Our Methodology

Overview

Our endorsement process is all about finding and supporting candidates who stand up for democracy, human rights, and accountability—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 Endorsement Strategy

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

No Moving Backwards

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

Who Can Actually Win?

When we've got multiple good candidates who align with our values, we look at who's got the best chance at winning by checking:

• What endorsements they've received and local organizers' understanding of their realistic chances at winning
• Their organizing infrastructure and grassroots support
• How their fundraising is going
• Any available polling

We want to support candidates who have the organizing power to win their races.

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: We actively want input from other aligned organizations
• Open to feedback: If we got something wrong, tell us
• Collaborative: We want your organization to help shape our endorsements

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 endorsement process, hit us up at contact@organizeforpeace.org.

We're committed to getting better at this and building a stronger endorsement process by working with the broader movement for peace, democracy, and human rights.