About

Your Vote is an Investment

Vote Return is a civic engagement tool designed to help voters understand the returns on their political investments. We believe you should treat your vote like an investment — and just like any investment, you deserve to know what returns you're getting.

Our Data Sources

  • •VoteView (UCLA/UCSD) — NOMINATE ideology scores based on roll call voting patterns
  • •Congress.gov — Official congressional voting records and bill information
  • •Federal Election Commission — Campaign finance and contribution data
  • •OpenSecrets — Industry donation analysis

Understanding Ideology Scores

The NOMINATE scoring system places legislators on a scale from -1 (most liberal) to +1 (most conservative) based on their voting patterns. These scores are calculated by researchers at UCLA and UC San Diego and are widely used in political science.

Very Progressive

-1.0 to -0.6

Moderate

-0.1 to 0.1

Conservative

0.3 to 0.6

Very Conservative

0.6 to 1.0

Our Commitment

We present facts, not opinions. Our analysis is generated using AI trained to be neutral and educational. We never tell you who to vote for — we give you the information to decide for yourself.