The Mission

Civic transparency
for every American.

What we're building, why it matters, who we are, and everything journalists and partners need to know about The Oversight Brief.

01

The problem isn't apathy.
It's access.

63% of Americans cannot name their House representative. Not their voting record. Not their position on healthcare or the economy. Their name. The person they personally sent to Washington to speak for them.

This isn't ignorance — it's misdirection. National political media covers Washington as a spectacle of party battles and presidential drama. The three officials whose jobs each American personally controls at the ballot box get lost entirely in the noise.

The information exists. Every bill, every vote, every legislative action is public record. The problem has never been transparency. The problem has been translation. The Oversight Brief is the fix.

The civic knowledge gap — by the numbers
63%
of Americans cannot name their House representative
Haven Insights, 2017
23%
of voters couldn't name who they just voted for after casting the ballot
Haven Insights, 2017
435
House districts — each with one rep most constituents can't identify
U.S. House of Representatives
Mission
"To ensure every elected official in America governs knowing their constituents are watching."
Vision
"A country where every elected official governs as if their constituents are watching. Because they are."
02

What we believe

01

Accountability is local

You cannot vote out a senator from a state you don't live in. Real accountability starts with knowing what your specific three representatives — the officials whose jobs you personally control — are actually doing.

02

Information should be plain

Legislative language exists to be precise, not to be understood by the people it governs. Every American deserves to know what a bill means in plain terms — without needing a law degree to find out.

03

No spin. No side.

We don't editorialize. We don't tell you how to feel about a vote. We show you the record and trust you to form your own judgment. The Oversight Brief is not a political product — it's a civic one.

04

Transparency belongs to everyone

Civic accountability shouldn't sit behind a paywall. The Oversight Brief is free forever. Democratizing access to the voting record is the mission — paywalls contradict it.

How We Work
03

Built on official
government data.

The Oversight Brief uses two official U.S. government data sources — the Congress.gov API maintained by the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder. We don't create or editorialize the voting data. We translate it.

Data source

Congress.gov API

Every vote, every bill, every legislative action comes directly from the official Library of Congress API. Same source congressional staff use. Updated in near-real time.

Location

Census Geocoder + Geocodio

Your address is geocoded to identify your exact congressional district and current representatives. Official U.S. government mapping, no guesswork.

Personalization

Issue-based filtering

Users select policy issues they care about. Your alignment score compares your reps' votes against your stated positions — non-partisan by design, personal by default.

Press & Media

For journalists & media

Covering civic tech, political accountability, or the 2026 election cycle? Everything you need is below — key facts, brand assets, a founder quote on the record, and direct press contacts. We respond to media inquiries within one business day.

Email Press Team →
Founded
2025
Launched in response to the 2026 election cycle
Coverage
All 435 districts
Every U.S. House district + all 100 Senate seats
Data source
Congress.gov API
Official Library of Congress — same as congressional staff
Business model
Newsletter sponsorships
Free to users. No subscriber data ever sold.
Cost to users
Free. Forever.
No paywall, no credit card, no premium tier
Political stance
Non-partisan
Displays voting records only — no editorial position on any vote
"We're not a political product — we're a civic one. The record is public. We just make it personal. When Americans know exactly what their three representatives are doing in Washington, they become better voters. And when officials know their constituents are informed, they become better representatives."
Lawson — Founder, The Oversight Brief
Assets

Brand resources

Logo files, brand guidelines, and official screenshots available on request. Email [email protected] with your publication and deadline.

🖼️
Logo files
SVG + PNG in navy, white, and gold variants. Light and dark backgrounds.
📸
Screenshots
Product screenshots of the tracker, vote cards, and alignment score dashboard.
📋
Brand guidelines
Color palette, typography, naming conventions, and usage dos and don'ts.
Press inquiries
Press Team
Data & corrections
Data Team
General
Hello

The record is public.
Now it's personal.

Enter your address and see exactly what the representatives you elected are doing in Washington right now.