Research methods · Release 2026-07-28.3
External comparisons are checks, not replacements for official evidence
This ledger records exactly which outside observations were acquired, which fields can be compared, where values agree, and which planned comparators remain unavailable.
Three spot checks are not a comprehensive accuracy study
External aggregators are comparators, not authoritative replacements for official source artifacts. Three exact roll-call spot checks cannot establish comprehensive extraction accuracy.
Current external-validation state
What has actually been compared
External observations were frozen on 2026-07-28T00:15:00-04:00. Only one of the three selected release records has a directly recorded local value for every external summary field. Missing local summary totals remain unavailable rather than being inferred.
Comparator inventory
Available and unavailable sources stay distinct
MichiganVotes
Three deliberately selected roll-call pages spanning 2021, 2023, and 2025. This is a spot check, not a comprehensive comparison.
Open source websitePlural Open / Open States
The public bulk-data description advertises per-session bill and vote archives, but the current download route redirects anonymous users to login and the Michigan landing page returned HTTP 500 during the 2026-07-28 acquisition attempt.
Open source websiteLegiScan
The bulk API requires an API key, dataset session ID, and access key. No credential or dataset snapshot is part of this release.
Open source websiteSelected MichiganVotes records
Field-by-field comparison
2021 senate · Roll call 100
4 comparable fields agree
| Field | MichiganVotes | This release | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | passed | passed | Agree |
| Yeas | 29 | 29 | Agree |
| Nays | 5 | 5 | Agree |
| Excused or not voting | 2 | 2 | Agree |
External page SHA-256: 1ff1aa03e68f03421df867a0b1c4d75e1f6bfffa74aca182a1a81bfb78983331
2023 house · Roll call 200
3 comparable fields agree
| Field | MichiganVotes | This release | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | passed | passed | Agree |
| Yeas | 105 | 105 | Agree |
| Nays | 4 | 4 | Agree |
| Excused or not voting | 1 | Not recorded | Local value not recorded |
External page SHA-256: 5acd5e5f2dc30f020e95eff67324b6fc46c0837c4512caf0c106a259d7f79574
2025 house · Roll call 80
3 comparable fields agree
| Field | MichiganVotes | This release | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | passed | passed | Agree |
| Yeas | 105 | 105 | Agree |
| Nays | 1 | 1 | Agree |
| Excused or not voting | 4 | Not recorded | Local value not recorded |
External page SHA-256: 277fab8436797823b7fee93367680677d9568e46e6a06bb1dde6c46e7e8d5b4e
Remaining work