THE KNOWLEDGE, AUTHORITY, AND TRANSPARENCY AMENDMENT¶
A Proposal to Establish a Constitutional Foundation for Federal Candidate and Officer Knowledge Assessment¶
Revision 1.0¶
This Amendment may be cited as the Knowledge, Authority, and Transparency Amendment.
PREAMBLE¶
The authority of the federal government over the lives of the American people is vast, consequential, and growing. Those who seek and hold that authority govern a nation of hundreds of millions, command the most powerful military on earth, administer expenditures that rival the economies of nations, and make decisions whose consequences extend across generations. The American people are entitled to know whether those who ask for their votes and those who are appointed to serve in their name possess the knowledge these offices require.
The purpose of this Amendment is not to restrict who may seek federal office or who may serve. It is to ensure that voters and the Senate have access to objective, publicly disclosed information about the knowledge of those who seek and hold federal authority. No score shall bar any person from any office. No examination shall serve any purpose other than the purpose of informing the public. The power to choose belongs to the people, and this Amendment exists to make that choice more informed.
The Federal Candidate Assessment Office established and protected by this Amendment is a permanent institution of the American republic. It may be strengthened. It may be improved. It may be expanded. It may not be abolished, diminished, or rendered toothless except by the people themselves acting through the amendment process this Constitution prescribes. It exists to serve the people's right to know, and it shall continue to serve that right for as long as this Amendment stands.
PART I: PURPOSE AND FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES¶
Section 1. Purpose¶
The purpose of this Amendment is to establish a constitutional foundation for the assessment and public disclosure of the knowledge possessed by persons who seek or exercise federal public authority. The offices of the federal government command authority over the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans and the security of the nation. The public is entitled to know whether those who seek and hold such authority possess the knowledge those offices require.
Section 2. Transparency, Not Qualification¶
(a) Non-Qualifying Principle¶
The knowledge assessment system established and authorized by this Amendment is a transparency mechanism. It is not a qualifying examination. No minimum score shall be required for ballot access, confirmation, appointment, succession, or service in any federal office. No person eligible for a federal office under the Constitution and laws of the United States shall be denied that eligibility on account of any score achieved or not achieved under this Amendment.
(b) Voter and Institutional Information¶
The sole purpose of assessment under this Amendment is to provide objective, publicly disclosed information to voters making electoral decisions and to the Senate in the exercise of its confirmation responsibilities. Assessment scores are instruments of democratic transparency, not instruments of gatekeeping authority.
Section 3. Scope¶
This Amendment applies to:
- Candidates for elected federal office as specified in Part III;
- Persons in the line of presidential succession as specified in Part IV;
- Principal officers subject to Senate confirmation, as Congress may provide by law consistent with Part IV.
Section 4. Knowledge, Not Ideology¶
All assessments authorized by this Amendment shall test knowledge of governmental structures, processes, laws, authorities, and responsibilities relevant to the office or position in question. No assessment shall test policy preferences, ideological viewpoints, or partisan positions. Every question shall have a correct answer determinable by reference to the Constitution, federal law, established governmental procedure, or documented historical fact, independent of the political views of any examiner or candidate.
PART II: THE FEDERAL CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT OFFICE¶
Section 1. Establishment¶
There is hereby established as an independent agency of the United States the Federal Candidate Assessment Office. The Office shall administer all knowledge assessments authorized or required by this Amendment and by laws enacted pursuant to it. The Office shall not be placed within any executive department and shall not be subject to direction or supervision by the President, any Cabinet officer, or any officer of the legislative or judicial branch in the exercise of its assessment, scoring, or disclosure functions.
Section 2. Governance¶
(a) Commission¶
The Office shall be governed by a Commission of odd-numbered membership, the size of which shall be established by law. The Commission shall have final authority over examination content, scoring standards, and public disclosure protocols.
(b) Appointment Principles¶
The following principles shall govern all appointments to the Commission and shall not be abridged by law:
- No single appointing authority shall hold the power to appoint a majority of Commission members;
- Appointments shall be distributed across no fewer than three appointing authorities drawn from separate branches of the federal government;
- No appointing authority shall hold appointment power disproportionate to the others to a degree that would allow unilateral control of Commission action.
(c) Partisan Composition¶
At no time shall members affiliated with any single political party constitute more than a bare majority of the total Commission membership. Congress shall by law define the method for determining member affiliation and establishing compliance with this requirement.
(d) Terms and Staggering¶
Commission members shall serve fixed terms of sufficient length to span multiple electoral cycles. Terms shall be staggered so that no single President may appoint a majority of Commission members during a single term of office. The specific term length and staggering schedule shall be established by law consistent with these principles.
