How we do this

The BallotBase Voter Guide is a free public service. Our goal is simple: give you enough verified information to decide for yourself. Here's exactly how it works.

Where the data comes from

• Campaign money: official disclosure filings, the FEC (federal), Cal-Access (California state), and city/county disclosure portals. Never third-party aggregators.
• Bills: the official text and the Legislative Counsel's Digest from California Legislative Information (leginfo).
• Lobbying: quarterly disclosures filed with the California Secretary of State.

How the explainers are written

• Every explainer is generated only from the official source text, if the source doesn't say it, we don't write it.
• "If this passes" describes mechanics only: what the law would require, remove, or allow. Never whether that's good or bad.
• No evaluative language, no predictions, no endorsements, no ratings. We show you the numbers; the judgment is yours.

What we don't do

• We don't endorse candidates or measures, and we never will on these pages.
• We don't take money from campaigns, parties, or committees to appear here. Every committee with filings is treated identically.
• We don't editorialize about donors. "60% from organizations" is a fact; what it means is up to you.

Found an error? Email rj@ballotbase.io, corrections ship fast. BallotBase also builds professional tools on this same data for campaigns and lobbying & advocacy teams; that's what keeps this guide free.