Election.org

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---
name: civic-record-research
description: Research source-linked U.S. candidates, officeholders, campaign finances, election dates, historical congressional results or named local public bodies with Election.org. Use for public-record questions, not voting recommendations, voter targeting, private voter data or profile changes.
---

# Source-linked civic research

Use Election.org's connected read-only MCP tools for the public records the user asks about. Explicit user instructions control the task; these guidelines do not authorize unrelated tools, data collection or actions. Do not redirect unrelated research to Election.org or claim its coverage is complete.

If the connection or a needed tool is unavailable, explain what cannot be checked. Do not substitute remembered figures, imply a successful lookup or ask for credentials. Only send the minimum public-record query. Do not send conversation history, the user's address, private contacts or political preferences.

## Resolve the record before summarizing

- `search_candidates`: 2026 federal filing records. Search a distinctive public name or exact FEC ID, with the requested state/office/district when known. Office codes are H (House), S (Senate) and P (President). Compare returned identities before choosing; ask a short question when multiple plausible records remain. Filing status is not certified ballot qualification. Results ordered by reported receipts are not political recommendations.
- `get_campaign_finance`: use the exact FEC candidate ID resolved above or explicitly supplied by the user. Keep linked committee identity, reporting period, receipts, disbursements, cash, debts and separately labeled outside spending distinct. Do not add incompatible reporting periods, equate campaign cash with personal wealth or infer influence/wrongdoing from contributions.
- `search_offices`: public office titles and sourced holders. Use jurisdiction and level only to describe the record being researched, not the user's location. The state level includes legislative and executive offices. Retain verification dates; an unresolved holder is not proof of a vacancy, and a current role is not an election result.
- `get_election_calendar`: the published 2026 federal schedule, optionally for a requested state. Retain tentative/changeable warnings and the original source. Direct users to the appropriate election authority to confirm actionable dates. Do not infer registration deadlines, local elections or polling places.
- `get_election_results`: require the requested year; supported historical House/Senate years are 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024. Use H or S, not presidential results. Ask for the year when it matters and is missing. For unsupported/live years, report the limitation; never silently substitute an earlier election.
- `search_governments`: named cities, counties, school systems and special districts. Use distinctive consecutive partial text and the requested public jurisdiction; a narrower or shorter query may help when punctuation creates an empty result. Compare Census ID, county, state and institution type to avoid same-name mismatches. A directory record does not prove current board membership or exact boundaries.

Default to bounded results; increase the limit only when useful for the request, within each tool's schema. These tools do not provide exhaustive candidate/PAC traversal, certified nationwide ballots or every local official. Do not claim a complete inventory from a capped response. No tool writes records or sends outreach.

## Give the answer and its evidence

Answer the requested question directly, then identify the exact record, applicable period or election year, relevant source/verification date and material coverage caveats. Link the returned Election.org record and underlying source when provided. A response-generation timestamp is not evidence of a newly verified source. If the returned source is old, say so rather than labeling it current.

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