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, once 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 single political party.
Vote Smart collects and shares information about people running for public office in the United States. This includes details about their backgrounds and what they believe on different issues. They also share how politicians have voted on laws and where their campaign money comes from. You can find this information on their website, by phone, or in printed materials.
The organization also provides records of public statements made by politicians. They offer contact details for election offices and information about voting. This helps people learn about candidates and make informed choices.
Contents
How Vote Smart Started
In 1986, a person named Richard Kimball ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. He did not win the election. During a debate, he talked about how political campaigns work. He felt that campaigns often focused too much on raising money and creating an image. He believed they did not focus enough on important issues.
Kimball wanted to change this. So, in 1992, he started Vote Smart. He wanted to create a place where voters could easily find facts about candidates. His founding board included important figures like Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
Where Vote Smart Has Been
Vote Smart first started at Oregon State University in Oregon. In 1999, it moved its main office and research center to a ranch in Philipsburg, Montana. Later, in 2006, Vote Smart opened another branch at The University of Arizona in Tucson.
The Tucson office closed in 2010. This was partly because the university had budget cuts. In 2011, Vote Smart moved some of its departments to the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California. The University of Southern California office later closed, and that department moved back to Montana.
In 2016, Vote Smart announced it would sell its ranch in Montana. The ranch was in a quiet, isolated area. While it housed many young interns, this location sometimes caused problems. Richard Kimball said that the remote setting led to various challenges for the young people living there. Vote Smart then moved its main office to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
How Vote Smart Gets Money
Vote Smart states that it does not take money from big companies, worker groups, or political parties. It also avoids money from organizations that try to influence elections or issues. This helps them stay neutral.
Some of the groups that have given money to Vote Smart include the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. People who donate money to Vote Smart are called members. These members can even visit the headquarters and help with research.
The Political Courage Test
The Political Courage Test is a special survey that Vote Smart uses. It asks people running for office about their views on many important issues. The goal is to make American politics more open and clear.
Vote Smart then shares the answers from this test 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 because he did not complete the test.
Over the years, fewer politicians have taken the Political Courage Test. In 1996, 72% of candidates took it, but by 2016, only 20% did. This is because some politicians worry that their answers might be used against them in attack ads. Vote Smart has tried to encourage more politicians to take the test. They even let candidates leave some answers blank.
VoteEasy Tool
VoteEasy is an online tool created by Vote Smart. It helps voters compare their own beliefs on issues with those of different candidates. It was first launched during the 2010 election season.
After it came out, VoteEasy was featured by many news organizations. These included CBS News and The New York Times. It became a popular way for people to learn about candidates.
See also
In Spanish: Vote Smart para niños
- On the Issues
