Candidate Verification and Transparency Act¶
Policy Introduction¶
Published January 2026¶
Based on Rev 1.2 of the Candidate Verification and Transparency Act
The Candidate Verification and Transparency Act (CVTA) establishes a permanent, independent federal agency responsible for verifying and publishing factual records about individuals seeking federal elective office. The Act creates standardized processes for confirming objective documentary information -- identity, citizenship, residency, education, employment, military service, and court records -- while maintaining strict limits on governmental authority.
The framework addresses a gap in existing electoral infrastructure: no systematic process currently exists for verifying basic biographical claims made by federal candidates. Verification occurs informally through adversarial discovery by campaigns and media, producing inconsistent, fragmented, and unequal access to factual information. The CVTA establishes uniform procedures applied equally to all candidates regardless of party, ideology, or electoral viability.
The Act is explicitly informational rather than regulatory. Verification findings do not affect ballot access or constitutional eligibility. Voters receive authenticated information; they remain the sole decision-makers about who should serve. The government's role is confined to confirming facts and publishing findings -- not evaluating candidates or restricting political participation.
Key Components¶
Federal Candidate Verification Agency (Title I) -- Establishes an independent agency outside executive branch control, with a mission limited to verifying documentary records, compiling standardized reports, and publishing findings for public use.
Verification Scope and Limits (Titles II and IV) -- Defines eight objective documentary domains subject to verification: identity and citizenship, age, residency, education, employment history, military service, criminal and civil court records, and financial disclosure consistency. Explicitly prohibits inquiry into political ideology, religious beliefs, personal relationships, loyalty, or moral character.
Candidate Authorization for Third-Party Records (Title IV, Section 406) -- Establishes a consent-based system for accessing records held by educational institutions, employers, licensing boards, and military repositories. Candidates may authorize or decline release; verification reports reflect the outcome transparently through standardized status notations.
Federal Candidate Eligibility Panel (Title III) -- Creates a separate judicial body within the federal judiciary to adjudicate constitutional eligibility disputes. The Panel holds exclusive jurisdiction over questions of age, citizenship, residency, and constitutional qualifications. Referrals come from the Agency or through citizen petition.
Constitutional Safeguards (Title VI) -- Prohibits the Agency from regulating political speech, imposing ideological tests, or exercising investigative powers such as subpoenas or surveillance. Establishes that verification is not a qualification for office and may not be construed as restricting ballot access.
Scope Lock and Expansion Constraints (Title V) -- Makes the Agency permanent but constrains its authority. Any expansion of verification domains or powers requires a three-fifths vote of both houses of Congress. Reductions require only simple majorities. Ambiguities must be resolved narrowly in favor of limiting governmental authority.
Public Access and Transparency (Title VII) -- Requires all verified records to be published without fee or registration in multiple formats including machine-readable datasets. Mandates immutable audit logs, cryptographic integrity checks, and a public API for automated access.
Federalism Protections (Title IX) -- Preserves state authority over ballot access and election administration. Prohibits states from conditioning ballot qualification on federal verification status. Enables voluntary state cooperation without mandating participation.
Documentation¶
The full legislative text contains detailed provisions across ten titles. The Policy Rationale document explains the reasoning behind major design choices.
📄 Download this document (opens on GitHub -- click the ⬇ download button)
Prepared by Albert Ramos for The American Policy Architecture Institute