Self-Research Spreadsheet Template

Opposition research is one of the most important tools for running an informed, effective campaign. But it’s not just about researching your opponent – that’s only half the story. If you’re a candidate, you need to research yourself, too, because your opponent’s team is already investigating.

This self-research spreadsheet gives you one place to catalogue everything you find, instead of scattering notes across tabs, screenshots, and half-remembered search results. This template was created for candidates to keep their self-research in one centralized place, to better understand what information about you is publicly available and how you can address it.

Included are:

• A category field to organize findings by type, like social media, donations, or public records

• A field to note how the information was found, whether it's a data broker site, courthouse, or Board of Elections

• A column to rate the level of importance or relevance of each item

• An action-items field for tracking next steps, like requesting removal or factoring something into your messaging