See what's been added to Vote Smart's database this week! We added two key Congressional votes, lots of resources for voters in states with primary elections this week, and statements on the most talked-about topics in Congress right now! Let Voting Smart be your #MotivationMonday this week! Read it all here!
MAJOR EVENTS FROM THE WEEK:
Senate Vote on the National Defense Authorization Act
Curious about last week's vote in the Senate on the National Defense Authorization Act? See how your senators voted, and read our updated summary on the most recent version of the legislation HERE.
Candidate Endorsements
Check your congressional candidates' endorsements from national special interest groups ahead of the election by searching for your candidate in iSpy or by browsing our special interest groups HERE.
August 14th Primaries
Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Vermont have primary elections on Tuesday, August 14! Check out the candidates at the link to your state!
Kavanaugh's Supreme Court Nomination
Although the press isn't talking as much about Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, it's still one of the hottest topics in Congress, right behind immigration. See what your representatives are saying HERE.
ELECTIONS: By Pete and the Elections Research team Endorsements: Vote Smart has released more than 18,000+ endorsements so far this year! See who is really backing your candidates HERE.
If you would like to see how your representatives or candidates are rated by Special Interest Groups, check out your candidate's ratings page, as shown by the example HERE.
State level endorsements for states with elections on Tuesday can be found by filtering for your state and the issues that matter most to you on this page HERE!
Ratings:
We have released over 60,000 ratings for politicians so far this year! They are listed on the Interest Groups page of the website, which you can browse HERE!
You can filter these rating scorecards by both STATE AND ISSUE, which allows you to easily find how interest groups are rating your representatives based on the subjects that matter to you. Political Courage Test & Elections Info:
What is the Political Courage Test? Find out HERE!
Four states have their primary elections this week! You can keep track of election dates using our downloadable elections calendar on this page of the website: Downloadable Election Calendar HERE Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Vermont have primary elections on Tuesday August 14, 2018! We have completed full biographical research on all Congressional candidates: - Connecticut Candidates HERE - Minnesota Candidates HERE - Wisconsin Candidates HERE
- Vermont Candidates HERE
Not registered to vote in your state with an up-coming primary election? Find Voter Registration to the August 14th Primary States HERE: - Connecticut Voter Registration
Our staff has administrated the Political Courage Test to all Congressional candidates in Tuesday's primaries. Here are a few highlights! Connecticut Percent of candidates to take the PCT: 16% Number of answers from the candidates: 45 Number of answers determined from our research: 125 Minnesota Percent of candidates to take the PCT: 36% Number of answers from the candidates: 257 Number of answers determined from our research: 223 Wisconsin Percent of candidates to take the PCT: 21% Number of answers from the candidates: 134 Number of answers determined from our research: 246 Vermont Percent of candidates to take the PCT: 27% Number of answers from the candidates: 48 Number of answers determined from our research: 56 Do your candidates have the courage to represent you?
Congressional Candidate Lists:
Vote Smart has released congressional candidate lists released for all 41 states that have released certified ballots for 2018 Primary Elections. These candidates are all found on the elections page of the website as searchable here.
All 49 states with Primary elections have released their candidate lists! Our researchers have completed full biographical research for all Congressional candidates in these races. These candidates are all found on the elections page of the website HERE.
OFFICIALS:
By Annie and the Officials Research Team
Public Statements:
Vote Smart added 1,651 statements to its database this week! Find them all through targeted key-word searches.
Some Newsworthy topics include:
Key Votes:
There were seven key state votes this week, and two key votes in Congress. The votes in Congress were additional votes on bills that we have previously featured on our Weekly Wrap-Up.
- HR 5515: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
- HR 6147: Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019, which appropriates funds for various departments and activities related to environmental protection, transportation, urban development, and wildlife.
UP NEXT: The next major primary election in on August 14th! If you are in Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont: Know who your candidates are and what they stand for. Use our tools, including VoteEasy, so that you can go to the polls and VOTE SMART!
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