Voter Guides: Protest Votes and Cheat Sheets

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Tired of the two-party system but unsure about casting a protest vote? WebActive‘s pragmatic analysis helps you make your vote count either way. They cast a critical eye over Clinton’s first-term performance, endorsing him for president, but encouraging a vote for Nader in states where Clinton is ahead (or behind) by a large margin. An interactive map shows which category your state falls into.

In the more hotly contested state and local races, the problem for many voters may be a surplus, not a dearth, of choices. If you don’t have the entire weekend to devote to deciphering your ballot pamphlet, you might want to consult a cheat-sheet: the endorsement lists and scorecards put out by your favorite advocacy groups. For example:

  • The ACLU rates all members of Congress with a scorecard showing how they voted on key civil liberties issues, including Internet censorship, school vouchers, national ID cards, wiretapping, Immigration, HIV in the military, and English Only.

  • Both the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club endorse candidates based on their environmental track record.

  • NOW pinpoints key races for women to watch and endorses candidates based on their support for feminist issues.

  • The Human Rights Campaign scores the 104th Congress on issues of concern to gay and lesbian Americans. [Watch out for the 157 members of the House and 14 members of the Senate who scored zero percent.]

And don’t forget to check your local alternative weekly for comprehensive coverage of state and district races.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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