DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As voters turn to artificial intelligence to research politics, Vote Smart board member and educator Elise Blum and Executive Director Dr. Kyle Dell are urging citizens to examine the sources, standards, and incentives behind the answers they receive.

In their opinion essay, “Preserving Human Agency in an Age of A.I. & Democracy,” Blum and Dr. Dell argue that AI can make political research more accessible while preserving voters’ responsibility to question evidence, weigh competing perspectives, and reach their own conclusions.

The full essay is attached to this release.

“The answer isn’t to reject artificial intelligence,” Dr. Dell and Blum write. “A.I. can research. A.I. can describe. A.I. can compare. A.I. can provide context. But only citizens should judge.”

The authors argue that accuracy is essential, but it is only part of the challenge. The institutions that create AI tools, along with their choices about sources and presentation, also shape what citizens see and understand. Voters should ask who assembled the information behind an answer, what standards guided its selection, and whose incentives informed those decisions.

“Democracy depends on people being willing to examine evidence, question assumptions, and consider perspectives they do not already share,” they write.

The essay describes Vote Smart’s Civic Sage as one approach to connecting AI with human-curated political research. Drawing on Vote Smart’s database, Civic Sage helps users explore candidates’ and elected officials’ voting records, public statements, and ratings from advocacy organizations representing different viewpoints.

For example, a voter asking whether a senator is “good on immigration” is asking for a judgment. The authors describe an approach that instead presents relevant votes, legislative context, and differing perspectives so the voter can assess the record.

Blum and Dr. Dell also acknowledge the limits of the technology: models can make mistakes, integrating new information requires ongoing work, and human oversight remains necessary.

Their central argument is that trustworthy information and independent judgment must develop together. AI can help citizens research, compare, and understand political information; citizens should decide what that information means.

About the Authors

Elise Blum is Assistant Head of School for TK–12 Programming at TVT Community Day School and a board member of Vote Smart.

Dr. Kyle Dell is Executive Director of Vote Smart.

About Vote Smart

Vote Smart provides free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to all Americans. For more than 30 years, Vote Smart has collected and organized political information to help voters investigate those who govern and those seeking public office.

Resources

Explore Civic Sage
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Media Contact

Lauren Swan
Vote Smart
lswan@votesmart.org

Journalists can request complimentary Civic Sage access at the email above.

A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/04add418-bdd4-4338-b39c-6de9008c654e