About This Index
“The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution” rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. To learn how any representative or senator voted on the key measures described herein, look him or her up in the vote charts. The scores are derived by dividing a congressman’s constitutional votes (pluses) by the total number he cast (pluses and minuses) and multiplying by 100.
The average House score for this index (votes 31-40) [PDF Download] is 31 percent; the average Senate score is 25 percent. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was the only House member to score a perfect 100 percent. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) was the top scorer in the Senate with 90 percent. We encourage readers to examine how their own congressmen voted on each of the 10 key measures as well as overall.
This is our final index for the 110th Congress. Our first index (PDF, votes 1-10) appeared in our July 23, 2007 issue, our second index (PDF, votes 11-20) appeared in our December 10, 2007 issue, and our third index (PDF, votes 21-30) appeared in our July 21, 2008 issue.
We also encourage readers to commend legislators for their constitutional votes and to urge improvement where needed. For congressional contact information and a series of pre-written letters to Congress on some key issues, go here.
