Our Methodology

Overview

Our inclusion process for candidates is all about finding candidates who stand up for democracy and peace—while building real political power through grassroots organizing.

What We Look For in Candidates

We evaluate candidates based on three key things:

1. Pro-Democracy Stance

We back candidates who support democratic principles, like:

• The right to protest and have a say in how our tax dollars are used
• Freedom of expression and speech
• Protecting civil liberties and democratic institutions

2. Where the Money Comes From

We look at campaign funding because it tells us a lot about where a candidate's loyalties lie:

• Are they funded by war machine lobbies?
• Are they bankrolled by foreign interest lobbies like AIPAC?
• Are they beholden to corporate interests that work against everyday people?

3. Commitment to Human Rights and the Law

We want candidates who will actually uphold:

• International law
• US laws on human rights
• Real accountability when these laws are violated

How We Find Candidates

We don't pretend to know every local race across the country. Instead, we tap into the knowledge and organizing power of aligned groups who are already doing this work on the ground. Our crowdsourced approach pulls from three main sources:

National Groups with Local Chapters

We work with national organizations that have strong local chapters doing their own endorsement work (like the Working Families Party). We check out the local chapter's methods first to make sure they align with what we care about.

Local Community Organizations

We partner with grassroots groups who know their communities inside and out (like OneHoodPower in Pittsburgh). These local 501(c)(4) organizations bring street-level knowledge and organizing power and deep knowledge of candidates.

National Organizations with Similar Values

We also pull recommendations from national groups whose candidate questionnaires and vetting processes match up well with ours (like Track AIPAC).

Our Own Questionnaire

When we need to, we send out our own candidate questionnaires to fill in the gaps or double-check alignment.

Our Inclusion Strategy

We're strategic about who we include because we're trying to build real progressive power.

No Moving Backwards

We won't feature candidates that hurt our political power or position. For example, we're not going to include a bad Republican just to stick it to a bad Democrat. Every candidate needs to move us forward, not backwards.

We're All Learning Together

We don't know everything. There are thousands of local races, and we're doing our best. That's why we're:

• Open-source: Everything about our process is out in the open
• Crowdsourced and Collaborative: We actively want input from other aligned organizations
• Open to feedback: If we got something wrong, tell us

Our Policy on Incorporating Candidate Viability

The Vote for Peace tool exists to help voters identify and support candidates who are not beholden to war lobbies—and to give those candidates the best possible chance of winning. That means we are committed to providing objective, reliable information, but it also means we are committed to being strategic. Inclusion in this tool reflects both a candidate's values alignment and their realistic potential to win.

Why Viability Matters

In recent cycles, we have seen AIPAC-backed candidates prevail in races where multiple peace-aligned candidates split the vote. A fragmented field can produce outcomes that are worse than if some candidates had never entered—or never been amplified. This tool will not contribute to that outcome by treating all qualifying candidates as equivalent when the electoral landscape clearly favors one.

How We Assess Viability

Viability is not a judgment about a candidate's character, values, or commitment to anti-war values. It is an assessment of their realistic capacity to win. We evaluate viability based on three criteria:

Independent Polling—We look for statistically significant polling from third-party sources. General sentiment or popularity surveys and push polls commissioned by campaigns do not qualify.

Resources Mobilized—A viable candidate demonstrates the ability to convert base support into a minimum fundraising threshold, including paid and volunteer campaign staff. Grassroots enthusiasm must translate into tangible campaign infrastructure.

Endorsement Consensus—We look at the breadth of support among grassroots and aligned organizing partners. A candidate with broad coalition and institutional support is better positioned to consolidate the vote.

How Viability Affects Candidates' Inclusion in Our Tool

In races where only one candidate meets inclusion criteria, that candidate will be listed without qualification. In races where multiple candidates meet inclusion criteria, all qualifying candidates will initially be listed. However, as an election approaches and the electoral picture clarifies, the tool may include editorial notes directing voters toward the candidate assessed as most viable. These notes will be clearly labeled as editorial guidance and will explain the basis for the assessment.

Transparency Commitment

All viability determinations and rationale will be documented and available for review in the editorial notes.

Inclusion vs. Endorsement

It's important to understand the difference between inclusion and endorsement. Being included on our platform does not mean we endorse a candidate. It means they meet the baseline criteria we look for—pro-democracy, pro-peace, and not funded by interests that work against the people.

We include candidates so voters have better information about who aligns with these values. Our goal is to surface good options, not to tell you who to vote for. We encourage voters to do their own research and make informed decisions based on the data we provide alongside other sources.

Think We Messed Up? Want to Help?

If you think we got something wrong about a candidate, have info we should know, or want your organization to contribute to our process, hit us up at contact@organizeforpeace.org.

We're committed to getting better at this and building a stronger process.

Know a pro-peace candidate we should be tracking? You can suggest a candidate directly through our website and our team will review it.