Compare the Presidential Candidates with our Voters’ Guide

The 2016 election cycle has been nearing a sprint for what seems like months, if not years. The first presidential candidates announced their intentions to run close to a year ago, more than a full year and a half before Election Day – Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Political parties started hosting candidate debates over six months ago. But we’ve turned a corner – the presidential primaries are underway. Voters in New Hampshire and Iowa have weighed in on their preferred presidential candidates and voters across the nation will continue to whittle down the field throughout the spring.

With the election cycle now in full swing, we’re pleased to share our presidential voters’ guide to help voters learn about the candidates and their visions for America’s future.

The League of Women Voters Education Fund, with the assistance of incredible volunteers from the League of Women Voters of Maryland, asked leading presidential candidates to share their thoughts on a range of issues from the economy to foreign policy, as well as their position on the role money plays in our current political process.

In order to be included in our voters’ guide, candidates had to make a public announcement to seek his/her party’s nomination as well as meet the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act’s minimum contribution threshold requirements for matching funds, based on the most recent data publicly available from the Federal Election Commission. We’ve listed the candidates that have met our criteria, yet have not replied and we hope you’ll help us encourage their participation by tweeting at them! The guide will be updated as additional candidates continue to answer or meet our criteria, withdraw from the race, and/or as candidates update their answers, so bookmark it and check back closer to your state’s primary date!

For more information on the upcoming primary or caucus in your state, including a customized list of the presidential candidates that will be on your ballot and information on candidates running for other offices, visit VOTE411.org. Simply enter your address and receive personalized voting information, including finding your polling place and its hours, whether or not you’ll need to show an ID to vote, what to expect on your ballot, and much more.

The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes any candidate or political party. The responses included in our voters’ guide are verbatim from the candidates, though they were limited to 400 characters per question. Candidates that have met our criteria but have not yet replied are included and we hope you’ll help us encourage their participation by tweeting at them!

As you review our voters’ guide, we also encourage you learn more about how the presidential primary process works as well as the presidential selection process, through our guide: Electing the President.

Election Day 2016 is coming! Now is the time to remind the people in your life to visit VOTE411.org to register to vote, make sure that their voter registration record is up-to-date, and learn about important voting rules and deadlines in their state. With your help, we’re Making Democracy Work®!