Your local government, graded.
Civic Principles scores your city council and county commission against 15 nonpartisan governing principles — so you know who's working for you and who's working you over, without sitting through an eight-hour meeting.
See the standard in action.
Here's how the Colorado Springs City Council has scored on the Screw-O-Meter after every 2026 meeting — the same treatment every council and commission gets.
CouncilWatch Screw-O-Meter score after each 2026 Colorado Springs City Council meeting. Full Colorado Springs breakdown →
How many screws is your councilmember?
After every meeting, each member earns a Screw-O-Meter rating — 0 screws for principled, 5 for screwed. The only way to see where yours lands is inside.
Skip the eight-hour meeting. Keep the accountability.
Every meeting analyzed, every member rated, every vote on the record — in the time it takes to read a text. The same 15-principle standard applies whether it's a city council or a county board of commissioners.
Meeting summaries, fast
Every meeting distilled to what happened and who it affects — no eight-hour video required.
Member & body scores
A Screw-O-Meter rating for each member and for the body as a whole, updated after every meeting.
Every vote, on the record
Who voted how, what they said, and who stood to benefit — a database you can search in seconds.
Scored on 15 principles
Transparency, public interest, fairness, stewardship — a nonpartisan standard applied to every decision.
The 15 principles we score against.
Every vote is measured against these nonpartisan governing principles — the same standard applied to every council and commission.
See your government's score.
Three plans. Cancel anytime. Less than a coffee a month to know exactly how your city is run.
- Body-wide Screw-O-Meter score
- Plain-language meeting summaries
- Major votes and issues
- Everything in Observer
- Individual member evaluations
- Vote database & quote tracker
- Everything in Citizen
- Full archive for trending & analysis
- Searchable meeting transcripts
They're counting on you not paying attention.
Know how your government votes — starting with the very next meeting.
See your government's score →