To the joy of folks tired of seeing back-to-back political ads during Big Bang Theory and filling their on- and offline mailboxes, Election Day is almost here! In just over a day from now, taxpayers across the country will know who their mayor, state representatives, and federal legislators will be, as they head to their newly-won offices with a variety of mandates to improve America’s economic performance. Before the polls open and campaigns burn the last of the midnight oil, it’s time to take a deep breath and consider what some of those candidates support and how they would change government spending.
National Taxpayers Union and Foundation has provided some great tools for voters to make the most informed decisions as they enter the voting booth. Our tools span the levels of government and the ways public officials would change tax policy and how tax dollars would be spent.
Last week, NTU released a comprehensive ballot guide that lists hundreds of proposals that could affect taxpayers’ wallets and pocketbooks. NTU’s State Affairs Manager Lee Schalk wrote that “some of the most significant measures appear on local election slates – from soda tax and minimum wage increases to local income tax hikes and pension reform.” It is with this microscope on the fiscal policies going on in your backyard that NTU compiled statewide and local issues that will appear on ballots tomorrow in 35 states. To get a more complete picture of what measures taxpayers will be voting on, check out Lee’s summary that appeared on the Daily Caller.
From local politics to national races, NTU Foundation (NTU’s research and education arm) researched the proposed spending agendas of a select number of U.S. Senate races. We were able to produce four line-by-line studies, covering campaigns in Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, and Maine. These reports were the results of sifting through each candidate’s campaign websites, interviews, and debate statements to compile a list of all the policies they support that could impact federal spending. Proposals were matched with cost estimates and budgetary information in much the same way we score legislation in the BillTally project (which is the nation’s only comprehensive study that scores nearly every bill introduced in Congress for changes in spending).
Here are NTUF’s candidate studies and further information on each of the covered candidates:
Colorado
- In-Depth Summary and Press Release
- Comparison in The Taxpayer’s Tab
- Line-by-Line Report of Cory Gardner
- Line-by-Line Report of Mark Udall
Kansas
- In-Depth Summary and Press Release
- Comparison in The Taxpayer’s Tab
- Line-by-Line Report of Greg Orman
- Line-by-Line Report of Pat Roberts
Iowa
- In-Depth Summary and Press Release
- Comparison in The Taxpayer’s Tab
- Line-by-Line Report of Bruce Braley
- Line-by-Line Report of Joni Ernst
Maine (this study was a snapshot and not as in depth as the other three analyses)
- Line-by-Line Report of Shenna Bellows
- BillTally Line-by-Line Report of Susan Collins
Be sure to read over NTU and NTUF’s research and get this information to your friends, family members, and neighbors! Policy experts and taxpayer advocates will be watching the polls and offering commentary on the @NTU and @NTUF Twitter feeds as well as giving Americans thoughtful post-election analysis on Government Bytes.