EFF offers "Informed Voters Guide"
May 28, 2010
Washington State - The Washington State Constitution makes it clear that when we
cast our vote we are doing more than simply checking a box: we are delegating our Constitutionally protected power for a defined space of time to another person, trusting they will use it wisely and justly. With that important responsibility in mind, some citizens spend the necessary time “vetting” candidates before choosing them.
For others, however, voting is a chore—a thankless task they begrudgingly perform or ignore altogether. Some people cast their votes in complete ignorance, effectively negating all the hard work you put into making sure yours was sound.
To counter this kind of ignorance and help citizens make good decisions about who they vote for, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) has created an "Informed Voter Guide". An introduction to the Guide and how you can help is located at EFF's website here: http://www.effwa.org/main/page.php?number=615
According to the Foundation, the Guide compiles a lot of information that every Washington voter should know. Citizens will be able to quickly reference their legislators’ personal voting records and where each falls on the Freedom Foundation’s Hey, Big Spender! List. Readers will get the Foundation's analysis on a number of important bills.
EFF stated they have also commissioned a team of more than 70 volunteer researchers to conduct deeper research on legislators in several key legislative districts. "This team has been hard at work looking through news articles, YouTube videos, constituent emails, taped committee hearings, and other avenues to gather information that will help voters in those districts understand how and why their legislators voted the way they did," says an EFF news release. They said they will be making their findings available by month-end. "Our hope is that grassroots activists in other districts will see what kind of information is available and will conduct similar research in their own districts," the news release said.
EFF’s mission is to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited, accountable government. According to their website, the statement says: "We have a vision of a day when opportunity, responsible self-governance and free markets flourish in Washington State because its citizens understand and cherish the principles from which freedom is derived."