Being an Informed Voter

One point that many Democrats and Republicans agree on is that it is important for every American citizen to vote.  What if you’re not sure where to go to vote?  Or what if you think you don’t know enough about the candidates to make an informed decision?

First of all, to find out how and where to vote, you can visit http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml.  This is a government-run website (you can tell by the “.gov” domain in the URL) that offers links to a Polling Place Finder, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and contact information for people who can help you.

To find out about the candidates’ positions, visit their web pages.

Candidate	Party	Website
Barack Obama	Democratic	http://www.barackobama.com
Mitt Romney	Republican	http://www.mittromney.com/
Gary Johnson	Libertarian	http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/
Jill Stein	Green	http://www.jillstein.org/
Stewart Allen	Socialist Party USA	http://stewartalexanderforpresident2012.org/
Rocky Anderson	Justice	http://www.voterocky.org/
Andre Barnett	Reform	http://www.andrebarnett2012.com/
Roseanne Barr	Peace and Freedom	http://www.roseanneforpresident2012.org/ (not on the ballot in New Jersey)
Virgil Goode	Constitution	http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/home.html
James Harris	Socialist Workers	http://www.themilitant.com/campaign/
Peta Lindsay	Party for Socialism and Liberation	http://www.pslweb.org/votepsl/2012/candidates/lindsay.html
Merlin Miller	American Third Position	http://merlinmiller2012.com/
Jeff Boss	Independent	http://www.jeffbossforpresident.org/

When you watch the debates, you might hear one of the candidates say something that surprises you and makes you wonder if it is true.  The website Politifact.com, from the Tampa Bay Times, analyzes what politicians and others say and measure how accurate the statements are with a “truth-o-meter”.   The Annenberg Public Policy Center has a similar website, Factcheck.org.

If you want to keep up with the news, you can use your Jersey City Free Public Library Card to get access to Infotrac.  You can use it to read articles from The New York Times, Bergen Record, Washington Post, and Philadelphia Inquirer.