A Civic Engagement Platform for U.S. Congress

Earned each time the member votes yea or nay on a recorded floor vote. Roll-call votes are the clearest public record of where a member stands, and showing up to cast them is the most basic duty of the job.

Hundreds per week

The member was on the floor but formally declined to take a side, voting present rather than yea or nay. It is a deliberate, recorded choice, sometimes used to avoid a conflict of interest, so it is neutral by default.

Deliberate abstention

The member was absent and cast no vote on a recorded question. Missed votes are tracked publicly and can signal anything from a scheduling conflict to disengagement, so this is a penalty by default.

Missed vote penalty

The member formally introduced a bill with no co-sponsors. Thousands of bills are introduced each Congress and most never advance, but introducing one is how every law begins.

Most common

A newly introduced bill that drew a small handful of co-sponsors. Early backers signal a member could line up support before the bill is even referred to committee.

Coalition forming

A new bill that attracted moderate support across the chamber. Reaching double-digit co-sponsors suggests the idea is gaining real traction among colleagues.

Meaningful coalition

A new bill that launched with broad backing. A large co-sponsor list out of the gate is a strong early indicator that legislation could move.

Major legislative effort

The member added their name in support of a colleague's bill. Co-sponsorship is the main way members build the coalitions a bill needs to advance, without being the lead sponsor.

Very common

Awarded when a co-sponsorship crosses party lines. Bipartisan support is one of the strongest predictors that a bill will actually become law, so it earns extra credit here.

Each cross-party cosponsorship

A bill the member sponsored was approved by its committee and sent to the full chamber. Committees are where most bills stall, so clearing this step is a meaningful hurdle.

Monthly

A sponsored bill won a majority vote in the full House or Senate. The large majority of introduced bills never reach a floor vote, let alone pass one.

Monthly

A sponsored bill cleared both chambers and was signed by the President, or enacted over a veto. This is the rarest and most valuable outcome in the legislative process.

Rare but major

The member proposed a specific change to a bill being debated. Amendments are how legislation gets shaped on the floor and in committee, line by line, before a final vote.

Occasional

One of the member's proposed amendments was accepted into the bill. Getting an amendment adopted takes negotiation and timing, so it rewards effective legislating, not just effort.

Rare