The first day of early voting has arrived.
Absentee ballots, if requested, should be arriving in mailboxes soon. With them comes the great responsibility of sifting through dozens of candidates for state, local and federal office.
Fortunately, a couple nonpartisan groups have done the election homework for you.
Here are two helpful resources for voters who seek unbiased information on the candidates and hope to cast their ballots with confidence:
• The League of Women Voters’ Vote411 project (http://www.vote411.org/) gives details on upcoming debates and personalized information on lists of candidates who will appear on individual ballots. Just plug in an address, pick a race and then click and compare multiple candidates at once.
• Project Vote Smart (The Voter’s Self Defense System) offers an interactive treasure trove of information on tens of thousands of candidates. Enter a zip code or type in a candidate’s name in the search box at http://votesmart.org/ and then select from a host of categories, including how candidates have voted, where they stand on issues, their campaign funding, speeches, ratings and basic biographical information. Users may also create an account to track and receive email updates on specific candidates, officials and legislation.
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @ABJDoug .