(e) For-Cause Removal Standard¶
No Commission member shall be removed from office except for cause. Cause shall be limited to malfeasance, neglect of duty, or conduct rendering the member unfit for office. Policy disagreement, examination content disputes, or the preferences of any appointing authority shall not constitute cause.
(f) Supermajority Removal¶
Removal of a Commission member shall require the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the remaining Commission membership, as established by law. No Commission member shall be removed by unilateral action of any appointing authority.
Section 3. Decision Thresholds¶
(a) Supermajority Requirements¶
The following Commission actions shall require approval by a supermajority of the total Commission membership, the specific threshold for which shall be established by law:
- Adoption, revision, or retirement of any examination question or scoring rubric;
- Adoption or revision of content domain specifications;
- Removal of a Commission member;
- Any action altering the non-qualifying character of any assessment.
(b) Quorum¶
The Commission shall not take official action without a quorum of its membership present, as established by law. The quorum requirement shall be set at a level that prevents action by a bare partisan faction.
Section 4. Funding and Independence¶
The Office shall be funded through a dedicated mechanism established by law, structured to insulate its operations from the ordinary annual appropriations process. Congress shall not reduce or withhold funding from the Office as a means of influencing examination content, scoring standards, or disclosure practices.
Section 5. Public Accountability¶
The Office shall publish all examination content outlines, scoring criteria, domain specifications, and performance standards as public records. No examination question in active use need be disclosed, but all retired questions shall become public record upon removal from active use. The Office shall report annually to Congress and the public on examination validity, administration, statistical outcomes, and Commission activities.
Section 6. Statutory Framework¶
The provisions of this Part establish the constitutional principles governing the Office. Congress shall enact implementing legislation consistent with these principles. Existing statutory frameworks governing the Office shall remain in force as implementing legislation to the extent consistent with this Amendment, until superseded by conforming legislation enacted pursuant to this Part.
PART III: ELECTED CANDIDATES¶
Section 1. Requirement for Elected Federal Candidates¶
Every candidate for elected federal office shall complete a knowledge assessment administered by the Office before appearing on any official ballot. No candidate shall appear on any official ballot without a valid assessment score on file with the Office and disclosed to the public in accordance with this Part.
Section 2. Office-Specific Assessments¶
The Office shall administer separate knowledge assessments calibrated to the responsibilities of each federal elected office. Assessments shall increase in scope, depth, and duration proportionally with the authority and responsibility of the office sought. The specific structure, content domains, duration, and format of each assessment shall be established by law consistent with the principles of this Amendment.
Section 3. Non-Qualifying Principle¶
No minimum score shall be required for ballot access or for service in any elected federal office. A candidate achieving any score, including a score of zero, shall not be denied ballot access on account of that score. This section reaffirms the foundational principle stated in Part I, Section 2, and shall be construed to prohibit any construction of this Amendment or any implementing legislation that would render any assessment score a condition of eligibility for elected federal office.
Section 4. Score Disclosure¶
(a) Public Disclosure¶
All assessment scores shall be publicly disclosed. Scores shall appear on official ballots adjacent to each candidate's name, in all official voter guides and election materials, and in a publicly accessible database maintained by the Office.
(b) Highest Score Rule¶
When a candidate has completed an assessment on more than one occasion, the official score for all governmental disclosure purposes shall be the highest score achieved across all attempts. No government actor, election official, or implementing agency shall publish, report, or disclose any prior score as the candidate's official score once a higher score has been achieved. This rule applies to all official uses including ballots, voter guides, official databases, and election materials.
(c) Format¶
The Office shall establish a standardized disclosure format ensuring that scores are immediately visible and legible to voters. No state or jurisdiction may alter the format, reduce the prominence, or otherwise impair the visibility of assessment scores in official election materials.
(d) Statutory Scoring Rules¶
Congress shall by law establish additional rules governing score reporting consistent with the highest score rule established in subsection (b) and the transparency principles of this Amendment.
Section 5. Recertification¶
Congress shall by law establish recertification requirements for incumbents seeking reelection or continued service, consistent with the principles of this Amendment. Recertification assessments shall follow the same scoring, disclosure, and highest score rules applicable to initial assessments.
Section 6. Score Validity¶
Assessment scores shall remain valid for a period established by law. Congress shall establish score validity periods calibrated to the responsibilities of each office and the rate at which relevant knowledge domains may change.
Section 7. Accessibility¶
The Office shall ensure that assessments are accessible to all candidates regardless of disability, geographic location, or economic circumstance. No fee structure shall operate as a barrier to assessment access for any qualified candidate.
