

Real-time AI transparency for We the People. Track votes, bills, & lobbyist money. Hold representatives accountable. A republic if we can keep it.
A Civic Field Guide

Forms of Government
What America is
The United States is a Constitutional Republic that uses democratic elections. Democracy, republic, oligarchy, monarchy, theocracy, and the rest — what they actually mean, where they showed up, and how those systems treated power.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.
James Madison, Federalist No. 51 (1788)
Madison is saying the ultimate check on government power is you — the people watching and voting. But he also knew that's not enough on its own. We need built-in safeguards like separated powers and checks and balances.
Your representative votes on bills that affect your daily life — spending, taxes, rights. Look up how your House member and senators are voting this week. If you don't like what you see, tell them.
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Latest from Congress
Trending this week
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
HR 8800To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
DLARA
HR 4238DLARA

Ask about our Founding Documents
Ask a question. Get a plain-English answer from America's founding texts.
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Road to Independence
Meet the founders and the battles that shaped a nation

November 3, 2026 · Election Day



