How Polipad works
The top layer is simple. If you want to go deeper, every step links to the full method and the sources behind it.
1. Find the real problems
We collect hard numbers from seven federal sources, then score each issue with a Gravity Score: 50 is the national average, 80+ is a genuine crisis. So you can tell a real emergency from business as usual.
2. Check the story against the facts
We read the coverage and score how the same issue is talked about. The Perception Gap is the distance between the two. A big gap means the narrative and the numbers have come apart — sometimes a hidden crisis, sometimes an inflated fear.
3a. WATT — how a leader comes across
WATT reads thousands of articles about a candidate and scores them on 40 timeless leadership traits — honesty, courage, empathy, decisiveness and more. Praise from an opposing outlet counts for more than applause from a friendly one. It’s a perception score, not a verdict on ability.
3b. E-Score — what the record proves
The E-Score looks past the coverage to the hard record: votes, bills, committee work, funding. It maps a candidate’s track record onto your state’s actual problems to estimate what they could really get done.
Perfect objectivity isn’t possible. So we promise the next best thing.
Transparency
Every score traces back to a named, public source you can check yourself.
Consistency
The exact same process runs for every candidate and every state — no thumb on the scale.