In the effort to attract more voters,
Democratic and Republican candidates tend toward the center of the
political spectrum. Their moderate campaign promises often obscure differences
between the parties.
As the campaigning continues, candidates pledge everything from universal health care to a reduction in government spending. In addition to legislative support, the president's
political idealogy can also influence supreme court and cabinet
appointments.
The following sites allow voters to compare candidates' viewpoints on
important issues.
Presidential Election
- OnTheIssues
Reports the viewpoints of all presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Visitors can choose an issue that concerns them and read statements by each
candidate.
- Election ProCon.org
Simple, non-partisan listings of candidates' positions on a wealth of issues.
- BBC
Compares John McCain and Barack Obama's stance on the most important campaign issues.
- CNN Election Center
Lists the opinions of all candidates on various aspects of abortion, guns, health care, immigration, stem cell research, the war in Iraq, same-sex marriage, Social Security and taxes.
Congressional and State Elections
The president is not the only elected official who influences public
policy. The governor, senators and representatives you elect can be just as
important. Project Vote Smart surveyed many elected officials about their
position on significant issues. Access the
Political Courage Test
to find your representatives at the state and national level. Project Vote Smart also offers
voting records for current senators and representatives.
Presidential Quizzes
The Internet offers even more help for the indecisive voter.
VoteMatch asks a series of questions, then point out
which candidate fits your responses. Results may be skewed, since
not all candidates provided opinions for every issue.
Issue Reference Sites
To arm yourself with information before you reach the polls, visit
SpeakOut.com. You'll find background information on a wide variety of issues. Yahoo! Politics
offers recent audio and video news clips relating to public policy. Visitors can also read alerts
from organizations lobbying for certain issues.
--- J. Britten
ed. A. Crawford
View more articles, issues, questions or lists.
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