^[1]Gary’s excellent post ^[2] reminded all of you to register before Oct. 20. Go do that. Now. You should also be informed about what you’re voting for, so here’s where to go for information. (If this list is too overwhelming, I would stick with smartvoter.org ^[3], easyvoter.org ^[4] and politifact.com ^[5].)

LOCAL

Smart Voter ^[6]
Enter your address and see everything that will be on the ballot in your neighborhood — every person running for your district, every measure that applies to your area. If you did not already get your voters’ guide in the mail, this is the perfect place to start.

County election offices
Since this blog covers much of the South Bay, you may be located in Santa Clara ^[7], Santa Cruz ^[8], San Mateo ^[9] or Alameda ^[10] counties. Here is where you can register to vote, check if you’re registered and download information on local elections.

San Jose Mercury News Elections section ^[11]
You can make an argument about bias one way or the other, but never mind that — it does have good information that could help you decide on local issues.

STATE

California Voter Information Guide ^[12]
The official voter guide from the Secretary of State. This is the online version of what you should have received in your snail-mail box.

Easy Voter ^[13]
A plain-English site that spells out nicely who is running, what the California propositions mean, and who is opposed to what and why.

Secretary of State elections ^[14]
This site outlines how to get ON the ballot, whether as a candidate or introducing an initiative. It’s too late for this election, naturally, but a good resource nonetheless.

NATIONAL

Politifact ^[15]
If you’re tired of trying to figure out which national candidate to believe, this is a great resource to see quickly who just lied about what.

Factcheck ^[16]
Another great fact-checking resource From the Annenberg Public Policy Center. This goes more in-depth than Politifact.

Open Secrets ^[17]
Follow the money: see who is donating to candidates and elected officials.

EDITED TO ADD:

Project Vote Smart ^[18]
Look up your candidates and current office-holders by zip code, then easily find their voting record, public statements, speeches and videos. This site excels with the lesser-known local and state representatives. An invaluable resource.

Glassbooth ^[19]
Still not sure who you’re voting for in the presidential race? This site will quiz you on your core values and match you with a candidate.