How it works
In 2026 I voted in a U.S. election for the first time. When I sat down to prepare, I didn't recognize most of the names on my own ballot, and most of what I found was loud, emotional or one-sided.
So I built something calmer: a quick, fair summary of where each Illinois candidate stood, compared on the issues I cared about most. I built it for myself, and for anyone else who wanted the same thing. It passed 13,000 visits in less than a month, which told me I wasn't the only one.
Now I'm taking the same idea national for the 2028 presidential election. You pick what matters to you. The guide shows where each person stands and where that came from. It doesn't tell you who to vote for.
Jordan, creator of How I Vote
Not an endorsement. Not voting advice.
How I Vote does not support or oppose any candidate or party. A match score only shows how a person's public statements line up with the answers you gave. Your vote is your own decision.
How a score is calculated
- You rank your top 3 issues and tap where you stand on a 5-point scale.
- We place each person on the same scale for each issue, based on the linked source.
- Alignment is how close that placement is to yours, from 0 to 10.
- Your #1 issue counts 3 times, #2 counts 2 times, #3 counts once, and any other issue you answer counts half.
- The score is the weighted alignment, out of 100. If we can't find a clear position, the issue is left out and we show how many issues the score is based on. We never guess.
What we cover right now
- 23 people, 12 issues, 261 placed positions, 352 linked sources from 153 publishers.
- Every person gets the same research checklist. Some have longer public records than others, and older statements are labeled.
- Lists are alphabetical unless sorted by your own match. Party is never shown by color.
Daily updates
Each day an AI research assistant checks the news for changes in who is running and what candidates have said. Changes must pass automatic checks, must link to a source, and are logged on the updates page. Adding or removing a person from the field gets a human review first.
Photos
Candidate photos appear only where we have a file we're allowed to use, with credit. Everyone else shows initials. It has no bearing on the scoring. The White House photo is by Ingfbruno on Wikimedia Commons, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. We cropped and resized it, and our edited copy is available under the same license.
Independence and your data
Not affiliated with any candidate, party, PAC or government agency. We accept no political advertising. Your answers stay on your device unless you choose to share a link. We count anonymous totals such as visits and which issues people pick, and we don't store IP addresses or sell data.
Disclaimer
This site is for general information only. Candidate summaries are based on publicly available information, compiled with the help of AI tools, and are not independently verified or reviewed line by line.
Information is provided as is, without any warranty of accuracy, completeness or timeliness. Candidates' positions change, and summaries may be incomplete, out of date or wrong.
This site and its operators are not responsible for errors or omissions, or for any decision made based on this site. Match scores reflect only the answers you enter and are not an endorsement or voting advice.
Always check the linked original sources. Linked websites belong to others, and we don't control their content. For official voting information, rely on your state or local election office.
Official voting information
Registration, polling places, ID rules and ballots come from official sources. Start at vote.gov or your state or local election office. If anything here differs, the official source is correct.
The 2026 Illinois guide
Our first guide covered the November 3, 2026 general election in Illinois. It's preserved here as it stood on Election Day.
Press and corrections
Email hello@howivote.org or use the contact form. Corrections should link to a public source.