Useful Tools for Helping Make Your Decision

The Political Parties

Although the U.S. Political system is dominated by two parties—the Republicans and the Democrats—there are several other parties which are gaining in support.  They include the Reform Party, the Libertarian Party, the Constitution party, and the Green Party.

Research the Incumbents

The incumbent is the guy that currently holds the office that will be competed in the coming election. One would think that job performance would be a key consideration in whether or not an incumbent gets to keep his job.  Yet, in 2000 98% of incumbents in the U.S. Congress were successfully re-elected.  This might seem surprising since recent polls show public satisfaction with the performance of the Congressman at levels as low as 30%.

Some of this might be explained by people just voting the party line.  If the district is dominated by one political party vs. another, that party's candidate may consistently win re-election regardless of his performance.  He might be a crook, but at least he's our crook.

Another factor might be name recognition. Since he is the incumbent, his name and picture are always on TV and in the newspaper.  People may just vote for him because they recognize his name.  

If you prefer to research the performance of the incumbent, try these informative websites to look at his voting record and see where he gets his money.  When ever you are looking for the real answer to any question, always follow the money.

The Maryland Voter Information Clearinghouse is an excellent source of information on campaign finances.  It is also a good tool to verify your voter registration status and voting location. Founded in 2006, the Clearinghouse is a project of the National Center for the Study of Elections, a research center within the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis & Research at UMBC, in cooperation with the Maryland State Board of Elections.

opensecrets.org will show you who is giving the money and who is getting it.  Those giving the big money usually want something in return.  Those getting the money are usually obligated to deliver if they expect to get more money for the next election.  This is a sad fact of our political system that won't change until we move to 100% publicly funded elections.

factcheck.org 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.  Politics can be a dirty business and lies and deceptions have been used more than once in an attempt to sway voters.

If you have suggestions for what you would like to see in this year's guide, please write to us and we'll be sure to consider it.

Disclaimer: All information is believed to be accurate.  However, the local election board is the authority for any information related to election laws.