Thousands of candidates and elected officials. Who works for you? Who is seeking your vote? Project Vote Smart, a citizen's organization, has developed a Voter's Self-Defense System to provide you with the necessary tools to self-govern effectively: abundant, accurate, unbiased and relevant information. As a national library of factual information, Project Vote Smart covers your candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings. What would you like to know? Access our library of information through either the menu on the left hand side or the links above.

For a quick tutorial on how to find what you are looking for, take a short Interactive tour of the PVS Web site.

To find out more about PVS, click here or call our Voter's Research Hotline 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762) with any questions.

What's New at PVS:

Project Vote Smart, the nation's premier political research organization, is hiring at both its wilderness research retreat in the Montana Rockies and at its University of Arizona location. The nation's first Voter's Self-Defense System is approaching completion. Leaders as diverse as Carter, Ford, McCain, and Dukakis have backed this mammoth effort by the nation's youngest citizens to defend voters from the manipulative and abusive tactics of today's political candidates – JOIN US. The pay is low, but the experience is extraordinary. Email your letter of interest and resume to: jobs@vote-smart.org or call 1-888-868-3762 for more information. Click here to find out how you can join our effort to save democracy.

Presidential Candidate Coverage

2007 is just getting underway, but candidates are already campaigning to seek your vote for the 2008 Presidential Election. Project Vote Smart is covering them all. Click here to access our Presidential Coverage. We're adding more candidates and information each day so check back often to get the facts on those hoping to represent you.

Elected Official Updates

All new federal officials are now posted on our site and we are collecting their new contact information as it becomes available. We are working to update the newly elected state officials as the data becomes available from the individual states. If you have questions about our update process or your newly elected officials please don't hesitate to contact our toll-free Voter's Research Hotline at 1-888-868-3762 and we will glady answer any questions that you may have.

Ten Year Test Reveals Impact of Major Parties' Decisions to Stonewall the Public

The Project has just released the results of a ten-year study of every congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative candidate in the country. Results from the National Political Awareness Test, 1996-2006, indicate a dramatic nose dive over the last five election cycles in the willingness of major party candidates to tell voters their positions on the issues they will face if elected. Read the news release and supporting documents with comparative statistics from 1996-2006. Then see how your candidates measured up.

2006 Voters' Self-Defense Manual

Our 2006 Voters' Self-Defense Manual is now available. It contains a sampling of the PVS online database with information on Congressional members' voting records, interest group ratings, campaign contributions, and contact information. This publication is available free of charge to all citizens. Download a copy today or request that one be mailed to you by calling 1-888-868-3762.

Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidate Statements

Project Vote Smart has begun collecting statements from Congressional and Gubernatorial candidates. More speeches and public statements from these candidates will be posted daily as the general election approaches. Click here to explore our speeches database.

Federal and State Judicial Branch Information

Project Vote Smart now provides information about the Federal Court System and State Supreme Courts. This information includes bios of all federal judges and state supreme court judges. General court information, campaign finance information for elected judges, and links and contact information to find out about court cases and opinions are also available. Click here to access information on the Federal Court System. Click here to choose a state and find out about the judges in your State Supreme Court.