With Election Day a mere 2 weeks away, the fight for control of the House or Senate has transformed from a casual brawl into an animated Ultimate Fighting match. Considering even the professionals are unsure what the future of this election holds, the candidates have resorted to duking it out in hopes of resolving this uncertainty themselves. But, instead of throwing on their boxing gloves and heading to the ring, they are taking a route that keeps their hospital bills from skyrocketing: the media.

Political ads around election time are famous for their often-nasty messages, intending to take down the opposition. Interest groups act as a sidekick, informally backing certain candidates by criticizing their opponent. With all the smack-talk, it can be really difficult to decipher fact from fiction.

Amid this chaotic media mess, there are several sources that are not only reliable but also non-partisan. They provide voters with the facts, avoiding the echoes of emotion and party allegiance.

Here are a few must-read sites for any college student planning to vote this election– hopefully, that’s all of you!

Project Vote Smart
Votesmart.org provides candidates’ voting records, their political stance on all issues, and their approval ratings by interest groups. Seriously, there is no better site to inform you about your state’s candidates, leaving out the mess of opinion and sticking to the cold hard facts.

FactCheck.org
This site sifts through the truths and lies of campaign ads. It allows readers to be informed of false advertising and not fall for the tricks of media campaigning. Read More »

If you’re from Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Colorado, today’s the day to get your sh*t together and register to vote.

Virginia voters have definitely heard to the call to get up and out, as many registration booths have been “overwhelmed” by the amount of people trying to insure their say in this election.  According to the Los Angeles Times;

“Virginia has logged more than 300,000 new voters since the year began. The state does not record party affiliation, but it says that 41% of the new registrants are under the age of 25, and an additional 20% are between the ages of 25 and 34.

The influx of young voters, a core part of Obama’s voting coalition, is an encouraging sign for the Democratic nominee in a state that has not picked a Democrat for president in more than 40 years .”

It’s always encouraging when young people put down their ipods and blackberrys and decide to take responsibility for a nation they’ll soon be controlling, and it’s even more encouraging that a Democratic candidate unlike any other is the one that gets them fired up.

No matter what party you affiliate yourself with, it’s got to make you happy that someone has finally (seemingly) lit the fire under the ass of America’s youth.

The kids over at declareyourself.com have taken the guess work out of voting. In this ’50s-styled educational video, Ed Helms (The Office) teaches young Billy (McLovin’) the ins and outs of the voting process. Jeepers, Wally… voting is tops.