DDHQ API Roadmap Update - January 15, 2025

A preview of some of the exciting updates in DDHQ's API...

Decision Desk HQ is committed to enhancing our API offerings to provide clients with more robust and efficient access to election data. As part of our ongoing development, we are introducing new endpoints and categories of endpoints to better serve our clients’ needs.

New Endpoints

Available Races

We are introducing an endpoint that returns all available race_ids and associated metadata based on the filtering parameters in the existing “Get a Set of Races by Race Parameters” endpoint. This new endpoint is designed to be a lightweight alternative, providing clients with streamlined access to race metadata without unnecessary overhead.

Schedules / Calendar

This endpoint will return a list of race_ids and corresponding metadata, filtered by parameters such as office and election type. The results will be ordered by race_date, providing clients with a chronological view of upcoming elections.

New Categories of Endpoints

Ultra Low Latency / Push API

To support real-time election data needs, we are developing an ultra-low latency API with push-based architecture. This will enable clients to receive updates as soon as they become available, leveraging technologies such as WebSockets for real-time data delivery.

LLM-Oriented Endpoints (High Textual Redundancy)

In response to client demand, we are developing endpoints optimized for Large Language Models (LLMs). These endpoints will feature redundant data keys designed to improve inferencing and accessibility. For example, while our current API includes a field indicating whether a race is "called," LLM-optimized endpoints will incorporate additional keys such as "Race Projection" to facilitate more intuitive data interpretation by AI models.

New API Fields

Race Status

We are introducing a new field that provides the current status of a race. Possible statuses include:

"Votes are being counted"

"Election has been projected"

"Election has been certified"
This enhancement will offer greater clarity on the progression of each race.

Poll Average and Forecast

For races where DDHQ provides polling averages or forecasts, new fields will be available, including:

poll_average: The calculated average of recent polls

forecast: The projected race outcome based on available data

win_probability: The likelihood of a candidate winning, based on forecast models

These additions will provide clients with deeper insights into race dynamics and predictive analytics.

We are excited about these upcoming enhancements and look forward to providing greater flexibility and real-time capabilities through our API. If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to our team.

For races that DDHQ has a poll average for, or a forecast for, those averages and ratings will be exposed through a poll_average, forecast, and win_probability key