Common questions about how VoteLog tracks Congress's record on Israel and Palestine — where the data comes from, how members are scored, and how to read the money and the votes.
Frequently asked questions
How did my representative or senator vote on Israel and Palestine?
Open the Members directory on VoteLog and search for your representative or senator. Their profile lists every Israel- and Palestine-related bill they sponsored, cosponsored, or cast a roll-call vote on — including bills that never reached a final vote. Each entry links to the underlying Congress.gov record.
Which members of Congress take the most pro-Israel money?
VoteLog ranks every current member by the pro-Israel campaign money they have received, drawn from FEC filings. See the “Top Pro-Israel Money in Congress” data story for the ranked list, or any member's profile for their individual total broken down by PAC contributions, independent expenditures, and bundled individual donations.
Where does VoteLog get its data?
All data comes from official US government sources. Legislation, sponsorships, and roll-call votes come from Congress.gov, the official congressional record. Campaign-finance figures come from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). VoteLog adds no private or anonymous sources — every figure traces back to a public record.
Is VoteLog biased toward Israel or Palestine?
VoteLog is a public-accountability tool, not an advocacy organization. Every figure is drawn from primary sources — Congress.gov, the FEC, and members' own public statements — and every bill and vote is categorized using consistent, published rules applied equally to both sides. Where an editorial judgment is involved — most visibly in how bills are labeled — it is documented in full on the Methodology page and linked to the underlying record so readers can evaluate it independently.
How does VoteLog score each member of Congress?
Each member gets a weighted score: sponsoring a bill counts 3 points, cosponsoring counts 2, and a supportive roll-call vote counts 1, each signed by whether the bill is pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. The same formula is used everywhere on the site, so a member's score never changes between pages.
What counts as a pro-Israel or pro-Palestine vote?
A vote is scored by its effect, not just a Yea or Nay. Voting Yea on a pro-Israel bill — or Nay on a pro-Palestine bill — counts as pro-Israel, and vice versa. Procedural votes such as motions to table flip the meaning accordingly. Present and Not-Voting are excluded, as are bills with no clear lean.
Does pro-Israel campaign money influence how Congress votes?
VoteLog shows that members who receive more pro-Israel money tend to vote the pro-Israel position more reliably. This is a correlation, not proof of cause — well-funded members may already hold those views. The Money vs. Votes analysis lays out the relationship and its limits in full.
How current is VoteLog's data?
VoteLog syncs new bills, sponsorships, and votes from Congress.gov on a rolling basis, and campaign-finance data is refreshed as new FEC filings are released. Newly introduced bills can take some time to appear while the official record is published and classified.
Can I cite or reuse VoteLog's data?
Yes. VoteLog is built for citation. Analysis pages offer downloadable CSVs of the underlying data, and every figure traces back to Congress.gov or the FEC so you can verify it independently. Please link back to VoteLog so readers can check the live record.
How do I report an error or a missing bill?
Use the Contact page to flag a correction, a missing bill, or a vote VoteLog hasn't captured. Messages go directly to the maker. Because every figure is tied to a public source, corrections can be checked against the official record quickly.