PART IV: SUCCESSION AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS¶
Section 1. Vice Presidential Candidate¶
The candidate nominated for Vice President of the United States shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment administered by the Office before the general election in which they appear as a candidate. The Vice Presidential candidate's assessment score shall be publicly disclosed alongside the Presidential candidate's score in all official election materials. All provisions of Part III governing score disclosure, the highest score rule, format requirements, and accessibility apply to Vice Presidential candidates.
Section 2. Presidential Succession Assessment Requirement¶
(a) Covered Officers¶
The following officers shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment administered by the Office within one hundred eighty days of assuming their respective positions:
- The officer first in the line of presidential succession after the Vice President, under the succession order established by law at the time of inauguration;
- The officer second in the line of presidential succession after the Vice President, under the succession order established by law at the time of inauguration;
- Any officer formally designated as the designated survivor pursuant to law or established practice.
(b) Mid-Term Replacement¶
Where any officer covered under subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) is replaced during a presidential term by an officer who does not have a valid current assessment score on file with the Office, the replacing officer shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment within one hundred eighty days of assuming the covered position. The one hundred eighty day clock begins upon the date the replacing officer assumes the position, not upon the date of the original inauguration.
(c) Recurring Requirement¶
The assessment requirement under this Section attaches upon each assumption of a covered position. An officer who has previously completed the Presidential knowledge assessment and subsequently assumes a covered position shall complete a current version of the assessment within one hundred eighty days of assuming that position unless a valid current score is already on file with the Office.
(d) Designated Survivor¶
The assessment requirement attaches to each formal designation as designated survivor. An officer designated as designated survivor on multiple occasions shall complete the assessment within one hundred eighty days of each designation unless a valid current score from a prior designation remains on file and current under the validity period established by law.
(e) Disclosure¶
Scores obtained under this Section shall be publicly disclosed by the Office and made available to the Senate. Scores under this Section are instruments of institutional transparency and shall not be used for any electoral purpose.
Section 3. Constitutional Floor¶
(a) Non-Reduction Principle¶
The assessment requirements established in Sections 1 and 2 of this Part constitute a constitutional floor. Congress may by law extend assessment requirements to additional officers subject to Senate confirmation, including officers not covered by Section 2. Congress may not reduce, waive, or eliminate the requirements established in Sections 1 and 2.
(b) Expansion Authority¶
In exercising its expansion authority under this Section, Congress shall ensure that any assessment extended to additional officers is calibrated to the knowledge domains relevant to the office or position in question, consistent with the principles of Part I, Section 4.
(c) Confirmation Record¶
Assessment scores obtained by officers subject to Senate confirmation under this Part or pursuant to Congressional expansion under subsection (b) shall be made part of the official confirmation record and publicly disclosed in connection with confirmation proceedings.
(d) Non-Qualifying Principle¶
No assessment score obtained under this Part shall constitute a condition of succession, confirmation, appointment, designation, or service. This Section reaffirms the foundational principle stated in Part I, Section 2, and shall be construed to prohibit any construction of this Amendment or implementing legislation that would render any assessment score a barrier to any officer assuming or exercising the powers of any federal position.
PART V: CORE PRINCIPLES AND CONSTITUTIONAL FLOOR¶
Section 1. Principles Binding on Congress and the Office¶
The following principles are binding on Congress in enacting implementing legislation and on the Office in administering assessments under this Amendment. No provision of law, regulation, administrative action, or Office decision shall be construed to permit departure from these principles. Where any provision of law conflicts with these principles, the principles stated in this Part shall govern.
Section 2. Knowledge Without Ideology¶
(a) Content Neutrality¶
All assessments administered under this Amendment shall test knowledge of governmental structures, processes, laws, authorities, and responsibilities. No assessment shall test, measure, reward, or penalize any policy preference, ideological viewpoint, partisan position, or political opinion. This prohibition applies to every question, every scoring rubric, and every content domain specification adopted by the Office.
(b) Objective Answerability¶
Every assessment question shall have a correct answer determinable by reference to the Constitution of the United States, federal law, established governmental procedure, or documented historical fact. No question shall be included in any assessment for which the correct answer depends on the political views, interpretive philosophy, or ideological commitments of any examiner, scorer, or candidate. A question that cannot be answered correctly without reference to partisan or ideological commitments shall not be used.
(c) Bias Prohibition¶
The Office shall actively monitor assessments for cultural, demographic, and linguistic bias. Any question found to systematically disadvantage candidates on the basis of characteristics unrelated to knowledge of the subject matter shall be removed from active use. Congress shall by law establish procedures for bias review consistent with professional psychometric standards.
