How we score
Every candidate gets the same three checks, from the same kinds of sources. We score whether actions match words. We never score whether a policy is good: that is your call.
Record in office
- KeptVoted for, sponsored or delivered what they said.
- Partly keptReal action in the promised direction, but short, late, or not fully confirmed.
- OverstatedSomething happened but the claim inflates it.
- UnclearToo vague to check, or no linked action found.
- ReversedActed against a specific promise.
- ContextA fact or platform shift with no specific promise. Not counted in the score.
Score = (Kept + Partly kept) out of all verdicts except Context.
The promise ledger
Every promise is logged the day it is made, with the date, the words and where they were said. It is then tracked through the term, so a record builds from day one, even for someone who has never held office.
- Logged. Tagged as a campaign promise or one made in office, with what we will check to judge it.
- In progress. Bills filed, votes cast and budget lines are attached as they happen.
- Checkpoints. Status is reviewed after each legislative session.
- Verdict. Scored at the end of the term, with all the evidence linked.
Vague promises are logged as too vague to check, and the campaign is asked to make them specific. If a candidate loses, their campaign promises stay as history with no verdict.
Candidates with no state record
We look at any prior office: town boards, county commissions, school boards. What they say they did there is checked against minutes, budgets and local reporting.
- Backed by recordOn the body and on record for it.
- Partly backedOn record for part of the claim.
- Not yet verifiedThe record needed to check it has not been found yet.
- ContradictedThe record shows otherwise.
- ContextA fact worth knowing, such as a press error. Not counted in the score.
Score = (Backed + Partly backed) out of all verdicts except Context. A claim with no public source is held back, and not shown or scored, until one is found. The same rule applies to every candidate.
Data sources
We copy facts from these systems and never edit them by hand. When the source itself is wrong, the fix has to happen there; the last column says who can make it. When two sources disagree, the primary record wins: NCSBE over aggregators, roll calls over news reports.
| Source | What it feeds | Where errors get fixed |
|---|---|---|
| NC State Board of Elections: campaign finance | Donors, PACs, totals, outside groups | The committee files an amended report |
| NC State Board of Elections: results and voters | Results, margins, registered voters | County board, then NCSBE |
| NC General Assembly (ncleg.gov) | Bills, sponsors, roll calls, committees, maps | NCGA staff |
| Local government records | Prior-record checks (minutes, budgets) | The clerk of that body |
| FEC (fec.gov) | Federal races; federal PACs giving to state races | The committee amends its FEC report |
| Candidate materials (archived) | Promises, positions | The campaign; we keep the archived copy |
| Newsrooms and fact-checkers | Context, quotes, dates | The outlet's corrections process |
| Aggregators (Transparency USA, Ballotpedia, Civitas) | Comparisons, partisan lean | The aggregator; primary records override |
Corrections log
No corrections yet. Every report and its outcome will be listed here. The report form is coming soon.