what they do
We score what they do — not just what they say.
We score what they do, not just what they say. Every answer a candidate gives us is recorded. When they take office, we hold that answer against their actual voting record. Keep your word and your score holds. Break it and your score drops before the next election. This scorecard follows a candidate for their entire career.
Editorial Standards
How we score
We The Vetted is an openly conservative voter guide. We grade Republican candidates against a constitutional-originalist standard — the Second Amendment first, plus the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Tenth Amendments. We do not score Democratic candidates. Every rating is our own editorial assessment based on public records, votes, and candidate statements. No rating can be bought.
We The Vetted rates the Republican nominee in each Illinois race on how they stand for the Constitution — the Second Amendment first, plus core First, Fourth, Fifth, and Tenth Amendment principles. Every rating is our own editorial judgment. Here is exactly how we do it, so you can weigh it for yourself.
Because the primaries are settled, each race is one Republican against one Democrat. On a candidate's profile we also summarize where their Democrat opponent stands — drawn from that opponent's own public positions and statements, with our disapproval clearly stated as opinion. We only assign a 1–10 score to Republicans; the opponent summary is context, not a rating.
The iron rule: scores can't be bought
No candidate, business, or advertiser can pay to change a score, add a point, or remove one. Paid products — banner ads, business directory listings, and a candidate's optional “Verified Campaign” page — change visibility and self-presentation only. The scorecard is independent of everyone who pays us, and it stays that way. That independence is the entire point of this guide.
The 1–10 scale
Each issue is scored from 1 to 10, where 10 means a candidate is a clear champion of that right and 1 means they actively work against it. We average the issues within each amendment, then combine those amendment scores into one overall grade using a weighted average — the Second Amendment is weighted 3× heavier than the other amendments, because it is our primary standard.
The overall grade maps to a tier:
- 9.0–10 — Constitution Champion
- 7.0–8.9 — Reliable Republican
- 4.0–6.9 — Mixed Record
- 1.0–3.9 — RINO (Republican In Name Only)
How scores carry forward
A questionnaire answer isn't just an answer — it's a commitment. We store it permanently and treat it as a promise the candidate made to voters. A score isn't a one-time grade; it follows a candidate for their entire career.
- Answers are commitments. Every questionnaire answer is stored permanently and treated as a promise on the record.
- We check the votes. After each legislative session we review roll-call votes, sponsorships, and public statements against those commitments.
- Each promise gets a verdict — kept, partial, broken, pending, or no opportunity. No opportunity means the issue never came to a vote, and it carries no penalty.
- Broken promises lower the score. A broken commitment reduces the relevant amendment sub-score, which flows into the overall grade and can move a candidate down a tier — from Reliable Republican toward RINO.
- Kept promises can raise it. Standing by a commitment on a contested vote can move a score up.
- Every verdict has a receipt. We never publish a kept, partial, or broken label without at least one public source link. Until we have one, the promise reads Under review.
You can see this on any incumbent's profile: a Promise Record grouped by issue, and a score-history timeline showing how their grade has moved cycle to cycle. Candidates who believe a verdict is based on incorrect facts may submit a correction (below); we fix factual errors promptly.
What we base scores on
- • Recorded votes and sponsored or co-sponsored legislation.
- • Public statements, campaign materials, and official positions.
- • The candidate's own answers to our public questionnaire.
- • Direct conversations and endorsements where available.
These are our opinions, drawn from the public record — not a paid endorsement and not coordinated with any campaign. Where a candidate hasn't returned our questionnaire, we say so on their profile.
The issues we grade
Each amendment has its own deep-dive on what's at stake in Illinois — browse all the issues we grade.
- PICA — the “Assault Weapons” Ban & RegistrySupports full repeal of the Protect Illinois Communities Act and opposes gun/magazine registration.
- FOID Card RepealSupports repealing or dismantling the FOID card scheme as an unconstitutional pre-condition on a right.
- Red Flag Laws (Firearm Restraining Orders)Opposes expanding red-flag / FRO seizures and defends due-process protections.
- SAFE-T Act & Criminal-Justice FalloutBacks restoring real consequences for violent and armed offenders.
- Concealed & Constitutional CarrySupports expanding carry rights, shall-issue, and constitutional (permitless) carry.
- Magazine Capacity LimitsOpposes magazine-capacity caps and supports repealing existing limits.
- Carry Restrictions & “Sensitive Places”Opposes sprawling gun-free / “sensitive place” zones that gut a carry license.
- FFL, Dealer & Manufacturer RegulationSupports Illinois gun shops, gunsmiths, and manufacturers against licensing, tax, and liability attacks.
- Ammunition Taxes & RegistrationOpposes ammo taxes, serialization, and point-of-sale registration schemes.
- Waiting Periods & Purchase LimitsOpposes waiting periods, one-gun-a-month, and other purchase-throttling mandates.
- Free Speech & Anti-CensorshipDefends free political and personal speech; opposes government pressure on platforms to censor lawful speech.
- Religious Liberty & ConscienceProtects free exercise of religion and conscience rights against government mandates.
- Debanking & Platform CensorshipOpposes debanking, deplatforming, and demonetizing firearm businesses, gun-rights groups, and lawful firearm speech.
- Right to Assemble & Organize for Gun RightsProtects 2A rallies, gun shows, clubs, and advocacy groups from government harassment or shutdown.
- No Compelled Anti-Gun SpeechOpposes forcing gun stores or owners to post, fund, or distribute government anti-gun messaging.
- Privacy & Warrantless SurveillanceOpposes warrantless surveillance, mass data collection, and tracking of law-abiding citizens.
- No Firearm Registry or DatabaseOpposes any government registry or database of firearm owners, firearms, or ammunition.
- No Financial Surveillance of Gun BuyersOpposes credit-card merchant codes and financial tracking of firearm and ammunition purchases.
- No Warrantless Storage InspectionsOpposes warrantless home inspections for “safe storage” or compliance; supports a real warrant requirement.
- No Surveillance at Gun VenuesOpposes license-plate readers, geofence warrants, and purchased location data used to surveil gun stores, ranges, and shows.
- Due Process & Civil Asset ForfeitureDefends due process and property rights; opposes taking property without a criminal conviction.
- Due Process Before Any Gun SeizureOpposes confiscating firearms without notice and a fair hearing first.
- Restoration of Second Amendment RightsSupports restoring gun rights to those who completed their sentences and pose no danger; opposes permanent loss without conviction.
- No Uncompensated Takings / Contraband LawsOpposes turning lawfully owned firearms or magazines into contraband or forcing their surrender.
- Tenth Amendment & Federal Gun OverreachSupports Tenth Amendment limits on federal power; opposes unelected agencies like the ATF writing gun rules Congress never passed.
- Second Amendment Sanctuary ProtectionsSupports state and local refusal to enforce unconstitutional federal gun laws.
- State Firearm PreemptionSupports uniform statewide gun law so anti-gun localities can't impose a patchwork of restrictions.
- Constitutional Fidelity & Oath of OfficeTreats the Constitution as binding law and votes against measures that plainly exceed it.
Corrections & candidate responses
If you're a candidate or voter and believe a score is based on incorrect facts, tell us. We correct factual errors promptly and give every candidate a standing invitation to go on the record through our questionnaire.