Next Tuesday is Primary Election Day in Michigan and many other states across the nation, and for those looking for information on the candidates, a group has put together an online presence called the iVoterGuide, promising “accurate, well-researched facts on candidates.” While the guide offers a look at the candidates for national and state offices, they reportedly do not have the resources to handle all races down the ballot according to their website.
Organizers say, “The iVoterGuide is helping to ensure that voters everywhere are informed before they head to the polls.” President, Debbie Wuthnow says, “Regardless of how they cast their votes, Americans want accurate, well-researched information and trusted guidance in order to remove all uncertainty from the most important part of voting—making the right choice.” She adds, “The greatest threat to our republic is not delayed election results or even fraud, but ill-informed voters. Now more than ever, Americans need readable, honest, comprehensive facts about candidates and issues, such as our trusted voting guidance provides through just a couple of clicks.”
The voter guide for Michigan gives a report on candidates, information on voting (in-person or by mail), sample ballots and other crucial information. Simply click the link below for access:
http://ivoterguide.com/All-in-State/michigan
Next week’s Primary is on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.
Wuthnow says that the iVoterGuide is distributed through gold partners such as Texas Values Action, American Family Association Action, and Family Research Council Action.
The site says that they go directly to the source for material. “For financial data and donation records, we download tens of thousands of records from the Federal Election Commission and the state level departments responsible for the data in every single state we cover. We have approximately 67 million donation records in our database!”
They also report, “Voting records are taken directly from the scorecards of approximately 150 organizations, and our researchers spend hundreds of hours gathering endorsements from over a thousand organizations from all across the nation, as well as entering endorsements listed on each candidate’s website.”
They also contact every candidate multiple times, not only asking them to complete a candidate survey but also giving each candidate time to personally review all their information prior to its release.
Wuthnow says the iVoterGuide is different from many other such sources, contending, “Many voter guides simply show you endorsements of specific candidates or candidate’s positions on specific issues instead of giving you the facts on all the issues and letting you decide. iVoterGuide doesn’t tell you who to vote for; instead, we give YOU the information so you can decide for yourself and educate others.”
Website researchers also note, “The depth of research provided by iVoterGuide is unprecedented. We’ve searched through over 67 million donation records, track more than 1000 endorsing organizations and aggregate scorecard data from approximately 150 organizations for thousands of candidates across the nation.” They conclude, “iVoterGuide is online and customized and can show you only the races on your ballot. We save you time and energy by having the information right at your fingertips whenever and wherever you need it.”
Organizers of the site readily admit, “iVoterGuide is built on Biblical foundations – not just on political issues, but also in the coalition model through which we partner with over 30 amazing organizations. We believe that we fulfill a particular purpose in the body of Christ, and that by working with other individuals and organizations – instead of competing with them – we are doing what God has called us to do.”
