BallotReady

endorsements

To help users get the best information about past and future elections, we've worked with BallotReady to build a crosswalk between our datasets. This table includes proprietary data on the endorsements received by past and current campaigns from BallotReady, which we've linked to our campaigns, districts, and voters tables.

Overview

The Endorsements Dataset, one of the many datasets available through BallotReady’s Data Packages, is used to explore the endorsements that candidacies have received, sourced from hundreds of endorsing organizations across the country. This dataset serves as an addendum to our Candidacies Dataset to provide information on the groups that are supporting candidates and cues as to where they stand on various policy issues. You can easily filter this dataset to identify the issue area of the endorsing organization or the organization’s name.

Whether you are looking for historical endorsement information to recruit candidates aligned with your values; analyze the impact of specific endorsing organizations; or decide which candidates your organization wants to support this election year, the Endorsements Dataset helps you hone in on your specific goals. 

Data Structure

This dataset includes one record per endorsement per race. For example, if a person was endorsed by an organization in both their primary and general race, they will have two separate records for each.

Various ID fields can be used to track people and positions between this dataset and our Candidacies Datasets.

  • Candidacy_id can be used to to join this dataset to the Candidacies Dataset and identify the endorsements that the candidate received during a given race
  • Candidate_id can be used to find all of the endorsements received by a person over multiple election years and races
  • Position_id can be used to track the endorsements given for the same position across multiple cycles

Field

Type

Description

position id

integer

A unique identifier for each position on a ballot in the BallotReady database

candidate id

integer

A unique identifier for the person in the BallotReady database

candidacy id

integer

A unique identifier for each instance of a candidate running for a position for a certain election in the BallotReady database

endorsement id

integer

A unique identifier for the endorsement record in the BallotReady database

issue id

integer

A unique identifier for the issue category in the BallotReady database

issue category

character varying

The type of policy area that the organization focuses on for their endorsements (e.g., Civil Rights, Guns) or the type of organization if they do not make endorsements based on specific policy issues (e.g., Media Organization)

organization id

integer

A unique identifier for the endorsing organization in the BallotReady database; for organizations that BallotReady regularly tracks for endorsement gathering.

organization name

character varying

The name of the organization making the endorsement; for organizations that BallotReady regularly tracks for endorsement gathering.

endorser

character varying

The name of the organization or person making the endorsement. This is typically the same as the value in organization_name when BallotReady regularly tracks that organization's endorsements.

organization description

text

A description of the endorsing organization, pulled from the organization's website

website url

character varying

A link to the website where the organization publishes their endorsements

endorsement created at

timestamp

A timestamp of when the endorsement record was created

endorsement updated at

timestamp

A timestamp of when the endorsement record was most recently updated