Causes: Civil Rights, Democracy, Education, Voter Education & Registration, Voting Rights

Mission: Vote Smart (formerly Project Vote Smart) is dedicated to providing voters with the essential information to self-govern effectively. Because a knowledgeable electorate is the strongest component of a functioning democracy, our organization strives to provide free, non-biased, in-depth, and accurate information about current officials, candidates, issues, legislation, and voting.

Geographic areas served: United States - Nationally

Programs: Side by Side: Our newest tool allows users to compare and contrast candidates in fields like biographical data, voting records, special interest group ratings, and public statements. The Political Courage Test: See how we challenge the candidates to tell voters where they stand on the issues. Voter's Self-Defense Manual: Released before every federal general election, this publication contains key data points on all congressional members selected from our research database, including biographical information, Political Courage Test results, key votes, special interest group ratings, and campaign finances. VoteEasy: Check out the award-winning interactive tool found at www. voteeasy. org.