Use variety of sources for trustworthy voter information

I agree with Jim Slusher's March 8 letter to readers about shamefully deceptive political ads. They are pervasive and seemingly unstoppable, and unfortunately they work.

People are bombarded every day by commercials, campaign signs and mailers, and by the latest headlines on the news, often without a lot of fact checking or context. Many get their news online, from right- or left-leaning talk shows, or even from Facebook or bloggers. But all news and information sources are not equally trustworthy or accurate.

For voters to make educated decisions, they need to discriminate between biased and unbiased sources, and to seek information from more than one source. Newspaper coverage of candidates and elections are a good start. The Daily Herald and others interview candidates and publish endorsements based on those interviews as well as their backgrounds, track record, and opinions.

Different newspapers sometimes endorse different candidates. I use the news coverage, endorsements and my own research and opinions to decide how I will vote.

In addition to newspapers and news shows, a good nonpartisan source of information is the League of Women Voters. As a member of the LWV of the Elgin Area, we hosted four local candidate forums to allow voters to meet and question candidates for the 6th Congressional District, 16th Circuit Court Judge, Kane County Clerk, Sheriff, and County Board Districts.

Candidate questionnaires are posted on the lwvelginarea.org website.

Candidate profiles from those and other statewide races are available on the Illinois LWV website lwvil.org under Voter Guide. I urge all voters to take advantage of the nonpartisan sources of information to educate themselves on the candidates and issues to cast informed votes. Democracy is not a spectator sport; it is a civic responsibility.

Carol Grom

Sleepy Hollow