OPINION
An Alternative Guide to Election 2006

You didn't have to be at the meet and greet event this summer when Virginia Senate hopeful George Allen referred to his opponent's volunteer -- who was present in the crowd video taping the speech -- as "macaca," a remark perceived as a racial slur against the Fairfax, Va., native of Indian descent.

All you had to do was type a few keys at YouTube.com, and it was as good as being there. Better, certainly, than reading about it in the Washington Post, which ran roughly 30 articles, editorials and related news items about Allen's gaffe. Better even than watching it on network news, because a search on YouTube also yielded a related Comedy Central skit by Jon Stewart, as well as other videos heaping ridicule on the political process in general and Allen -- who, it must be said, eventually apologized and explained he hadn't meant the word as a racial insult -- in particular.

Call it "Election 2.0." Call it the revenge of voters tired of watching the increasingly negative 30-second ads on network television. Whatever the reason, it is clear that voters are going outside mainstream media -- far outside -- to learn more about the candidates and the issues.

Consider YouTube, says Robb Hecht, an adjunct marketing professor at the City University of New York's Baruch College and social tech media strategist.

"Its role in this year's elections cannot be underestimated," he tells the E-Commerce Times. "While people need to tune into CNN, they also need to check out YouTube's vault of political videos and sites like WhereIStand.com to find out where [the politicians] stand on issues."

For political newbies or just anyone interested in learning a bit more about the candidates, the E-Commerce Times has compiled a list of politically oriented Web sites that range from providing educational information to partisan talking points.

Back to Basics

The League of Women Voters has an admirable history of providing nonpartisan information about candidates and the issues.

Last month, it introduced a comprehensive Web site for the elections at www.VOTE411.org. The site provides detailed information about such issues as absentee ballots, ballot measures and early voting options, election dates, ID requirements, registration deadlines, voter qualifications, registration forms, voter machines, and factual data on candidates in the various races, including those running in local contests.

You can search the site by state or by issue.

Mainstream Media and Points Beyond

Bloggers love to bash mainstream media, or MSM, but on election night that is where they will be. All of the newspapers offer up-to-the-minute coverage; indeed competition to call an election among these players is fierce.

In the hotly contested presidential election of 2000, Fox news came under fire for claiming Bush had won the election that night and -- according to some Democrats at the time -- unfairly giving him an advantage in the subsequent fight by casting Gore in the role of challenger.

Media outlets have since reviewed their processes to ensure that such a fiasco does not happen again. Sites with good election night coverage include, but are not limited to, The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News and CNN.

YouTube.com

Politicians and their operatives are no dummies. YouTube might have started out as a site for ordinary people to post their own videos, but it is now well seeded with videos produced by candidates -- both focusing on themselves and on their opponents.

Watchdogs and Other Guardians

Foundations, councils and think tanks -- partisan as well as neutral -- follow politicians like hawks, watching for missteps or mistakes. Many of these sites tend to lean liberal. Ethical lapses, a frequent topic of discussion, have been in the news a lot lately and are being cited by Democrats as a reason to vote out the Republicans.

However, these sites also tend to identify government misspending and bloat, which makes them dear to the hearts of many fiscal conservatives.

Citizens for Ethics and OBM Watch are two excellent sites that consistently show they are on the ball when it comes to watching Washington.

The Heritage Foundation is the conservative movement's bible, providing strong policy arguments to support its positions.

The Juicy Stuff

With memories still vivid of an impeachment and a disputed election, and growing fears that both may be on the horizon again, it is difficult to find a truly independent voter -- unless it is a disaffected and unengaged one.

For the voter who is out for blood -- be it Democrat or Republican -- there is no shortage of Web sites.

Nationally, the more well known ones include DailyKos, Wonkette (who now has her own column in one of the big three news weeklies), Rasmussen Reports and the Drudge Report (not quite a blog but nonetheless a well trafficked site).

Some of these, such as the Huffington Post and RealClearPolitics, have become a blog of blogs of sorts, with many posters and opinions populating the site. Be warned -- some of the postings can offend the sensibilities of even the most diehard partisan hack in us -- but then again, so can some of the campaign ads airing on network TV.

This list is by no means exhaustive. In the step-up to the election, we would love to hear from readers about their favorite political news sites and why they like them.