Many voters find it challenging to make informed choices during elections because they either face too much information or don't trust what candidates say about themselves. Endorsements from organizations, public figures, or media outlets can help by signaling a candidate's values and credibility. However, this information is scattered across news sites, social media, and advocacy group pages, making it hard to compare candidates efficiently. A centralized, easy-to-use platform could help voters quickly see who supports which candidates and why.

How It Could Work

One way to address this problem is by creating a website that gathers and organizes endorsements into a searchable database. Users could:

• Filter candidates by who endorsed them (e.g., "Show all candidates backed by the NAACP").
• Compare candidates side by side based on endorsements.
• Learn about endorsers' priorities (e.g., "What issues does the Chamber of Commerce focus on?").
• Get updates when new endorsements are announced.

The platform would prioritize neutrality and transparency, clearly sourcing all endorsements. Over time, it could add features like tracking endorsement trends or letting users rate endorsers based on past accuracy.

Who Would Benefit

This tool could serve several groups:

• Busy voters who want a quick way to find candidates aligned with their values.
• Issue-focused voters who care deeply about topics like healthcare or education and want to see endorsements from relevant organizations.
• Civic groups and journalists, who could use the data to analyze voting patterns or amplify their preferred candidates.

Getting Started

A simple version could begin with manually collected endorsement data for a major election, like a U.S. congressional race. Later, automation could scrape press releases or partner with news outlets to keep the database current. To test assumptions—like whether voters actually use endorsements—a waitlist or survey could gauge interest before full development.

Existing platforms like Ballotpedia or VoteSmart include endorsements, but they aren't the main focus. By making endorsements the core feature, this idea could help voters cut through the noise and make faster, more confident decisions.