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2017
Oct. 31, 2017, 4:32 p.m.
It’s time to stop looking at our time as the era of “fake news” and start looking at it as the era of “fact-checking.” It can be difficult to distinguish fact from fiction in the digital age, so it is our responsibility to not always take headlines and viral memes at face value. We at Vote Smart want to help arm you with the tools and resources to do this.
Misinformation online is abundant. Oxford University found that in 2016 “Twitter users got more misinformation, polarizing and conspiratorial content than professionally produced news.” That means that more people read manipulation and falsehoods than facts.
Sensationalized, misleading, or simply false headlines flooded our news feeds in 2016 and 2017, and Vote Smart is here to help you weed out the garbage. By browsing our database of public statements, key votes, and more, you can see if a published claim is truth or trash. We also provide you with the ability to fact-check politicians to see if they have followed up their words with action.
Sept. 22, 2017, 6:48 p.m.
Did you know that you may have to vote again in your primary if no candidate gets more than half the votes? If not, you may want to find out if this applies to you.
For example, there’s been such a close race for Jeff Sessions’ vacant Senate seat in Alabama that the Republican primary in August did not determine a winner. A primary runoff between the top two Republican candidates, Roy Moore and Luther Strange, is scheduled for September 26.
In over 115 races that Vote Smart has already tracked in 2017, we have encountered other unconventional election practices that voters may not be aware of. Earlier this month, Mississippi held a nonpartisan primary election for its State House Dist. 102 seat that will be determined by a runoff election in October.
Most Americans participate in a first-past-the-post system where winners in primaries and general elections are decided by a “plurality”—the candidate with the most votes wins. Several cities and states across the nation, however, have adopted alternative election methods. Read on for a brief explanation of the unique election practices that are currently used at the state and federal levels.
July 10, 2017, 7:21 p.m.
Republicans win five of the seven races in June, seats remain virtually unchanged. President Trump talks foreign policy.
June 2, 2017, 8:19 p.m.
James Comey, health care, and foreign policy in under 140 characters. Read on to find out what has kept Congress and President Trump's Twitter account so busy.
April 5, 2017, 2:34 p.m.
Congress has been very busy in early 2017. Read further to find out what is happening on both sides of the aisle!
2016
Oct. 5, 2016, 6 p.m.
On Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016, President Obama granted clemency, forgiveness of a sentence, to 214 incarcerated individuals, 67 of which were serving life sentences in federal penitentiaries. This raises some questions about what clemency actually entails. Clemency, under the US Constitution, allows the President to grant pardons and commutations to federal prisoners.
Sept. 9, 2016, 3 p.m.
Widely considered the most significant financial regulatory reform since the Great Depression, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) instantly became a debated political battle in Washington.
Aug. 18, 2016, 4:40 p.m.
Daily fantasy sports is a concept that is as tricky to say as it is to understand. It exists in a legal gray area that has remained unregulated for years. Recently, after several scandals that brought widespread public attention, legislators have attempted to define and regulate the practice.
May 17, 2016, 4:21 p.m.
Multiple “religious freedom” bills are currently capturing the attention of state legislatures across the country. “Religious freedom” bills are proposed legislation that call for religious organizations, businesses, and individuals to be protected from penalties for declining to provide services to individuals whose lifestyle conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs.
2015
Aug. 25, 2015, 3:40 p.m.
After repeated requests, less than 10% of Virginia's legislative candidates were willing to tell citizens where they stand on 10 key issues. This is fewer responses than from those running for federal offices, which is a trend in lock step with the increasing nastiness of political tactics.
Aug. 19, 2015, 3:11 p.m.
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March 26, 2015, 6:15 p.m.
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Jan. 23, 2015, 5:56 p.m.
Click here to sign up for our monthly Common Ground E-Newsletter...
2014
Oct. 27, 2014, 5:20 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving West Virginia voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Ten of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Oct. 27, 2014, 5:17 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Pennsylvania voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seventeen of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Oct. 27, 2014, 5:12 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Virginia voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seven of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Oct. 27, 2014, 5:09 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Louisiana voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Four of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Oct. 27, 2014, 4:39 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Indiana voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seventeen of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Oct. 27, 2014, 4:25 p.m.
Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving California voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-eight congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Sept. 7, 2014, 8:27 p.m.
Vote Smart (VoteSmart.org), the leading non-partisan national research organization focused on politicians and elections, announced a series of massive additions to its factual database on over 150,000 current and former elected officials and candidates.
2013
Nov. 6, 2013, 1:22 a.m.
