Sources we cite
Snippet Votes builds every briefing from a positive-qualified source list. We favor primary documents, official government records, peer-reviewed research, and nonpartisan institutions. Below are the source types we trust, with a few example publications in each.
Government sources
Tier 1Official federal, state, and local government domains. These are primary sources for legislation, court records, agency rules, and public data.
congress.gov
Federal legislation and voting records
crsreports.congress.gov
Congressional Research Service reports
supremecourt.gov
U.S. Supreme Court opinions
uscourts.gov
Federal court records and opinions
archives.gov
Foundational documents and records
census.gov
Population and demographic data
bls.gov
Labor and economic statistics
cdc.gov
Public health data and guidance
State and local government
Tier 1State legislatures, state courts, municipal codes, and the national associations that maintain authoritative directories of state and local government.
ncsl.org
National Conference of State Legislatures
openstates.org
State bill text and voting records
legiscan.com
Legislation tracking across all 50 states
municode.com
Municipal codes and ordinances
ncsc.org
National Center for State Courts
naco.org
County government data and directories
Election administration
Tier 1Federal and state election authorities plus the nonpartisan bodies that certify, audit, and document election procedures.
eac.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
fec.gov
Federal campaign finance filings
nass.org
National Association of Secretaries of State
verifiedvoting.org
Voting equipment and audit records
electionlab.mit.edu
MIT Election Data and Science Lab
ballotpedia.org
Nonpartisan elections encyclopedia
International organizations
Tier 1Multilateral institutions, global development banks, and international bodies that publish cross-country data and policy analysis.
worldbank.org
Global development data and research
un.org
United Nations reports and treaties
oecd.org
International economic and social statistics
imf.org
Global economic outlook and financial data
who.int
World health data and guidance
europa.eu
European Union legislation and data
Peer-reviewed journals
Tier 1Scholarly publishers and preprint servers whose articles go through formal peer review or editorial vetting.
nature.com
Science and policy research
science.org
Multidisciplinary academic journal
thelancet.com
Medical and public health research
jamanetwork.com
Health policy and clinical research
pnas.org
National Academy of Sciences journal
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Biomedical literature index
Academic research
Tier 1University-affiliated research centers, think tanks, and open academic aggregators that publish working papers and policy analysis.
brookings.edu
Public policy research
rand.org
Nonpartisan policy research
nber.org
Economic working papers
pewresearch.org
Survey and demographic research
kff.org
Health policy analysis
urban.org
Social and economic policy research
hks.harvard.edu
Harvard Kennedy School research
Public-service journalism
Tier 2News organizations with strong editorial standards, global bureaus, or public-service missions. We use them for context, never as the sole source.
reuters.com
International wire service
apnews.com
Associated Press
npr.org
Public radio reporting
bbc.com
British Broadcasting Corporation
pbs.org
Public television journalism
csmonitor.com
Christian Science Monitor
Local and statehouse journalism
Tier 2Nonprofit statehouse newsrooms and public-media stations that cover state and local government with named bylines and corrections policies.
texastribune.org
Texas statehouse reporting
calmatters.org
California policy and budget coverage
spotlightpa.org
Pennsylvania accountability reporting
stateline.org
Cross-state policy reporting
statesnewsroom.com
Nonprofit statehouse network
kqed.org
Public media civic coverage
Investigative reporting
Tier 2Outlets known for deep-dive reporting, public records, and document-based accountability journalism.
propublica.org
Nonprofit investigative journalism
icij.org
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Industry research
Tier 3Commercial consulting and professional-services research. We cite these sparingly and only with independent corroboration.
mckinsey.com
Business and public-sector research
deloitte.com
Industry analysis and surveys
bcg.com
Boston Consulting Group insights
pwc.com
Professional services research
What the tiers mean
We score every source on a three-tier scale. Tier 1 sources are primary authorities or institutions with rigorous review. Tier 2 sources are reputable and independent. Tier 3 sources are cited with caution and corroborated by a stronger source.
Tier 1
Primary government, international bodies, peer-reviewed journals, and established academic research centers.
Tier 2
Public-service and investigative journalism with strong editorial standards and document-based reporting.
Tier 3
Commercial or industry research used only for context and always paired with independent corroboration.