Federal Documents - Government Information Everyone Can Use: 2010.10

Monday, October 25, 2010

Mid-Term Elections #4: Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy

If you enjoyed Project Vote Smart, you may enjoy one of their newest sites VoteEasy. VoteEasy is a visual tool that helps you find the candidates most like you. The site creates a candidate line up based on your location. The voter can then choose where he/she stands on various issues, causing the program to bring certain candidate pictures to the forefront while moving others to the back. If you aren't sure where you stand on an issue, you can also get more information about that particular issue (such as what it means to privatize social security).

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Friday, October 22, 2010

Mid-Term Elections #3: Project Vote Smart

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Mid-Term Elections #2: FactCheck.org

FactCheck.org FactCheck is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. This site is similar to PolitiFact in that it, too, analyzes politicians and the statements they make (or statements made about them). While the lingo may not be as entertaining as PolitiFact's, FactCheck offers the same information--stating what is true and what is false, as well as why an item is true or false.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Mid-Term Elections #1: PolitiFact.com

PolitiFact.com PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times. This site analyzes various politicians (as well as what they say and what is said about them). The site rates the various statements as true, mostly true, half true, barely true, false, and, my favorite, pants on fire! The best part? PolitiFact actually explains why that statement received that particular rating.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Mid-Term Elections: Who Should You Vote For?

My title is a bit misleading, but only in hopes that those who read it will read the post that follows it for one of two reasons: they are outraged by the suggestion that I know who they should vote for, or they are actually looking for guidance.

I'm not going to tell you how to vote--that's not my job. I am, however, going to help you make an informed decision about your vote. The number one problem with elections, I find, is the endless supply of negative advertisements. Many actually alert the voter to misdeeds of an opponent, citing a biased source for the people to go to. If you are as sick of it as I am, then enjoy the next few posts. Every day, I'll post another site where you can learn more about your candidates.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering