Our Principles

Qualified citizens deserve an opportunity to serve.
Political connections, personal wealth, and name recognition should not be the deciding factors in whose ideas get heard.

People should know whom they are choosing.
Citizens deserve meaningful opportunities to examine potential candidates’ experience, character, judgment, and positions.

Questions and disagreement are essential.
Interviews, public discussions, and debates should invite scrutiny and respectful disagreement—not require everyone to think alike.

Transparency builds trust.
As we develop our vetting process, we will make its standards clear. Reviewing a candidate is not a guarantee of their character or an endorsement of every position they hold.

Communities should shape their representation.
We are building state by state, with people helping identify and evaluate potential representatives from their own communities.

Our mission is independent of political parties.
The Average American is not affiliated with a political party. We welcome people with differing political views who share our commitment to informed participation and public service.

The decision belongs to voters.
Our role is to create opportunities for qualified citizens to be heard and considered. The people decide who represents them.