Section 3. Transparency Without Gatekeeping¶
(a) Information Function¶
The knowledge assessment system established by this Amendment serves an information function only. It exists to enrich the environment in which voters make electoral decisions and in which the Senate exercises its confirmation responsibilities. It does not restrict, condition, or qualify the democratic choices available to voters or the constitutional discretion of the Senate. Nothing in this Amendment shall be construed to give the Office, the Congress, or any other authority the power to exclude any person from any federal office on the basis of any assessment score.
(b) Permanent Non-Qualifying Character¶
The non-qualifying character of all assessments under this Amendment is permanent. Congress may not, by statute, regulation, or any other means, impose a minimum score requirement, establish a passing threshold, or otherwise transform any assessment authorized or required by this Amendment into a qualifying examination. Any provision of law purporting to condition ballot access, confirmation, appointment, succession, or service upon any assessment score is void and of no force. The power to exclude a candidate or officer on the basis of an assessment score does not exist under this Amendment, has not been granted to Congress or the Office, and shall not be inferred from any provision of this Amendment or of any implementing legislation.
Section 4. Openness and Public Access¶
(a) Universal Access to Study Materials¶
The Office shall make all examination content outlines, domain specifications, practice assessments, and retired questions publicly available at no cost. No candidate and no member of the public shall face a financial barrier to preparation for any assessment administered under this Amendment. The availability of commercial preparation services shall not diminish the Office's obligation to provide comprehensive public study materials sufficient for genuine preparation.
(b) Preparation Equity¶
A candidate relying solely on publicly available materials provided by the Office shall have a genuine and reasonable opportunity to prepare for any assessment. The Office shall not design, structure, or administer assessments in a manner that systematically advantages candidates with access to commercial preparation resources over candidates relying on public materials alone.
Section 5. Institutional Durability¶
(a) Anti-Capture Principle¶
The governance structure of the Office shall at all times be designed and maintained to resist capture by any single political faction, appointing authority, or partisan interest. No provision of law shall be construed to permit any single faction to exercise controlling influence over examination content, scoring standards, or disclosure practices. The independence of the Office is a permanent structural feature of the federal government and shall not be diminished by ordinary legislation.
(b) Continuity of Operations¶
The Office shall maintain continuity of assessment operations across presidential transitions, changes in congressional majorities, and periods of political conflict. No political circumstance, electoral outcome, or change in governmental control shall justify the suspension, interruption, or degradation of assessment administration or score disclosure obligations.
(c) Permanence of the Office¶
The Federal Candidate Assessment Office is a permanent institution of the federal government. It may not be abolished, dissolved, merged into another agency, stripped of its core functions, or otherwise eliminated except by amendment to this Constitution. The core functions of the Office -- assessment administration, score disclosure, and public reporting -- shall not be suspended, transferred, or eliminated by any act of Congress, executive action, or judicial order. Only the people of the United States, acting through the amendment process established in Article V of this Constitution, may alter or abolish the Office and the functions this Amendment assigns to it.
(d) Congressional Authority to Improve¶
Congress retains full authority to improve, expand, refine, and strengthen the assessment system established by this Amendment. The permanence provisions of this Section do not limit Congress from making the system better. They limit Congress from making the system disappear. No exercise of Congressional authority under this Section shall reduce the scope, frequency, accessibility, or public disclosure obligations of the assessment system below the floor established by this Amendment.
PART VI: STATUTORY RELATIONSHIP¶
Section 1. Supremacy of This Amendment¶
This Amendment is the supreme governing authority for all matters within its scope. All implementing legislation, agency regulations, administrative rules, and Office policies shall be consistent with this Amendment. Where any provision of implementing legislation conflicts with this Amendment, this Amendment governs.
Section 2. Preservation of Existing Statutory Framework¶
Any statute in force at the time of ratification of this Amendment that establishes, governs, or funds the Federal Candidate Assessment Office or any predecessor assessment mechanism shall remain in force as implementing legislation to the extent consistent with this Amendment. Congress shall, within four years of ratification, review all such statutes and enact conforming legislation bringing the statutory framework into full alignment with this Amendment. Until such conforming legislation is enacted, existing statutes shall be construed to the maximum extent possible in a manner consistent with this Amendment.
Section 3. Congressional Obligation to Legislate¶
Congress shall enact implementing legislation sufficient to give full operational effect to this Amendment. The absence of implementing legislation shall not excuse non-compliance with the requirements of this Amendment, suspend the obligations of the Office, or delay the disclosure rights of voters and the Senate established herein. Where implementing legislation is absent or inadequate, the principles and requirements of this Amendment shall operate as self-executing provisions to the extent necessary to preserve its core functions. Any legislative action that repeals, suspends, or impairs existing implementing legislation without simultaneously enacting substitute legislation consistent with this Amendment shall be void as applied to the core functions of the Office established by this Amendment.
