Research by Subject: Voting and Elections: Voter Education and Fact Checking

Voter Education

Before you mail your ballot or go to the polls, make an informed choice about your candidates and the issues. Review the resources and links on this page for more information.

Candidates' websites, social media platforms, speeches and debates
Endorsements (public support of a candidate)
Press coverage and reports from newspapers, television, radio, and social media
Political ads and mailings
Voting records for incumbents (those looking to be re-elected)
Attend to a town hall, constituent meeting, or debate.

Federal and State Legislators: look up their voting record in the links below

County office (commissioner, sheriff, attorney): Go to the county website and review county board actions and meeting information.

City and township office (mayor, city council): Go the city or township’s website and review any information available from their meetings. Local newspapers may have articles.

School board: Go to the school system’s Board of Education website and review any information available from their meetings. Local newspapers may have articles.

Judgeship: Look for an individual judge's website (especially if they are running for election)

Ballotpedia: Encyclopedia of American Politics
An encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Provides accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government.
BallotReady
BallotReady aggregates content from candidates’ websites, social media, press, endorsers and board of elections for comprehensive, nonpartisan information about the candidates and referendums on your ballot. Initial support came from the National Science Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.
Brookings Presidential Primary Tracker
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to conduct in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance at local, national, and global levels.
CaliforniaVotes.org
California Laws, Bills and Votes using concise, plain and objective descriptions
Cal Matters 2024 Voter Guide
Nonprofit, non-partisan California voter guide
CSPAN: Campaign 2024
Federal Legislator Voting Records
League of Women's Voters: Vote411
Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues. Only candidates that appear on your ballot, based on the address you enter, will be listed.
News Literacy Project: Misinformation Dashboard Election 2024
Election misinformation dashboard created by a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing k-12 news literacy.
Project Vote Smart
Sample Ballots by Zip Code. Elected Officials & Candidates voting records, interest group ratings, speeches, campaign contributions, and contact information, current and past ballot measures by date & issue

Campaign Finance / Funding

Federal Election Commission
Information about federal election campaign finance law and compliance.
Open Secrets
Nonpartisan information about the influence of money on politics.
San Diego Campaign Finance Disclosers
Vote Smart
Elected officials & candidates voting records, interest group ratings, speeches, campaign contributions, and contact information, current and past ballot measures by date & issue

Reputable Fact-Checking Sites

FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
Factchequeado
An initiative by Maldita.es and Chequeado to build a community of Hispanics and Latinos to counteract misinformation in Spanish in the United States.
PolitiFact
PolitiFact is a nonpartisan fact-checking website to sort out the truth in American politics. PolitiFact was created by the Tampa Bay Times, a Florida newspaper, in 2007. In 2018, PolitiFact was acquired by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalists.
Snopes
Long-established website that fact-checks information on a wide variety of topics, including politics and elections.

Voting and Elections

Library Hours

e-Resource Problem Report

Voter Education

Campaign Finance / Funding

Reputable Fact-Checking Sites