Not answered yet: how to show officials who have not shared their Top 10

An official or candidate who has not shared a full Top 10 is shown with one plain, dated label: “Has not shared a full Top 10 as of [date].” The same words apply to every candidate in every party. Nobody guesses their answers, nobody adds adjectives, and the label changes the day a full set is shared. This page sets out the standard for voters, journalists, moderators and anyone who publishes a guide to a race.

What is the label for an official who has not answered?

The label is “Has not shared a full Top 10 as of [date],” with the date the record was last checked. It states a fact and the date it was true. It does not say “refused,” “ignored” or “is hiding,” because a missing answer can have many causes, and the label should be true for every one of them.

When an official has been asked directly, add the date of the request: “Asked on [date]. Has not shared a full Top 10 as of [date].” Two dates are more useful than one, because they show how long the question has been open. The Ask your officials guide shows how voters keep those dates.

When an official has said publicly that they will not fill out a Top 10, quote their words exactly, with the date and where they said it. Their own words are the fairest record of their decision.

Why is silence shown at all?

Silence is shown because the standard is public, and so is who meets it. Officials and candidates represent everyone, and a voter comparing three candidates needs to know that one shared a full record and two have not. Leaving the silent candidates off the page would make the race look smaller than it is and would reward not answering.

Showing silence plainly is also fair to the candidates who answered. A candidate who shared every subject and every answer has given voters something real, and that work should sit beside the other candidates’ records, whatever those records hold.

What should never be done when an official has not answered?

An official who has not answered should never have answers filled in for them. Do not build a Top 10 from their speeches, their voting record, their party’s platform or a news report. A guessed Top 10 is an invented record, and it puts words in the mouth of a person who chose not to speak. The guide A record, not talking points explains why a voting record answers a different question.

Three more things to avoid:

• Adjectives. “Has not shared” is the whole label. Words like “dodging” or “refusing” turn a record into an argument.
• Different rules for different parties. The same label, the same dates and the same placement for everyone. See Same cards for everyone.
• Counting a promise as an answer. “I will get back to you” is shown as not answered until a full record is shared.

How are partial answers shown?

Partial answers are shown as not meeting the standard, because half a Top 10 is a non-answer. Officials and candidates share one thing, the full PDF record, and in “I’m running for office” mode the board produces it only once every subject and every answer is complete. A candidate who posts a few cards the way a citizen does has posted some answers, not a full Top 10 record.

The fair way to show it: “Has shared some answers, not a full Top 10 record, as of [date],” with a link to what they posted. Voters can read what is there and see what is missing. The reasoning is on Every subject, every answer.

Where does the Top 10 board show real officials?

The Top 10 board does not list real officials. The officials list on the board shows examples only, never real people. Real records live where candidates post them: on their own campaign sites and official accounts, where voters and reporters can see who posted them and when.

That keeps the record with the people who own it. A guide to a race links to each candidate’s own post and shows the dated label for each candidate who has not posted a full record.

How should a voter guide or newsroom lay out a race?

A voter guide or newsroom should lay out a race with every candidate in the same space, with the same fields, in an order set by a stated rule that favors no one, such as alphabetical order. For each candidate, show either a link to their full Top 10 record with the date completed on its cover, or the dated label.

Nonpartisan voter education is a familiar standard in American law. The IRS says that publishing voter education guides and presenting public forums in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity for 501(c)(3) organizations, while voter education with evidence of bias that would favor one candidate over another does.⁠¹ A guide that shows every candidate’s silence the same way, and every candidate’s answers the same way, meets the spirit of that standard.

When does the label change?

The label changes the same day a full record is shared. Replace “Has not shared a full Top 10” with a link to the candidate’s full record and the date completed on its cover. Keep a note of the earlier status if the guide has a history section: “Asked [date]. Shared full Top 10 [date].” The standard for later changes is on Changing answers.

Unresolved questions

Two questions about showing silence are still open.

1. How long is fair? How much time should a candidate have after a request before a guide shows the label? The working answer is the same window for every candidate, stated in the guide.
2. Uncontested races. Should a guide show the label for a candidate running unopposed, where voters have no one to compare them with?

Make my Top 10

Fill it all out, or don’t run. We deserve to know. Make your Top 10 now, and if you are on the ballot, replace the label with the full record.

Make my Top 10I’m running for office