Scott uses Claude AI to help research California primary races and finds its tailored candidate analyses and recommendations align well with his eventual voting choices, suggesting AI advisors could improve democratic participation. Longer summary

Scott Alexander demonstrates how he used Claude AI to help research and make decisions for local California primary elections. He shares detailed examples of Claude's analysis of candidates and ballot measures, showing how the AI provided comprehensive summaries of candidates' positions, backgrounds, and endorsements tailored to his stated political preferences (centrist liberal, YIMBY, abundance-oriented). He tested Claude's recommendations against his own eventual choices across 10 races, finding strong agreement (5 perfect matches, 3 second-choices). Scott concludes that AI voting advisors could be valuable both for people who don't have time for deep research and for enhancing the research of those who do, and suggests this could be important for democratic decision-making in a post-AGI future. Shorter summary

Scott opens voting for the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest finalists, listing all thirteen entries and providing a link to the ranked-choice voting form. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces voting for the 2025 Non-Book Review Contest finalists, providing links to all thirteen finalist entries and the voting form. The post lists the diverse topics of the finalists, ranging from education and science to personal experiences and historical events. Voting will use ranked choice format where voters pick their top three choices, and closes on October 13. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander announces a plan to create voter guides for major US cities, listing meetup details for eight locations where ACX readers will collaborate on local election recommendations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander is organizing voter guides for major US cities with a significant ACX readership. Eight city meetup groups have volunteered to create these guides. The post lists the dates, times, locations, and contact information for meetups in Austin, Boston, Chicago, NYC, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Participants are encouraged to bring smartphones or computers and any voting guides they've received to help with research. The meetups are tasked with sending their final recommendations to Scott by October 21. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander proposes a scaled-up voting guide project for major US cities, outlining a process for local ACX meetup groups to create and submit ballot recommendations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces a plan to scale up his annual voting guide by producing voter guides for major US cities with a significant ACX readership. He outlines a process where local meetup groups will research and agree on recommendations for their ballots, focusing on downballot races and local issues. The post provides guidelines for organizers, including how to structure recommendations, handle disagreements, and determine voting choices. Scott emphasizes that the guides should reflect the ACX political position of 'centrist with progressive and libertarian sympathies' and invites participation from established meetup groups outside the listed cities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander seeks help in selecting finalists for the 2024 Book Review Contest by asking readers to rate entries from a pool of 150 reviews. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the start of the process to narrow down 150 book review entries to about a dozen finalists for the Book Review Contest 2024. He provides links to six Google Docs containing the entries, organized alphabetically, and asks readers to help by reading and rating reviews using a provided form. Scott emphasizes the importance of not reading reviews in order to ensure a more even distribution of votes. He mentions a random review chooser script and provides a deadline of June 1 for voting. The post also includes instructions for authors to check if their reviews are included and how to address any missing entries. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander opens voting for the 2023 Book Review Contest, detailing the ranked choice voting process and listing the finalists. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the voting process for the 2023 Book Review Contest, explaining that it will use ranked choice voting where voters select their top three favorites. He provides a link to the voting form, lists the 16 finalists, and mentions a prediction market for the contest outcome. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares reader comments on his California ballot recommendations, updating some of his views and providing additional context on various races and propositions. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's California ballot recommendations. It covers various topics including Prop 31's impact on vaping, the Service Employees International Union's tactics regarding dialysis regulations, Newsom's campaign spending, Oakland mayoral race, and other ballot measures. Scott also updates some of his recommendations based on reader input, particularly for the Attorney General race. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews and explains his votes on California's 2022 ballot propositions and candidates, providing analysis and commentary on each item. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews his California ballot for 2022, discussing state propositions and candidates for various offices. He explains his voting philosophy, analyzes each proposition and candidate, and provides his reasoning for his votes. The post covers topics like abortion rights, gambling legalization, school funding, tobacco regulation, and various political races, offering a mix of analysis, humor, and personal opinions on California politics and governance. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander opens voting for the book review contest, listing 17 finalists and providing a voting link. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the voting process for the book review contest. Readers are invited to vote for their favorite entries using approval voting, with voting open until the end of June. The post includes a list of the 17 finalist book reviews, each with a link to the full review. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander provides updates on coronavirus trends, discusses various pandemic-related topics, and analyzes different countries' responses and policy proposals. Longer summary

This blog post provides updates on various aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. It discusses the slowing growth rate of cases in many countries, the challenges of mail-in voting in the US, charity efforts, how different countries are responding to the crisis, economic analyses of lockdowns, some positive developments in the US response, and various other coronavirus-related topics. The post maintains a speculative and analytical tone, examining different perspectives on issues like immunity certificates, expert predictions, and controversies around ventilator donations. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander asks readers to vote for their favorite among eight posted adversarial collaborations, with prizes for the top two. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces that all eight adversarial collaborations have been posted and provides a link to the full list. He invites readers who have read all the collaborations to vote for their favorite using a provided link. Scott explains that this year, the winner will be decided by popular vote, with $2000 going to first place and $500 to second place. He concludes by thanking all participants, readers, and voters. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares his voting choices for California elections and ballot measures, offering brief explanations and occasional humor for each decision. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses his preliminary choices for California elected positions and ballot initiatives. He provides brief justifications for his votes on various positions including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Controller, and others. He also analyzes several propositions on the ballot, explaining the issues and his reasoning for each vote. The post is a mix of serious policy analysis and humorous commentary on California politics. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander endorses Clinton (or Johnson/Stein in safe states) over Trump, citing concerns about Trump's unpredictability and potential negative impacts on conservatism and social dynamics. Longer summary

Scott Alexander endorses voting for Hillary Clinton in swing states, and Clinton, Johnson, or Stein in safe states. He argues against Donald Trump, not primarily on policy grounds, but because of Trump's unpredictability, potential for high-variance outcomes, and the damage he could do to conservatism and the fight against social justice extremism. Alexander expresses concerns about Trump's lack of concrete plans, his potential to radicalize the next generation towards the far left, and his movement's epistemic vices. He also touches on issues like global warming and immigration, urging readers to consider the long-term consequences of their vote. Shorter summary