Is there a web resource that will allow me to compare where candidates
for Nat'l and State office stand on specific public policy issues? The
best I've been able to find is the lwv’s dnet.org...but it just
doesn't cut it. For instance, Lautenberg & Forrester, the leading NJ
senate candidates have "no comment", according to dnet, on every
public policy issue! Help...how can I be an informed voter without
spending endless hours scanning newspapers?

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 04 Nov 2002 09:38 PST

In the absence of a site that itself describes the stances of all
candidates, would a site that contains current links to all of the
campaign web sites (including relatively new candidates Walter Mondale
and Frank Lautenberg) be sufficient as an answer?

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 04 Nov 2002 18:20 PST

Since the election is fast-approaching, and since no one else has
suggested an answer in three days, would you like me to post
information about the web site that I mentioned as an answer?

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 05 Nov 2002 07:18 PST

As a public service, for any last-minute voters out there, here is the
site to which I was referring, containing links to all the campaign
web sites:

"The Fifty State Pages"
Politics1.com
http://www.politics1.com/states.htm

If you are satisfied, and want to have me post information about this
site as an answer, I'd be happy to do so.  If not, as I said, it's a
public service.

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Clarification of Question by smf-ga on 05 Nov 2002 14:51 PST

The site that contains current links to a complete list of campaign
web sites (politics1.org) is a sufficient answer. Vote-smart.org was
also helpful. Thanks for your efforts...they will make me and others
who read your response more informed voters.

I take it from your clarification that I may post information about
Politics1 as an answer.  I will also post information about Project
Vote Smart, as well as a third site, Issues2002.

Politics1.com contains links to all of the campaign web sites, even
for new or minor third-party candidates when available.

"The Fifty State Pages" 
Politics1.com 
http://www.politics1.com/states.htm

As the home page shows, the site also contains a lot more information,
including links to advocacy organizations and biographies of
prospective candidates for the 2004 presidential election.

Politics1.com 
http://www.politics1.com/index.htm

Project Vote Smart, among other things, contains biographical
information and links to campaign web sites for major party
candidates.  (You can find this information by clicking on the
particular office in which you are interested, then on the state, then
on the link at the top of the state page for Election 2002, and
finally on the candidate.  With respect to incumbents, you can get the
same information on the state page itself.)  It also provides voting
records for House and Senate incumbents and results of a National
Political Awareness Test (NPAT) for some candidates.

Project Vote Smart
http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml 
 
Issues2002.org includes information on the positions that incumbents,
but not challengers, have taken on several issues.

Issues2002.org
http://www.issues2002.org/

Please let me know if you need additional details about these web
sites.  (The election may be ending as I write this, but campaign
sites, biographical information, and issue surveys can still be useful
for understanding what we can expect for the next 2, 4, or 6 years
from the elected candidates.  So I hope that the information is still
useful for you.)

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used on Google Directory and Yahoo!:

politics
candidates
elections

If a candidate doesn't file a statement of position, there's not much
LWV or any other site can do to help you be an informed voter.
Lautenberg may have an excuse, but I don't know why Forrester didn't
respond.

A good source of information that has been filed and of links to
campaign web sites and much other useful information is
http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml

Besides voting, you might want to let candidates know your feelings
about their not having answered the National Political Awareness Test
(NPAT)

I can tell you that it's often very difficult to get candidates to
respond to questionnaires. Your best bet if you're looking at a
particular race is to try local newspapers.