Project Vote Smar has a handy little website called VoteEasy that should help those who want to be informed voters. It sent out questionnaires to candidates to get their views on such issues as crime and abortion, the education and the economy and taxes -- 12 in all. But it didn't just print the results of those who answered the questions. For those who didn't respond, the Vote Smart people used everything from candidates' statements and stories about them to their voting records to discern their stands as best they could. You can click on Indiana, then check out all 32 House candidates and four Senate candidates, or you can type in a ZIP Code search, which will show the Senate candidates and your House race. Then you answer a question, such as the one on environment about whether you want environmental regulations aimed at climate change. Then the site shows you which candidates most and least agree with you on the issue.
Cool.
Comments
I had one mishap with one of these non profit answer the question surveys for voters in 2008. I submit my response to all these type of surveys. The problem I had was they did not send it to my address, but to another William Larsen who lived in South Bend who they thought was me running for 3rd district. I did not find out about this for some time.
The error occurred because they used a search engine looking for peoples addresses on the web instead of looking at the filing documents. So if a candidate has not responded it may be that the group itself never sent the candidate a questioner to fill out.
While I like the site, it is not perfect. For example- it confuses Marlin Stutzman's SENATE fundraising with that for his current seat.
This site shows Stutzman ahead in fundraising, but as of the last filing period, that was not the case.