Research Guides: Voting: and election information

An informed public is critical to democracy. But how do we become accurately informed? We are bombarded with political information on the Internet, on the news, and on commercials. Active participation is required to separate fact from fiction and find out where people really stand.

Voting - Getting Started

Wisconsin Elections Commission
My Vote Wisconsin
Offers a personalized experience based on whether you are a regular Wisconsin voter or someone in the military or a U.S. citizen living permanently overseas.
Am I registered to vote?
Check to make sure you are registered.
Bring it to the Ballot
Wisconsin now requires a photo ID to vote. Find out what kind of ID you can use and where to get one.
Track My Ballot
iwillvote.com voting information for WI
Wisconsin Voters Rights Guide

Fact Checking

You know we can't believe everything we read or see on TV. These nonpartisan fact checking websites will help you sift through political claims to determine how reliable they are.

Politifact Each day, journalists and researchers from the St. Petersburg Times and CQ (Congressional Quarterly publishers) fact-check the accuracy of speeches, TV ads, interviews and other campaign communications, then post their findings to the PolitiFact website. The site offers a "Truthometer, "a scorecard separating fact from fiction," for analyzing political claims. You can browse the "Truthometer" by candidate or attacker, by subject, by political party. Claims are rated "true, mostly true, half true, barely true, false or 'pants on fire'." @politicfact on twitter
@politicfact on X (previously twitter)
Factcheck.org "A nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics." From the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, this project monitors 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. @factcheckdotorg on twitter
@factcheckdotorg on X (previously twitter)
AnnenbergClassroom.org Free resources for learning the Constitution. Includes a video library containing two series: The Constitution Project, which comprises award-winning documentaries of landmark Supreme Court cases, and Conversations on the Constitution, in which Supreme Court justices discuss constitutional topics.

About Candidates and Issues

Here are websites which are useful for finding information on candidates and issues in most national and State elections.

Vote 411 (League of Women Voters) Offers information for voter education (how to register to vote, how to vote by mail, names of elected representatives, how the government works, etc.) and allows you to compare candidates positions.
AllSides This website gathers news stories from different perspectives about candidates, campaigns and political parties. To help you work your way through the election year hype, news stories are organized into three columns: "From the Right," "From the Left" and "From the Center" of the political spectrum.
Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics. A one-stop resource for campaign and political information at federal and local levels.

Wisconsin Political News

Campaign Funding

OpenSecrets.org: Your Guide to the Money in American Elections A "nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy," from the Center for Responsive Politics. Offers funding profiles for candidates, politicians, political parties and elections. Covers personal finances, outside spending, earmarks, PACS and interest groups, 527s and "heavy hitters." This is a major website on politics and money.
Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System

A History of Political Ads

The Living Room Candidate

The Living Room Candidate Watch videos and read transcripts of hundreds of commercials for U.S. Presidential campaigns. Search by year, by type of commercial or by issue (commercials focusing on civil rights, corruption, cost of living, taxes, war, welfare, etc.).

Voting: and election information