Plain Policy solves these challenges by generating accurate 150–300-word summaries at about an 8th-grade reading level, making complicated policies understandable without losing their core meaning.

The tool is designed for voters who may not be fully proficient in English, as well as young or disengaged community members who often feel overwhelmed by dense legal language or don’t have the time to follow daily news.

By combining a clean, accessible interface with modern AI tools, Plain Policy aims to re-engage these audiences and make informed voting not just possible, but easy and inviting.

Plain Policy was endorsed by the SF Department of Election

Safeguards, Accuracy, and Bias Mitigation

Given the high stakes of electoral information, Plain Policy incorporates multiple safeguards to preserve integrity.

The AI is explicitly restricted from altering policy intent or making predictive claims. Summaries are limited to factual restatement and must adhere to a standardized structure. This prevents selective emphasis or rhetorical framing that could influence user interpretation.

A side by side display allows users to view the original legislative text alongside the AI generated summary, enabling direct verification. Original documents remain fully visible and unedited at all times. Through iterative testing with sample legislation, the team found that summaries consistently retained essential policy details while significantly improving readability. User testing indicated increased confidence in policy understanding after interacting with the summaries.