Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Ann Klees

To the Editor:

It is election season. Political ads abound on TV. Which are true and which are lies? It’s hard to tell. There’s no law that says campaigns and PACs (political action committees) have to tell the truth.

Social media is full of misinformation and AI generated content as well. There will be no author listed, or fact checking done, and the add relies on the reader’s emotions to get them to pass the information on. So, what to do?

Well, I found a site which helps a little - “Fast Democracy.” It’s free, but you have to sign up. You can look up your legislator and see their voting records on various bills. State and federal congress critters are listed.

There’s another site for the U.S. House - “Congress. Gov”, and  then go to Clerk U.S. House of Representatives, advanced search. There you can see your member’s voting record also, and the bills themselves. I’m afraid I have no good answer for candidates who are not incumbents. I guess, go to their websites and read up on their issues and stands and hope they tell the truth. Endorsements by notable people and organizations help. At least you know where they stand on those issues. There are websites that show you which organizations support candidates - unions or environmental groups, health care and women’s issues. Plus more, go looking.

If the candidate comes to a town near you, go, listen, ask questions. That is something that not everyone gets to do; take advantage of the opportunity.

Political candidates and the PACS who support them do not always care to tell the truth, sometimes they blatantly lie to try to win your vote or damage their opponent. Don’t blindly believe everything you hear or see in TV ads or on your phone, do a little digging. Our country’s fate is in the hands of we voters, let’s not mess it up.

Ann Klees
Waterville