It's Election Day! Well, for many of you it is.
Oct. 10, 2013, 3:16 p.m.
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Aug. 6, 2013, 6 a.m.
Take a look at what Manonh had to say about her internship...
March 29, 2013, 3:28 p.m.
The Keystone XL Pipeline: it's been dominating headlines for what seems like forever...
March 29, 2013, 3:19 p.m.
Click here to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter...
Jan. 28, 2013, 6:40 p.m.
With new technology comes new debates and in 2012 many state legislatures attempted to regulate a relatively new industry they did not know much about.
Jan. 25, 2013, 7:05 p.m.
Throughout the past decade there has been a national trend of legislation on bullying.
Jan. 24, 2013, 4:28 p.m.
In August 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an interim final rule concerning contraception.
Jan. 16, 2013, 11:34 p.m.
States across America considered legislation in their most recent sessions that would change voting and voter registration requirements.
2012
Nov. 19, 2012, 10:23 p.m.
Over the past few years, the country has witnessed an abundance of legislation on both the state and national levels regarding same-sex marriage.
Oct. 29, 2012, 8:07 p.m.
A 20-year study of over 15,000 congressional candidates and their willingness to answer questions on the major issues
July 18, 2012, 3:02 p.m.
At votesmart.org you can find out how your representatives feel about defense and defense spending in a few different ways:
July 11, 2012, 3:32 p.m.
The first Friday of every month is more than just an excuse for the monthly office pizza party - it's when the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out their unemployment report, an event that is sure to grow in intensity with every passing month as November approaches.
July 3, 2012, 9:34 p.m.
We threw the spotlight on one of our returning interns, John, and asked him a few questions about his time, so far, here at the Great Divide Ranch...
June 12, 2012, 6:53 p.m.
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June 12, 2012, 2:11 p.m.
The February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin has ignited a media firestorm surrounding so-called “stand your ground” or “castle doctrine” laws in the United States.
June 1, 2012, 9:51 p.m.
The US unemployment rate was published at 8.2% for the month of May, rising a tenth of a point from April's 8.1%. Here's what several congress members had to say about it...
May 23, 2012, 8:24 p.m.
Every election year, Project Vote Smart uses the Political Courage Test (PCT) to measure the willingness of candidates to provide their positions on key issues. Find out now if your candidates are currently being tested.
May 10, 2012, 11:34 p.m.
As media outlets and bloggers scrambled to find the back story on Democratic Presidential Primary Candidate Keith Judd, who won a surprising 41% of the vote in a West Virginia primary, against his more well-known and better-funded opponent, President Barack Obama, it began to emerge that only one (very) reputable source had bothered to reach out to this possible nominee – us.
April 24, 2012, 2:45 p.m.
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March 15, 2012, 8:05 p.m.
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March 5, 2012, 7:54 p.m.
What if, following Super Tuesday, all four GOP candidates are still in the game and no clear frontrunner has emerged?
Feb. 14, 2012, 9:07 p.m.
Following the resignation of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona was faced with a unique situation in holding elections to replace the former Congresswoman.
Jan. 9, 2012, 3:33 p.m.
We released the 2012 Political Courage Test results today for Oregon's special election showing neither major party congressional candidate running for the state's 1st Congressional District seat was willing to answer even the most basic issue-related questions addressed inside the Test.
Jan. 5, 2012, 3:16 p.m.
As expected, the Iowa Caucus, the first nominating contest of the 2012 election season, proved to shake things up inside the GOP race.
2011
Dec. 7, 2011, 5:25 p.m.
There is one issue that only pops up every decade with noticeable consequences, and that issue is redistricting.
Nov. 30, 2011, 4:07 p.m.
University of Southern California student, and current intern, David Hernandez discusses his experience working as a part of our research team.
Nov. 29, 2011, 8:52 p.m.
The inability of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or 'Supercommittee', to come to an agreement to reduce the United States' government debt by over one trillion dollars has prompted a significant response by both Democrats and Republicans.
Nov. 22, 2011, 8:19 p.m.
The U.S. Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was established with the goal of improving both the short and long term financial outlook of the US and reducing the deficit “...by at least $1,500,000,000 over the period of fiscal years 2012 to 2021” But they missed their deadline...
Oct. 17, 2011, 5:22 p.m.
“It shouldn’t take courage for a politician to complete a survey regarding positions on issues. Yet seemingly it does.” – South Bend Tribune
2010
2009
2008
May 24, 2008, 2:17 a.m.
Feb. 1, 2008, 5:30 a.m.
2007
Aug. 16, 2007, 10:57 p.m.
