For journalists and debate moderators: using candidates’ Top 10 records

Journalists and debate moderators use candidates’ Top 10 records in three ways: to ask every candidate in a race for the same thing at the same time, to lay out a race so every candidate is shown the same way, and to build questions from the records themselves. A full record is one PDF with the candidate’s name, office and date completed on the cover, then MyPriorities, MyBudget, MyGrade, every MyOpinion question with both sides and where the candidate stands, and optional “In my words” for each subject. Those answers are where the sharpest questions come from.

How should a newsroom ask candidates for their records?

A newsroom should ask every candidate in a race on the same day, in the same words, with the same deadline. Send each campaign the link to “I’m running for office” mode on the Top 10 board, explain that the board produces the full record only once every subject and every answer is complete, and give a date by which you will publish.

Record each request: candidate, office, date asked, date answered. That log is what lets a story say plainly who shared a full record and who has not, and it protects the newsroom from any claim of unequal treatment. A short request that works:

We are asking every candidate for [office] to share a full Top 10 record, every subject and every answer, by [date]. We will publish every full record we receive, and list every candidate who has not shared one, in the same format. Link: https://myvoteforward.com/top10/#run

How should a story or voter guide lay out the records?

A story or voter guide should give every candidate the same space and the same fields, in an order set by a stated rule that favors no one. Link each full record with the date completed on its cover and where the candidate posted it. Show each candidate who has not shared a full record with the label “Has not shared a full Top 10 as of [date].” The full standard for showing silence is on Not answered yet.

Quote the record exactly, and say it is self-reported by the candidate, as the record itself does. A MyBudget share, a MyGrade and a MyOpinion answer are short enough to print in full, and shortening them can change their meaning. Never fill in a missing answer from a speech or a voting record. Where a candidate’s record and their voting record differ, report both, side by side, with dates.

What questions do the records suggest?

The records suggest questions built on each candidate’s own answers, which are harder to dodge than general questions because the candidate already committed to a position. Four kinds work well:

1. MyPriorities questions. “You ranked housing first and transport ninth. [Local fact about commuting, with its source.] What would you tell a bus rider about that order?”
2. MyBudget questions. “You gave safety $[amount] of your $1 billion, more than any other subject. Which subjects gave up money to get there?” See MyBudget for officials.
3. MyGrade questions. “You graded the state’s work on schools a [grade], and you have served on the education committee for [years]. What would raise that grade by three points?” See MyGrade for incumbents and challengers.
4. MyOpinion questions. “You stood in the middle on rent limits. What specific policy does the middle mean to you?” See MyOpinion for officials.

Fill each bracket from the record a candidate actually shared and from sourced local facts. “In my words” often answers the first follow up; read it before you ask.

How do the records work in a debate?

The records work in a debate by giving every candidate the same starting point and every question a concrete hook. A debate segment can set two candidates’ MyBudget splits side by side and ask each to defend the largest difference. A forum can open each subject by showing where each candidate placed it in MyPriorities and ask the one who placed it lowest to go first.

Debate rules already ask for even treatment. Under federal rules for candidate debates, staging organizations must use pre-established objective criteria to decide which candidates take part, and must not structure a debate to promote or advance one candidate over another.⁠¹ Using one record format for every candidate fits that principle directly. For nonprofit organizers, the IRS says non-partisan public forums and voter education guides do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity, while voter education with evidence of bias favoring one candidate does.⁠²

How should a moderator handle a candidate who has not shared a full record?

A moderator should handle a candidate who has not shared a full record by stating the fact once, plainly, and moving on: “Candidate B has not shared a full Top 10 as of today. Candidate B, would you like to say where you stand on the subject we are discussing?” No adjectives, no repeated reminders, and the same treatment for every candidate in the same position. The audience can draw its own conclusions.

How should a story report a changed answer?

A story should report a changed answer with both full records, both dates completed and the candidate’s stated reason, side by side. Treat every candidate’s changes the same way. The standard for candidates is on Changing answers.

How can coverage of the records reach every reader?

Coverage of the records reaches every reader when the answers appear as text, not only as a linked PDF. A short list or table of each candidate’s top three in MyPriorities, their largest MyBudget share and their MyOpinion answers on the race’s main questions reads well on a phone, works with a screen reader and points readers to the full record for the rest.

Unresolved questions

Two questions about using the records in coverage are still open.

1. Shared requests. Could several newsrooms in one market send a single joint request to every candidate, so campaigns answer once and every outlet publishes the same records?
2. Broadcast format. What is the clearest way to show two full records on a television screen or a phone in a few seconds?

Make my Top 10

Make your own Top 10 first, then ask every candidate for the full record. We deserve to know.

Make my Top 10Link for candidates