Sample Ballot Lookup
Thank you for using Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool. We test the tool on an ongoing basis for accuracy. The note below discusses how we do that, and how you can help.
Click here to read more about our testing methodology
What does it mean for a Sample Ballot Lookup Tool to be 100% accurate? It means that everyone who uses it to research a particular election that the tool covers, from any address in the United States, should get a sample ballot back after providing his or her residential address that:
- Within the limits of comprehensiveness of the tool, includes every seat/election the voter will be asked to vote on.
- Includes every candidate running in that election/for that seat (except write-in candidates)
- Gives the user the correct elections. For example, if you live in Ohio State Senate District 7, you get that race rather than getting Ohio State Senate District 6 or 8. To get this right, the Sample Ballot Tool has to correctly assess from your address which exact district(s) you vote in.
For every state and every election that we cover, we perform tests in advance of the election to spot problems. In every state where we are providing a sample ballot, we use a randomizing process to select an assortment of residential addresses. We then run those addresses through our tool. For each result, we assess:
- How many total candidates were there for this address?
- Were any candidates missing that should have been displayed?
- Were any candidates displayed that should not have been because they don’t belong with that address?
- Does the ballot order make sense?
- How far down (local) does the ballot go?
We keep data on our tests. If you’re a journalist or academic researcher or have a similar public interest, we’d be happy to share our test results with you. Email: [email protected].
If you are a user of our Sample Ballot, and you are experiencing problems using it or notice any accuracy issue of any kind at all, it would be a huge help to our future readers and users if you would send us a note telling us about the problem. Send the note to: [email protected].
Comprehensiveness: The typical voter in a November even-year election will face between 15-20 contests on his or her ballot. The ballot will typically include some city, county, school and special district contests, in addition to the voter’s federal, statewide and state legislative elections. Ballotpedia covers all elections up-and-down the ballot (including the city, county, school and special district contests) in regions of the country that include approximately 20% of the country’s population.
