- The League of Women Voters of Georgia.
Encourages informed participation of citizens in government by offering voter guides
on the candidates for the current election, as well as citizen
information guides on topics like Georgia government and judicial
impartiality. Also has great statewide resources and Legislative updates.
- The League of Women Voters of the United States.
Information on the League and its positions along with other information.
- DeKalb County Government.
Official online portal for the government of DeKalb County, it links to the County Voter Registration and Elections Office.
An excellent source for making a list of offices you might be voting
for, this official voting and elections site of DeKalb County is fairly
current, although it usually does not post the sample ballot (PDF) very far in advance of elections due to close candidate registration deadlines. It contains a very helpful poll locator
which helps you determine if you are registered to vote, and - if so -
at what address, where to go to vote, and for which national, state,
and county districts you will be voting. It requires additional web
browser plug-ins, but you can also download forms to register to vote
absentee, or to become a voter before registration deadlines. The
County portal also links to county sites that are useful for
researching local issues and incumbent candidates, such as: schools, commission, ethics board, police, etc.
- State Government of Georgia.
Official online portal for the government of Georgia, links to the secretary of state's office
(posts primary ballots, your voting location, lists offices to be elected for each year, as well as election results), as well as sites useful in
researching the records of incumbent candidates, including: state legislature, state and local courts, and state ethics commission. This portal also lists all of the state agencies (which could help you understand what a particular office is responsible for) and links to public broadcasting (a great source for nonpartisan news).
- Project Vote Smart.
Offers research on the backgrounds and records of political candidates and elected officials for U.S. Congress and President.
You can find their voting records, campaign contributions, public
statements, biographical data (including their work history) and
evaluations of them generated by numerous competing special interest
groups. In addition, the group tests each candidate's willingness to
provide citizens with their positions on the issues they will most
likely face if elected through the Political Courage Test.
- National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Reveals the influence of campaign money on state-level elections and politics in all 50 states. Very useful at the state level, but is not as comprehensive for more local races. For data on money spent in national campaigns, see the Center for Responsive Politics.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Co-sponsors televised debates with the Atlanta Press Club and has nonpartisan, state-level news coverage of elections.
- U.S. Census Bureau. County and city data book.
Collected by various government agencies, these facts can be searched by state, county and city.
This online book can be useful in evaluating whether the policies of
incumbents have positively impacted statistics you care about, such as:
crime, health, home ownership, minority-owned businesses, poverty, etc.
Unfortunately its statistics often end about two years prior to today's
date and small towns are not considered cities, but it can still be a
helpful long-term gauge of the trends in your area.
- Annenberg Political Fact Check.
Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by and on behalf of major
U.S. political players and is mainly useful for current national politics
in 3 categories: court watch, presidential race, and congressional
race. This site also includes a free online classroom, FactCheckEd.org, which teaches citizens how to do their own fact checking.
