After repeated requests, less than 10% of Virginia's legislative candidates were willing to tell citizens where they stand on 10 key issues. This is fewer responses than from those running for federal offices, which is a trend in lock step with the increasing nastiness of political tactics.

Preferring to protect themselves from opposition research, only 20% of the 1282 candidates for Congress were willing to provide voters or media with direct answers to the issue questions on Vote Smart’s National Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving New Hampshire voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Fifty-one of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Maine voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-three congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Texas voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Forty-six of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving New York voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Eleven of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test. 

 Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Minnesota voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Thirty congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Iowa voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Eleven congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving South Carolina voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Eight of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Nebraska voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Six congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.  

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving North Carolina voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-two of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Tennessee voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Kansas voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-one congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

 Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Delaware voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nine of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

 Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Mississippi voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Three of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test. 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Alabama voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seven congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Vermont voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Fifteen of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving New Jersey voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nine of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Illinois voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Thirteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Maryland voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-two congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Oklahoma voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nine of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving West Virginia voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Ten of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Pennsylvania voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seventeen of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Rhode Island voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nine of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Virginia voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seven of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Louisiana voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Four of the congressional candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving South Dakota voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nine of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving North Dakota voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Five of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Indiana voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Seventeen of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test. 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Missouri voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twelve of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Oregon voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-one of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Washington voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-three of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving California voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-eight congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Nevada voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Fourteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Hawaii voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Sixteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.
 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Alaska voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Thirteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Montana voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Forty-six of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving New Mexico voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Four of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test. 
 

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Utah voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty-four of the congressional and state legislative candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Idaho voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nineteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Arizona voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Nineteen congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Wyoming voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Fifteen of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Today, Vote Smart released the results of the National Political Courage Test to VoteEasy at VoteSmart.org, giving Ohio voters an invaluable resource for identifying their best political match November 4th. Twenty of the congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates passed the 2014 Political Courage Test.

Vote Smart announced today that the 2014 Voter’s Self-Defense Manual is available free to all voters by simply calling 888-VoteSmart or emailing membership@votesmart.org.

Today, Vote Smart announces the unveiling of its powerful new tools that provide every citizen interactive, instant access to the facts on any politician, on any issue, at any time.

Three prominent political research experts, Brooks Jackson, Ted McConnell, and Sheila Krumholz, have joined the board of Vote Smart (VoteSmart.org), the leading non-partisan national research organization focused on politicians and elections.

Vote Smart (VoteSmart.org), the leading non-partisan national research organization focused on politicians and elections, announced a series of massive additions to its factual database on over 150,000 current and former elected officials and candidates. 

 Vote Smart’s Great Divide Research Center reported today that its member contributions have increased in 2014 by 81%, and that it has gotten Charity Navigator’s highest four star rating. 

Vote Smart announces today their added technological capacity which is now sufficient to handle the millions of undecided voters expected to use its award-winning candidate match tool, VoteEasy. 

A  20-year study of over 15,000 congressional candidates and their willingness to answer questions on the major issues

VoteEasy is now available for voters in all 50 states.

Project Vote Smart is teaming up with MTV to launch a desktop and mobile game where points will be earned through information provided by PVS and other organizations, and candidates will be rewarded if they choose to participate in our "Political Courage Test"

We released the 2012 Political Courage Test results today for Oregon's special election showing neither major party congressional candidate running for the state's 1st Congressional District seat was willing to answer even the most basic issue-related questions addressed inside the Test.

With the presidential election exactly one year away, Project Vote Smart has launched VoteEasy (winner of the best there is at the 2011 Webvisionary Awards), the interactive tool for voters to instantly see which presidential candidate they are most compatible with. To use VoteEasy now visit www.votesmart.org.

Project Vote Smart is putting a BIG GUARD DOG onto the political playing field. Today VoteEasy will go national with the attached release.  It has not been easy to create and we need your help to build on it. Even if you be a contributing member or volunteer, please use it to defend yourself from the political nonesense that frustrates and often disgusts us all.