Section 4. Limits on Legislative Authority¶
Congress may by law establish, modify, and refine the operational details of the assessment system, including examination structure, content domains, scoring methodology, score validity periods, retake intervals, fee structures, testing center requirements, and accessibility standards. Congress may not by law alter the principles established in Parts I through V of this Amendment. The line between operational detail and constitutional principle is drawn by the text of this Amendment, not by Congressional determination.
Section 5. Judicial Review¶
(a) Standard of Review¶
Courts reviewing challenges to implementing legislation or Office actions under this Amendment shall give no deference to any Congressional or administrative determination that a provision is consistent with this Amendment where that determination implicates the core principles established in Parts I through V. The non-qualifying character of assessments, the permanence of the Office, the independence of the Commission, and the public disclosure obligations established by this Amendment are not matters of legislative discretion and shall not be reviewed under deferential standards.
(b) Severability of Implementing Legislation¶
If any provision of implementing legislation is found inconsistent with this Amendment, that provision shall be severed and the remainder of the implementing legislation shall continue in force to the extent consistent with this Amendment.
PART VII: TRANSITION AND EFFECTIVE DATE¶
Section 1. Effective Date¶
(a) General Effective Date¶
This Amendment takes effect on the first day of January following two years after ratification, except as otherwise provided in this Part.
(b) Early Operability¶
Where the Federal Candidate Assessment Office is already operating under existing statutory authority at the time of ratification, the Office shall continue operations without interruption. The constitutional protections established by this Amendment attach to the Office and its functions immediately upon ratification, without waiting for the general effective date. No action taken against the Office, its Commission, or its functions during the transition period shall be inconsistent with the permanence and independence principles established in Parts II and V.
Section 2. Transition for Elected Candidate Requirements¶
(a) First Applicable Election¶
The assessment requirements established in Part III apply to candidates appearing on ballots in any federal election held after the general effective date established in Section 1(a).
(b) Incumbent Transition¶
Incumbent officeholders serving at the time of the general effective date are not required to complete an assessment as a condition of continued service. Recertification requirements established by Congress under Part III, Section 5 shall not apply to incumbents until the recertification window applicable to their office opens after the general effective date.
(c) Existing Scores¶
Any assessment score validly obtained under existing statutory authority prior to the general effective date shall be treated as a valid score under this Amendment, subject to the score validity periods established by implementing legislation.
Section 3. Transition for Succession and Executive Officer Requirements¶
(a) Officers in Position at Ratification¶
Any officer occupying a covered position under Part IV at the time of ratification who does not have a valid assessment score on file shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment within one hundred eighty days of the general effective date established in Section 1(a).
(b) Officers Assuming Position During Transition Period¶
Any officer assuming a covered position under Part IV during the period between ratification and the general effective date shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment within one hundred eighty days of the general effective date or within one hundred eighty days of assuming the covered position, whichever is later.
(c) Designated Survivors During Transition¶
Any officer formally designated as designated survivor during the transition period shall complete the Presidential knowledge assessment within one hundred eighty days of the general effective date or within one hundred eighty days of the designation, whichever is later.
Section 4. Congressional Conformance Obligation¶
Congress shall review all existing statutory frameworks governing the Federal Candidate Assessment Office within four years of ratification and enact conforming legislation bringing those frameworks into full alignment with this Amendment. During the conformance period, existing statutory frameworks shall remain in force and shall be construed to the maximum extent possible in a manner consistent with this Amendment. The conformance obligation does not suspend the self-executing provisions of Part VI, Section 3.
Section 5. Superseded Provisions¶
This Amendment does not supersede any provision of the Constitution as previously amended. It operates alongside existing constitutional provisions governing federal office qualifications, presidential succession, and Senate confirmation authority. Where any provision of this Amendment touches matters addressed by other constitutional provisions, the two shall be construed harmoniously. In the event of irreconcilable conflict, the more specific provision shall govern.
Section 6. Severability¶
If any provision of this Amendment or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalidity of any single provision shall not impair the operation of the core functions established by this Amendment.
Section 7. Congressional Enforcement¶
Congress shall have power to enforce this Amendment by appropriate legislation consistent with the principles established in Parts I through VI.
Revision history available in the raw file.
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Last revised April 2026
Prepared by Albert Ramos for The American Policy Architecture Institute