A Look Into Politics, For The Outsiders

by Wren Greaney

One year ago I worked in an understated office in the famed Dupont Circle of Washington, DC. I remember feeling like one of the lucky few – the tiny proportion of Americans who work in important organizations in DC, national headquarters of executive agencies, and, for those who found themselves on Capitol Hill, the illustrious halls of Congress.

Today, a year after my DC adventure, I work as an intern at Project Vote Smart where politically-minded people impart factual, unbiased information to voters in state and national elections. Working at non-partisan Vote Smart, located on a ranch in Montana, has been a very different experience from working amidst the bustle of DC politics.

Vote Smart’s objective is truly simple: to tell Americans what their representatives and candidates are saying and doing. Votesmart.org includes a tool called VoteEasy that matches voters to candidates who best represent their views, voter registration information, and an enormous database containing politician biographies, key votes, issue positions, speeches, and special interest group ratings. As a non-partisan organization, we provide voters with a fair and direct view of the activities in Washington, DC and state governments.

I don’t think that the “lucky few” who get to directly witness DC proceedings and state governments should be the only Americans with a direct look at large-scale politics. I am happy to contribute to the flow of information out of offices and legislative chambers, and into the hands of the Americans who don’t live or work in a hub of political power.

Knowledge is vital to our future, and Vote Smart’s trove of information is continuously growing. Please use votesmart.org if you want to know which candidates deserve your vote.