Vote Smart facts for kids
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| Formation | 1992 |
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| Headquarters | 1153 24th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50311 |
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President
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Kyle Dell |
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Formerly called
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Project Vote Smart |
Vote Smart, also known as Project Vote Smart, is an American organization. It is a non-profit group, meaning it does not aim to make money. It is also non-partisan, which means it does not support any specific political party.
Vote Smart gathers and shares information about people running for public office in the United States. This includes details on candidates and elected officials. They cover six main areas:
- Their background information.
- Their views on important issues, often found through a "Political Courage Test."
- How they have voted on laws.
- How they get money for their campaigns.
- Ratings from different groups that care about specific issues.
- Their speeches and public statements.
You can find this information on their website, by calling a special phone number, or in printed books. The person who started Vote Smart was Richard Kimball. In 2022, Kyle Dell became the new president.
Vote Smart also provides other helpful information. This includes records of public statements and ways to contact election offices. They also share details about where to vote and how to vote by mail. You can find descriptions of ballot measures for each state. They also link to government agencies and political groups.
Contents
Understanding Vote Smart's Mission
Vote Smart helps people learn about politicians. They want to make sure voters have all the facts. This way, people can make smart choices when they vote.
Why Vote Smart Was Started
In 1986, Richard Kimball ran for a U.S. Senate seat. During a debate, he explained how political campaigns often work. He felt that campaigns spent too much time raising money and creating images. He believed they didn't focus enough on real issues.
Understand what we do to you. We spend all of our time raising money, often from strangers we do not even know. Then we spend it in three specific ways: First we measure you, what it is you want to purchase in the political marketplace — just like Campbell's soup or Kellogg's cereal. Next, we hire some consultants who know how to tailor our image to fit what we sell. Lastly, we bombard you with the meaningless, issueless, emotional nonsense that is always the result. And whichever one of us does that best will win.
Kimball used this idea to start Vote Smart in 1992. Important leaders like Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford helped him. Other well-known figures also joined his first board.
Vote Smart's Locations Over Time
Vote Smart first started at Oregon State University. In 1999, their main office moved to a ranch in Montana. Later, in 2006, they opened another office at The University of Arizona.
In 2010, the Arizona office closed. Vote Smart then opened new research offices. In 2011, some departments moved to the University of Texas-Austin and the University of Southern California. The Political Courage Department later moved back to Montana.
In 2016, Vote Smart decided to sell its ranch in Montana. The founder, Richard Kimball, said the remote location caused some challenges. The main office then moved to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
How Vote Smart Gets Money
Vote Smart states that it does not take money from certain groups. These include companies, labor unions, or political parties. They also do not accept money from organizations that try to influence elections or issues.
Some groups that have given money include the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Individuals who donate money are called members. These members can visit the headquarters. They can even help with research alongside staff and interns.
Key Tools for Voters
Vote Smart offers special tools to help people learn about candidates. These tools make it easier to compare politicians.
The Political Courage Test
The Political Courage Test helps make American politics more open. It used to be called the National Political Awareness Test. This test is part of Vote Smart's program to inform voters.
The test asks candidates about their views on many important issues. Vote Smart then shares these answers with voters. This way, voters can easily see where candidates stand on different topics.
In 2008, John McCain was removed from Vote Smart's board. This happened because he did not complete the Political Courage Test.
Over time, fewer politicians have taken the test. In 1996, 72% of candidates took it. By 2016, only 20% did. Some politicians worry that their answers might be used against them in ads. Vote Smart tries to encourage candidates to take the test. They even let candidates leave some answers blank.
VoteEasy: Comparing Candidates
VoteEasy is an online tool that helps voters. It lets you compare your own views on issues with those of a candidate. This tool was launched by Vote Smart in 2010.
When VoteEasy first came out, many news groups talked about it. These included CBS News and The New York Times.
See also
In Spanish: Vote Smart para niños
- On the Issues
