State Department asks officials about voting history
Promotions reportedly tied to support for Donald Trump, raising legal concerns.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
State Department asks officials about voting history
Photograph: Joe.My.God. (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The State Department has reportedly asked some foreign service officials about their voting history in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections.
- Top officials allegedly stated that only candidates who voted for Donald Trump would be considered for mid-to-upper level foreign service roles.
- Campaign donation history is also reportedly being examined, with donations to Democrats considered disqualifying.
- The Washington Sun spoke with six current and former State Department officials familiar with the questioning.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
59/100
Hype
68/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The State Department has reportedly begun asking some foreign service officials seeking promotion about their voting history in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. This practice has raised concerns about potential violations of federal law, which prohibits politicized personnel decisions within the nonpartisan ranks of the foreign service.
According to reports, top officials within the State Department have indicated that eligibility for mid-to-upper level foreign service positions would be contingent on candidates having voted for President Donald Trump. Furthermore, candidates' campaign donation histories are reportedly being scrutinized, with any donations made to Democratic candidates deemed disqualifying.
The Washington Sun reported on these developments, having spoken with six current and former State Department officials who are familiar with the nature of these inquiries. Three of these sources indicated they had directly spoken with individuals who had been asked about their voting records.
Coverage comparison
What the coverage left out
No centre- or right-rated reports were available for comparison. The left-rated report did not include specific details on the number of officials being promoted or the exact number of individuals who have been asked about their voting history, beyond the sources familiar with the matter.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 22 Oct 2026, 23:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- The left-rated report from Joe.My.God. led with the headline "State Dept Ties Promotions To Having Voted For Trump." It highlighted that the State Department asked officials about their votes in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections, noting concerns about violating federal law that bars politicized personnel decisions. The report stated that top officials made it clear only candidates who voted for Donald Trump would be eligible for mid-to-upper level foreign service roles and that donations to Democrats would be disqualifying. The report cited The Washington Sun's conversation with six current and former State Department officials, three of whom had spoken directly with individuals asked the questions.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- Both centre‑rated digests note that the State Department queried a group of career diplomats about how they voted in past presidential elections. The reports say the agency sought this information to assess the officials’ suitability for advancement within the foreign service.
- Political Wire’s digest, citing the Washington Sun, adds that the inquiries targeted officials up for promotion and covered the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections. It flags concern that the practice could breach a federal statute that prohibits politicised personnel actions in the department’s nonpartisan ranks.
- The Hill’s digest reports the same questioning but frames it as a check on eligibility for senior roles, without mentioning the election years or the legal concern. Neither digest includes a direct statement from State Department officials, limiting the coverage to secondary reporting.
Right
1 rated outlet
We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover State Department asks officials about voting history?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 11% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is State Department asks officials about voting history left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of State Department asks officials about voting history biased?
- State Department asks officials about voting history is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting State Department asks officials about voting history?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered State Department asks officials about voting history?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the State Department reportedly asking officials about?
- The State Department is reportedly asking some foreign service officials who are up for promotion about their voting history in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. This practice has raised concerns about violating federal laws that prohibit politicized personnel decisions.
- How are promotions reportedly being affected by voting history?
- Top officials are alleged to have stated that only candidates who voted for President Donald Trump would be eligible for mid-to-upper level foreign service roles. Additionally, campaign donation history is reportedly being examined, with donations to Democrats considered disqualifying.
- Which outlets reported on this story?
- The primary source for this report is The Washington Sun, as cited by Joe.My.God. No centre- or right-rated outlets covered this story based on the provided material.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- State Dept Ties Promotions To Having Voted For Trump (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump’s State Department exposed in alleged illegal loyalty scheme (opens Alternet in a new tab)
- State Department Allegedly Quizzed Those Up for Promotion If They Voted for Trump (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
- Rubio's State Dept flirting with criminal investigation as staffers investigated: report (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- State Department Unveils Plan to Only Promote Trump Supporters (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outlet
- State Asked Foreign Service Officers Up for Promotion Whether They Voted for Trump (opens washingtonsun.com in a new tab)
washingtonsun.com — is washingtonsun.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2Right
1Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
