Teddy James

AFA Journal staff writer

June 2016 – “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government,” Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Richard Price.

Rob Chambers, national field director for AFA Action, furthered Jefferson’s pivotal quote, telling AFA Journal, “We believe in the power of accurate, pertinent, and current information. One problem our country currently faces is the glut of online information that is incorrect, irrelevant, or outdated.” The problem is nothing new, but the solution is cutting-edge.

Creating the tool
Source material can separate a good tool from a great one. This is true whether the tool is a hammer or a voter guide. Information posted on AFA Action’s Voter Guide is as reliable as information can be.

“We go beyond headlines and sound bites,” Chambers said. AFA Action pays little attention to what political candidates say about themselves. Instead it looks to voting records. It sees how candidates voted in the past to give an accurate forecast of how they will vote in the future.

AFA Action also examines where candidates receive funds and where they spend them.

“You can tell much about a candidate by who gives them money and whom they give money to,” Chambers said. “So if a big pro-choice organization has donated thousands of dollars to get someone elected, there is not a high chance he or she will be supportive of the pro-life cause.”

Using the tool
Having the best tool in the world will not matter if it is too difficult to use. To make sure that does not happen with the AFA Action Voter Guide, the team behind its website, afaaction.net/voter-tools/voter-guide, made sure it takes little computer knowledge to find the information needed and act on it.

“We have people who rarely use computers get what they need without issue,” Chambers said.

To make the voter guide available to everyone wherever they may want it, AFA Action developed apps for Android and Apple platforms. Voter guide information is also available on several social media platforms.

Making the Voter Guide available on many platforms was a strategic decision. Randy Sharp, AFA director of special projects, said, “AFA Action designed the Voter Guide to be available anywhere people want to use it. That makes it easy for them to share with their family and friends. The more people use it, the more impact it will have in this election.”

Beyond the vote
AFA Action is useful beyond the 2016 election.

“If the candidate you are championing wins the election, great. Now keep his feet to the fire. If another candidate wins, keep his feet to the fire too,” Chambers said.

AFA Action is a resource for American citizens who want to be involved in impacting state and federal governments by providing contact information for representatives, updates on pending legislation, and much more. To stay up to date on all the latest news, votes, and decisions by lawmakers, visit afaaction.net or sign up to receive AFA Action alerts.

“The AFA Action Voter Guide is a great tool to protect people from being misled by political spin and the hullabaloo coming from almost every mainstream news service,” AFA vice president Ed Vitagliano said. “AFA Action created the Voter Guide to inform and educate, no matter what side of the aisle a person sits on.”  

afaaction.net – Apple and Android apps available. Search “AFA Action Voter Guide”