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Researching the Issues and Campaign Finance

Follow the Money discloses the campaign finances of candidates for state office.

Open Secrets use this site to determine where the candidates for federal office get their money.

Candidates Positions on the Issues

OnTheIssues.com provides candidate responses to questions about hot-button issues such as abortion, taxes and the civil rights. This is a good source contains information on Massachusetts candidates as well as candidates from other states. OnTheIssues is nonprofit and claims to be non-partisan.

Project VoteSmart is a non-profit, non-partisan web site that provides information on candidates for Federal and State offices.

Issues: Research Significant Issues

CQ Researcher (Restricted to UMD faculty/students) is a collection of reports on controversial issues of current significance.  The reports offer topic overviews and background information, opposing viewpoint essays, and much more.  The database contains reports dating back to 1991.

CQ Weekly (Restricted to UMD faculty/students) offers weekly analysis of news from Capital Hill as well as Congressional roll call votes. CQ Weekly claims it is the choice of 95% of members of Congress. Nevertheless, its articles are written in lay language and are easily understood by those of us living outside the beltway. The database contains information dating back to 1983.

02133 provides information on Massachusetts' politics and public policy. The site currently contains information on subjects such as unemployment, prescription drug coverage, budget problems, MCAS, and charter schools.

Fact Check (Annenberg Public Policy Center) attempts to monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Focus is generally on candidates who hold or who are seeking Federal office.

OnTheIssues.com provides candidate responses to questions about hot-button issues such as abortion, taxes and the civil rights. This is a good source contains information on Massachusetts candidates as well as candidates from other states. OnTheIssues is nonprofit and claims to be non-partisan.

Project VoteSmart is a non-profit, non-partisan web site that provides information on candidates for Federal and State offices.

Public Agenda provides non-partison issue guides on current controversial topics.  The issue guides include sections on "Undertanding the Issue," "Public Opinion," and "Additional Resources."

Weekly Roundup provides free weekly analysis of Massachusetts political news. You can sign-up for weekly alerts from the Round-up by submitting your email address on the following web site. http://www.statehousenews.com/public/RSignup.htm

Newspaper Databases (Restrict to UMD Students and Faculty)

Massachusetts Newsstand (Restricted to UMD students/faculty) - Full-text coverage of major Massachusetts newspapers including the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Quincy Patriot Ledger and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, plus selected coverage of other regional sources

NewsBank - Massachusetts (Restricted to UMD students/faculty) - Full-text coverage of major Massachusetts newspapers including the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Worcester Telegram and Gazette and Cape Cod Time