Political firsts:

1. Fact check organizations demonstrate that the greater the lie, the higher a candidate’s polling numbers go.

2. Most campaign contributions given to support a candidate are now used to trash opponents.

3. Surveys show that most people do not look for factual information.

4. Studies show that if people are given factual information proving them wrong, they do not change their mind.

Our political culture is shifting course on a galactic scale right in front of our slackened jaws. Its destination unknown?

You are a rarity, in that you care about the facts, about reality at all. Along with me and a few other Americans, your interest gave Vote Smart birth. The 8.4 million who now use us and Vote Smart can seem an empty brag when you realize that 221.6 million do not Vote Smart.

We are not nearly enough and now, I fear, not enough of you will support the thousands of volunteers, interns and staff that it has taken to make this crucial effort possible.

Vote Smart is our creation, our place, the anchor we cast out to insure America does not lose contact with reality. Please stay positive. Help our interns, volunteers and staff sustain this one source of common sense with a 2016 Membership contribution. If we cannot attract people like you, the country will have lost Vote Smart, the one truly comprehensive source of relevant facts about those who govern or those hoping to replace them.

Richard Kimball, Vote Smart President