Most candidates for office at the national or state level (and even some local candidates) post web sites. There you can find information about the candidate's positions on issues, read or listen to recent speeches, and see a schedule of upcoming events.

Find out about the candidates in an upcoming national, state, or local election. Using a search engine, find the web sites for the Democratic and Republican party candidates and any minor-party candidates. What positions has each candidate taken?

Other helpful web sites that provide information on campaigns and campaign funding include

• The Federal Election Commission (www.fec.gov), which provides data on campaign funding for federal elections
  
  
• Public Agenda (www.publicagenda.org), which provides research on major issues in a nonpartisan venue
  
  
• The Center for Responsive Politics (www.crp.org), which provides extensive campaign contribution information
  
  
• Campaign Finance (www.campaignfinance.com/states/index.html), which provides information on campaign contributions for state races
  
  
• Voter and registration demographics from the Census Bureau: www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html
  
  
• The Polling Report (www.pollingreport.com), which provides polling data on elections and campaign events
  
  
• The Center for American Women and Politics/Rutgers University (www.rci.rutgers.edu~cawp), which provides data and reports on women and women's voting behavior

Would you like to know more about how much money is being raised and spent by candidates for the House of Representatives in your congressional district? Go to the FEC web site to find out. You can also learn a lot about PAC spending and contributions to federal candidates from the FEC.

If you are interested in campaign financing in your state election, the Campaign Finance web site is a good place to start. You could also use a search engine to find information about campaign finance laws in your state.