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About our Special Interest Group Ratings
Project Vote Smart collects performance evaluations from special interest groups who provide them, regardless of issue or bias. Most ratings reflect how often members of Congress or state legislatures have voted with the organization's preferred position on legislation that the group considers key in their area. In general, ratings from special interest groups represent a biased or partisan stance. Some groups may select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issue-related concerns.
Despite their bias, special interest group ratings can help indicate where an incumbent has stood on a particular set of issues in the past few years. They can be especially useful when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Web site links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering ratings are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.
Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency, Project Vote Smart converts their scores into a percentage when possible.
If you have any comments concerning performance evaluations or know of a group that provides ratings not included here, please contact us at ratings@vote-smart.org. Please call our Voter's Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762) for more information.
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