources.

Within each priority state, full profiles (bio, public positions, voting record, campaign finance) are built for: elected executive officers (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state), and legislative leadership (speaker, president pro tempore, majority and minority leaders). Rank-and-file legislators are listed by name, party, and district, with full profiles added progressively.

Corrections and Updates

If you believe information on this Site is inaccurate or outdated, please contact us. We review all correction requests and update data as quickly as possible. Our goal is to maintain the most accurate and current information available from public sources.

What We Do Not Cover

VetMyRep focuses on factual, verifiable information from public records. We do not publish rumors, allegations, or unverified claims. We do not cover federal officials (Congress, executive branch) at this time. State supreme court justices are planned for a future update.