The Informed Ballot logo: Capitol dome with a red-and-blue checkmark behind itThe Informed BallotKnow who represents you
The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Young Voices,
Real Records

A guide to what every U.S. senator actually stands for — written for students who are about to vote for the first time.

Our mission & vision

Politics is easier to
join when you can read it

We write up where members of Congress stand, issue by issue, and we show the bill, the vote or the floor speech behind every line. No scores, no spin — just the record, in words a high schooler can use.

Students in navy suits walking through the historic Senate chamber hallway in Washington, D.C.
The Informed Ballot founder with a woman in a red dress and Senator Dave McCormick under a balloon arch at a Pennsylvania campaign event

Every profile is sourced from Congress.gov and the Congressional Record, so you can click through and read the primary document yourself. That is the whole point: we would rather teach you where to look than tell you what to think.

Start here

Look up your two senators

111 sitting members written up, 544 documented positions, 13,735 cited records.

Open the senator index

Empowering your community

Blog Highlights

Constitutional Law

Societies, Education, or Personal Beliefs: Religion versus Law

Is it possible to live in modern society while keeping your beliefs intact? A look at Wisconsin v. Yoder, the First Amendment, and where the line falls between religious freedom and state law.

Read the post

Essay

Bridging the Gap: Why Learning Our History Powers Our Vote

The Declaration promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A look at where the country has honored that promise, where it has fallen short, and how voters keep the work moving.

Read the post
Photo — researching bills

Explain the record

We turn bills, votes and floor speeches into a few clear sentences about where someone stands.

All posts

Why it matters

Reading the record,
not the headlines

A lot of first-time voters tell us the same thing: they would vote if they knew who was on the ballot and what those people actually do all day. That is a fixable problem, and it is the one we work on.
So we read the bills, pull the floor statements, and put them next to what each member says they believe. You decide whether the two line up.

50

States with both senators profiled

544

Documented positions

13,735

Cited primary records

2026

Senate races we're covering this year

What's on
your ballot

Senate races state by state, with the same treatment as sitting members: what each candidate says they'll do, and what they've done before.

  • Nov 3, 2026 · ALAlabama U.S. Senate Election, 2026
  • Nov 3, 2026 · AKAlaska U.S. Senate Election, 2026
  • Nov 3, 2026 · ARArkansas U.S. Senate Election, 2026
See the racesElection calendar

Not registered yet, or unsure where you vote? Read the voting guide — registration, deadlines and sample ballots for your state.

Where do you stand?

Twelve questions. Then meet the senators who actually vote like you.

Answer in about three minutes and we'll match your views against what senators have sponsored, cosponsored and said on the record — your own two included.

Take the quizBrowse every senator

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