SenatorMatch 🇵🇭

SenatorMatch is a volunteer-led, non-partisan civic education platform designed to help Filipino voters understand how their values and policy preferences align with senatorial candidates. By answering a quick, anonymous survey, users receive personalized recommendations of candidates whose public stances most closely match their views.

Core Purpose

In an increasingly complex political landscape, SenatorMatch aims to:

• Empower Voters: Provide accessible and unbiased information to help citizens make more informed decisions.
• Promote Civic Engagement: Encourage active participation in the democratic process by making political information easier to understand and compare.
• Enhance Transparency: Offer insights into where candidates stand on key issues, based on publicly available data and research.
• Be Non-Partisan: The platform is not affiliated with any political party, candidate, or government body and is provided free of charge.

Key Features

• Anonymous Survey: No login or personal identification required to take the survey.
• Personalized Matches: Receive a list of senatorial candidates whose stances align with your survey responses, with top matches highlighted.
• Detailed Candidate Profiles: (Assumed feature - can be verified) Explore candidate information, including their positions on various issues.
• Issue Explanations: Understand the context of key political issues in the Philippines with explanations in both English and Tagalog.
• Educational Focus: Designed for informational and educational purposes only, not as an endorsement of any candidate or party.

Tech Stack

SenatorMatch is built with a modern web stack:

• Frontend: Next.js (React Framework), TypeScript
• Backend: FastAPI (Python Framework)
• Database: MongoDB
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, Radix UI (for UI components)
• State Management: Zustand
• Form Handling & Validation: React Hook Form, Zod
• Deployment: Frontend on Vercel (or similar for Next.js), Backend on AWS Lambda

Development Process

This project was initially scaffolded using v0.dev and then further refined and developed with the assistance of Cursor to enhance its functionality and ensure seamless integration.

Getting Started

To get a local copy up and running, follow these simple steps.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18.x or later recommended)
• pnpm (or npm/yarn)

Installation & Running Locally

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/SenatorMatch.git # Replace with actual repo URL when public
   cd SenatorMatch

2. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install

   (Or npm install / yarn install)

3. Run the development server:

   pnpm dev

   (Or npm run dev / yarn dev)

   Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

4. Build for production:

   pnpm build

Contributing

SenatorMatch is a volunteer-driven project. We welcome contributions from developers, researchers, designers, and anyone passionate about civic technology and voter education in the Philippines!

Once the project is fully open-sourced, contribution guidelines will be available here. In the meantime, if you're interested in contributing, please reach out to the contact email below.

License

This project will be licensed under an open-source license (e.g., MIT License, Apache 2.0). The specific license will be determined and added here when the project is publicly released.

Contact

For questions, feedback, or if you're interested in getting involved:

• Email: data.datospilipinas@gmail.com (as found in terms-and-conditions.tsx)

---