01 / Published
Source
The original record, with its publisher, link and reporting dates.
POPVOX Data / Sources and methods
Keep the evidence
with the information.
Records should show their sources, how they were processed and what remains uncertain. Coverage and review vary by dataset.
From source to reviewed record
02 / Extracted
Extraction
Data read from documents or APIs. Extraction can introduce errors.
03 / Connected
Connection
A proposed match between records. Automated matches remain provisional until reviewed.
04 / Reviewed
Review
A supported assertion or correction, with evidence and attribution to the person or agent.
Not every record has been reviewed. A reviewed connection does not verify every claim in its source.
Sources and their limits
| Collection | Source | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Staff and spending | House disbursement tables and Senate expenditure reports | Retrospective reports, sometimes extracted from PDFs. Payroll records do not establish current employment or exact service dates. |
| Members and service | CongressLink and Congress.gov | Historical coverage and date precision vary. A missing end date does not establish current service. |
| Committees, hearings and witnesses | Congressional calendars, committee websites, Congress.gov and GovInfo | Publication can be sporadic. Documents arrive separately or remain unavailable. A listing does not confirm attendance. |
| Lobbying and foreign-agent disclosures | LDA filings and Department of Justice FARA records | Filer-reported information may be amended. Name matches alone do not establish identity or lobbying contacts. |
| Appropriations requests | Member and committee publications | Coverage depends on publication and collection. Requests are not funding awards. |
Check each Explorer or API response for source links and coverage notes.
Check the dates.
Event dates, reporting periods, publication dates and retrieval dates mean different things. A recent import may contain old information. Missing data remains unknown.
Keep a correction history.
Corrections need evidence and review. We preserve source records and record changes separately. Public access to correction history is still expanding.
Contribute a correction →Building with AI
Include sources, dates and uncertainty in generated answers. Keep source statements separate from your application’s conclusions.
Use structured queries and complete pagination for totals. Search results and document excerpts are not exhaustive.
Developer access →