FAQ

Is WhyTho affiliated with any political party?

No. WhyTho is an independent civic tech project run by Quinnivations LLC. We track all elected officials regardless of party and apply the same accountability standards to everyone.

Are the politicians on here real?

Yes. All profiles are generated from public government data sources — Congress.gov, OpenStates, and official state records. Politicians don't need to "sign up" to have a profile.

What does "silence is its own answer" mean?

It means that when a politician doesn't respond to qualifying questions, that non-response is recorded and displayed permanently. There's no neutral option — ignoring questions is a choice that shows on their public record.

Do I need to sign in to ask questions or vote?

You need a free account (anonymous, Google, or email) to submit questions and vote. This prevents spam and ensures each person votes once. Reading profiles and questions is always open.

How many questions can I ask per week?

You can submit up to 5 questions per day total, and up to 3 questions per politician per 24-hour window. This keeps the platform focused on quality over quantity.

What makes a question "qualifying"?

A question becomes qualifying when it reaches 10+ net upvotes (upvotes minus downvotes). Only qualifying questions count toward a politician's response rate.

What happens to my question at the weekly reset?

Your question is archived. It won't appear on the politician's active feed anymore, but it's always accessible through their profile's question history. The week's response rate is locked in permanently.

Can I ask about anything?

Questions must relate to a politician's public duties, policies, or public statements. Personal attacks, harassment, and off-topic content are removed. We use both automated filters and human moderation.

How is the response rate calculated?

Response rate = (qualifying questions answered) / (total qualifying questions) × 100. Only questions with 10+ net votes count. If a politician has no qualifying questions in a week, that week doesn't affect their rate.

Can a politician's historical response rate change?

No. Once a week's scores are locked in at Monday reset, they're permanent. A politician cannot go back and answer archived questions to change their historical record.

What if a politician answered the question somewhere else — a press conference, tweet, etc.?

Verified politicians and their teams can link public statements as answer sources. Alternatively, our AI analysis scans public record and may note if a related statement exists — but this is clearly labeled as AI analysis, not a direct answer.

How do I claim my profile?

Go to /verify, search for your name, and click "Claim this profile." You'll need to create a free account first. After claiming (Tier 1), you can start the verification process to get the Verified checkmark.

What verification methods are available?

Government email address (.gov domain), FEC ID verification, social media code post, Stripe Identity (ID check), or website meta tag. Any two of these grant Tier 2 Verified status.

Does participating in WhyTho endorse it?

No. Claiming your profile and answering questions means you're engaging with your constituents — it doesn't imply endorsement of the platform or any political position.

Can I dispute an AI-generated analysis?

Yes. If an AI analysis of public record is inaccurate, verified politicians can flag it for review. Disputed content is marked with a ⚠️ warning until our team reviews it within 48 hours.

How do you handle abusive or off-topic questions?

Questions are filtered for profanity automatically. Users can report questions. Questions that receive 3+ reports are automatically hidden pending review. Our moderation team reviews flagged content.

Can I report a question?

Yes — there's a report button on every question card. Select the reason (spam, offensive, off-topic, duplicate, or other) and we'll review it.

What are the AI-generated questions I see?

Some questions are pre-seeded by our system from public record to ensure each politician has at least a few relevant questions on their profile. These are always labeled "📋 Suggested Question — AI-generated from public record" and treated like any other question.