Officials' records readily available

A "national library system" is available free to find out officials voting records.

Don Burnet from Portland, an ambassador for Project Vote Smart, spoke Oct. 18 and 19 in Roseburg about "Project Vote Smart."

The non-profit's database:

1) identifies key public policy issues -- budget, business, defense, education, health, welfare, energy, environment, trade; 2) on these issues, summarizes voting records of about 40,000 national, state and many local officials; 3) provides contact information of incumbents and some candidates; 4) summarizes evaluations of incumbents from a wide spectrum of interest groups, such as U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO and Disabled American Veterans; 5) lists campaign contributions; and 6) highlights some biographical information.

To access its database free of charge, you may phone its research hotline 1-888-868-3762; tap its web page www.vote-smart.org; e-mail membership@vote-smart.org, or write One Common Ground, Philipsburg, MT 59858.

Project Vote-Smart is described as nonpartisan; independent from interest groups, corporations and government; objective, trusted and extensive. Seventy percent of its support comes from volunteers and 45,000 members nationwide. Contributions are 100 percent tax deductible

Its use by the American public has grown from one million inquiries in 2001 to an average, in 2006, of 16 million inquiries a day.

<b>Jim Long</b>

<i>Roseburg</i>