One technique employed by political advocacy groups is to rate members of Congress according to how well they vote in union with the groups' interests. For example, the AFL-CIO gives high approval ratings to representatives who support strong unions and workers' rights. The Federation on American Immigration Reform would rate members lower if they support lax immigration laws. On the subject category pages, groups who routinely rate members of Congress are identified by this image: . Project Vote Smart and Voter Information Services each offer a list of who conducts "performance evaluations." The Voter Information Services site even provides the numerical ratings by some organizations.
-Originally written by Kathi Carlisle Fountain, 2006