Hello r/ask_politics readers! I wanted to make an announcement regarding the standards we have for posts and comments in this subreddit and offer a reminder about the kinds of posts that are and are not generally accepted here. We've had to do quite a bit of policing recently so hopefully this post will help everyone get back on the same page. You'll find major rules in bold in case you'd like a quick overview.

Posts

The primary goal of r/Ask_Politics is to increase political knowledge by disseminating information about politics, the law, and the policy process. "Politics" is quite broadly defined, intentionally so. Every post in r/Ask_Politics should be about politics.

Generally, every post here should be a question. Posts that are simply a thought meant to engender discussion are better served in a place like r/politicaldiscussion. Even if it's a post about politics, it needs to be a question. However, not all questions are created equal, and not every sentence that ends in a question mark is a valid question.

There are a few general classes of questions that we generally don't allow:

• Poll-the-audience
• Homework
• Biased, loaded, or soapboxing

Questions like "what do you all think about X?" are not allowed. Questions that are clear attempts to get homework questions answered are not allowed. Questions that are made solely as an attempt to start an argument and confirm biases are not allowed.

r/Ask_Politics is not a sounding board for your beliefs and it's not the place for you to attack other viewpoints or start an ideological debate. The line between "honest attempt to understand" and "attempt to argue and troll" can sometimes be unclear, but by and large it's obvious if you're only here for the latter. Every post should be an honest, good-faith effort to learn about politics.

Comments

In r/Ask_Politics we have different standards for top-tier and non-top tier comments.

Top-tier Comments

These should only be serious, well-informed attempts to answer the questions. The tolerance for memes, jokes, or insults in top-tier comments is extremely low. (Jokes are usually fine if they're part of an otherwise informative comment.) Sarcastic one-liners aren't okay top-tier comments, regardless of how funny/true/upvoted they are.

Users who offer top-tier comments must take responsibility for their comments. If you choose to leave a comment, you should be able to cite your sources or provide evidence for your claims. Sources are not an absolute requirement in top-tier comments, but you are required to make an effort to provide such if asked. If you make a claim in a comment and are unable to defend or support said claim, your comment may be deleted. (To this end, comments should only be reported for violating the 'sourcing' rule if sources are asked for and not given in a timely manner. Do not simply report a comment for lacking sources.)

In general, a reader should leave a top-tier comment knowing something about politics relevant to the post.

Non top-tier comments

There's generally less restriction on lower comments. Sourcing standards are relaxed to allow more for discussion than strict answer-providing. (That said, if you're making empirical or otherwise verifiable claims, you should still make an effort to provide support if asked.) Jokes and memes are generally more tolerated here, though again they should still contribute to discussion. All comments should contribute positively to discussion. Comments that are made solely to troll, insult, or mock are not allowed regardless of how far down they occur.

Civility

This applies to everything in this subreddit, posts and comments alike. All users are expected to behave courteously and professionally. We have very low tolerance for sexism, racism, bigotry, or any other kind of intolerance. We expect users to act in a professional dispassionate manner. If at any point your discussion with another user here becomes a personal argument, you risk comment removal and punishment. Particularly egregious rule violations can result in immediate bans.

Finally, a reminder that this subreddit is actively moderated. This is to ensure that r/Ask_Politics remains a place for informed, intelligent answers to serious (if sometimes basic) questions about politics. We do not censor people for their opinions but we will take action against people for their behavior.

As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns feel free to message modmail. This post will also remain open for questions about specific rules/interpretations, punishments, etc.

Thank you for keeping r/Ask_Politics great!