Is Capitol Trace free?
Yes. The core platform is free for all citizens, always. No ads, no paywalls, no data selling. Revenue comes from API subscriptions for developers, researchers, and newsrooms.
Do I need an account?
No account is required to browse member profiles, bills, stock trades, lobbying data, or any intelligence feature. An account is needed to cast SCIF votes, save your state, build your record, and earn badges.
Is this a partisan site?
No. Capitol Trace is nonpartisan by design. We show records — voting, financial, legislative — for members of both parties equally. A Democrat trading stocks on committee knowledge is the same problem as a Republican doing it. We don't grade politicians. We show the data.
Where does the data come from?
Every data point comes from official government sources or established research institutions: Congress.gov, the FEC, the Senate LDA lobbying database, Quiver Quantitative (STOCK Act filings), USAspending.gov, Voteview (UCLA), and more.
How often is data updated?
It depends on the source. Stock trades sync every 6 hours. Bills and votes update continuously. Lobbying filings update quarterly.
Can I trust the AI summaries?
AI-generated summaries (bill summaries, intelligence briefings, conflict of interest analysis) are meant to help you navigate complex data — not replace your judgment. We use them to surface patterns and explain context. Always click through to the underlying data to verify anything that matters to you.
Why do stock trade amounts show ranges instead of exact figures?
The STOCK Act only requires members to disclose trades in ranges (e.g., $15,001–$50,000), not exact amounts. This is a limitation of the law, not Capitol Trace. We show exactly what was disclosed.
Why is some data missing for certain members?
Some members have limited data because: they're newly elected (limited voting history), they trade infrequently (low stock watch data), their state has limited Open States coverage, or an upstream source had a filing gap. We show what exists.