How we check facts
Civic Ladder is free civic education in English and Spanish. It's only useful if it's right, so here is exactly how we get the facts and keep them current.
Official sources first
State laws, deadlines and election details come from official sources: state election offices, legislatures, courts and other government sites. Lookup tools link only to government sites, and our build stops if a link points somewhere else.
Every fact on a state guide or topic page links to its source, so you can check it yourself.
Checked before it's published
Nothing new or changed goes on the site until a separate review step checks every claim against its source, plus the Spanish version. Drafts that don't pass stay out.
We use AI tools to help with research, drafting and that separate review. A person decides what gets published, and every fact still has to match its official source.
Kept current
Facts that expire have re-check dates. If one passes without a re-check, our build fails until it's fixed.
Every week we open a batch of official sources by hand and confirm they still say what the site says. An automatic weekly check also opens every source link and flags any that broke or whose page changed.
After an election, Who's in power changes only when winners are sworn in, never on election night.
News in our own words
News items are short summaries in our own words, with a link to the full story, from a short list of reputable outlets. We don't use partisan outlets, campaign or advocacy sites, or opinion pieces.
Nonpartisan by design
We never tell you who or what to vote for. We explain how the system works and how to use it. Charts use plum and gold, not red and blue.
Honest about limits
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change and can vary by county, so confirm deadlines with your election office. When we aren't sure, we say so and point you to the official source.
Found a mistake?
Tell us: use “Report a mistake” at the bottom of any page, or write to hello@civicladder.org. We fix errors as quickly as we can and note significant changes.