voteeasy.org: Helping you navigate the murky waters of the political pool

I read an editorial in the Austin American Statesman titled Voting time approaches; do your homework.  The title caught my eye because I myself have such a difficult time trying to sort through all the information and mud slinging to decide which candidate to choose.  The author of this article is speaking to Texans voting for legislative candidates who may be having the same difficulty as I am.  He agrees that it is often difficult for the average person to figure out on their own which candidate shares the viewpoints and ideals that they themselves have.  In this article the author tells us about Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan group that helps voters by getting them easier to understand information about the candidates.  The author does a good job of pointing out both the strengths and the weaknesses of the group and their website voteeasy.org.  He explains to us the methods that the group uses to obtain this information such as questionnaires given to the candidates.  Unfortunately, the effectiveness of questionnaires is limited by the amount of candidates who actually respond.  According to this editorial, only 40% of those running for legislative office in Texas responded this year.   Luckily, this low participation does not deter the group.  They conduct extensive research into the candidates to glean the information they need in other ways such as reading public statements.  I agree with the author in that this is an excellent resource for voters.  It is unfortunate that this group only deals with legislative candidates.  Their help would be appreciated in other elections as well.